'there is much of interest in these essays' - M. Smuts, University of Massachusetts

'This fascinating and important collection of essays [...] do[es] much to deepen and enrich our understanding of monarchism and absolutism in early modern Europe'; 'The volume is genuinely European in its range and coverage'; 'this is a ground-breaking volume, and the standard of the contributions is consistently high' - D. L. Smith, Selwyn College, Cambridge University

'the essays are all of interest, and the volume as a whole a contribution to the study of what, until the triumph of modern democracy, was the most perdurable political institution in the Western world for two millennia' - R. Zaller, Drexel University

'This collection makes it abundantly clear that previous scholars have often underestimated the complexity of this concept [absolutism] and represents a commendable step in rectifying this problem' - G. E. Schwartz-Leeper, University of Sheffield