Dutch authors on Asian history presents fifteen essays on Dutch expansion and colonization in Asia before 1800, during the period of the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC). This collection offers the opportunity to make acquaintance with the nature and development of colonial historiography as practiced in the Netherlands in the second half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century. Although Dutch historiography on Asia and the VOC underwent considerable change after 1960, especially as a result of decolonization, the work of these early historians has not lost its importance. For many aspects of the history of Asia and the VOC these studies supply valuable data and lively descriptions that have not been supplanted by modern research. They also reflect the development of Dutch historiography and the changing views and interpretations of the Dutch colonial past.
A major objective in the selection of essays was to shed light on two rather neglected areas: VOC activities outside of the Indonesian archipelago and Dutch relations with other European colonial powers. An extensive historiographical survey and biographical sketch of each author establish the place of these authors and their work in the Dutch tradition.