SUMMARY Is it possible to identify the origin of the early modern printed Jewish prayer books from the Northern Netherlands? These editions are discussed in with their historical, cultural and literary context and special attention is given to the question whether the growth of a specific Dutch-Jewish liturgical tradition can be discerned. The research rom the period 1584-1700. The former is the year in which the first Jewish prayer book, containing obligatory prayers, was printed, even before Jewish settlement in this country had started. The year 1700 may be arbitrary, but is chosen as at the time Dutch Jewry had become more or less stabilized and their books had acquired international fame and attraction because the name Amsterdam had become a mark of quality for a free Jewish press. Special attention is given to the political, social and cultural context of the immigrants of Jewish origin who arrived in the Northern Netherlands and what kind of reception they may have expected from their Christian neighbours. To better understand the origins of the Jewish prayer books that were printed in the Northern Netherlands in Early Modernity a survey of the Jewish people and their prayers is provided in the first of the three parts in which the study is divided, starting in Antiquity. The second part discusses Jews and their prayer books in the Northern Netherlands, the third part analyses the treatment of the Jewish prayer book in bibliography, library practice and modern information practice. The Jewish diaspora, started in Antiquity, caused the development of many liturgical customs and liturgical rites, some of which would find their way to the Netherlands. The most important of these rites are summarily discussed and at the end of the study a checklist is provided providing the most important differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardi prayer books. Jewish immigration in the Northern Netherlands is discussed with special attention to the influence of contemporary political and religious conflicts on the settlement ...