Amsterdam

By Geert Mak

Book Overview

Cosmopolitan, stylish, even a little decadent, Amsterdam--"the Venice of the North"--is a city of legendary beauty. From a twelfth-century settlement of wooden huts at the mouth of the River Amstel, it had become by the late sixteenth century one of the great cultural capitals of Europe and a major financial center. In this gracefully written examination of Amsterdam's soul--part history, part travel guide--the Dutch writer Geert Mak imaginatively depicts the lives of early Amsterdammers and traces the city's progress from a small town of merchants, sailors, farmers, and fishermen to a thriving metropolis. Mak's Amsterdam is a city of dreams and nightmares, of grand civic architecture and magnificent monuments, but also of civil wars, uprisings, and bloody religious purges. In his delightfully instructive journey through the city and through time, Mak displays an eye for the bizarre and the unexpected: a Rembrandt sketch of a young girl executed for manslaughter; the shoe of a medieval lady unearthed during a remodeling project; a graffito foretelling the city's doom on the wall of a mansion, daubed by a deranged burgomaster with his own blood. Amsterdam remains a magnet for travelers from around the world, and this charmingly detailed account of its origins and its history through the present day is designed to help the reader step into daily life in a truly modern city.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674003314
• ISBN13: 9780674003316
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent overview

It is always difficult to write a biography of a city, certainly of one with as rich a history as Amsterdam has. But Mak tells a wonderful story of a fascinating city, successfully explaining Amsterdam's modern-day character through centuries-old stories. In this 350-page book, Mak treats each segment of the city's history evenly, spending equal time on its founding, its rise, its stagnation, and its reemergence. But what makes this book such a page-turner is Mak's success at bringing past citizens to life through his recounting of old stories. Mak has clearly done a great deal of research into city and state archives. Through vivid writing, Mak introduces the reader to city founders, prisoners, flower traders, rich merchants, and current politicians. A wonderful read and a terrific introductory piece prior to visiting. An excellent companion book for the traveler is "A Murder in Amsterdam," by Ian Buruma, which recounts how problematic and conflicted Amsterdam's historical liberal and tolerant society has been since 9/11.

Great history, easy to read and enjoy

I was looking for a book on Amsterdam's history, and had heard of Mak's popularity in the Netherlands, so I decided to give this book a go. I'm very glad I did. The book is a great history - well told, easy to read, and full of little details and anecdotes to bring the story of this city to life.

Reads like a good novel

This is a wonderful book about one of my favourite cities. It is written in a storytelling form by the author who is passionate enough about the city to know how to share it with the reader. My husband and I are not crazy about history books but we "devoured" this one. Couldn't put it down! We are looking forward to reading his other books.