Amsterdam [Paperback]

Geert Mak (Author), Philipp Blom (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2002

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. (20001216)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Dutch journalist Mak's models in this excellent study of the origins and evolution of the Netherlands' most distinguished city are Johan Huizinga (The Autumn of the Middle Ages) and Simon Schama (An Embarrassment of Riches). He begins each chapter with an offbeat example of a different age's preoccupations: modern construction unearths medieval artifacts, Rembrandt sketches a hanged girl, a 17th-century burgomaster goes mad, and a Resistance leader is betrayed to the Nazis. He interweaves these tales with cultural, economic, and social history to capture the distinct character of each age across nearly a millennium of history: "Amsterdam is a city, but...also a country by itself...a city that spreads out progressively across the country. Our political debate is about as exciting as a wet sponge. [B]usiness...is conducted in a pleasant sort of anarchism, a yielding order, a sober chaos. For centuries, [we] have simply had no need for nationalism." This is a superior history of a fascinating subject, written with vigor and grace and infused with wisdom, wit, and scholarship. Enthusiastically recommended.DDavid Keymer, California State Univ., Stanislaus
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Brief visits to Amsterdam by Americans usually evoke cursory impressions of a city with charming canals (the "Venice of the North"), a laid-back lifestyle, and the multitudes moving on bicycles. Mak is a native of Amsterdam and a prominent journalist in the Netherlands. In this delightful survey of Amsterdam's past and present, Mak does not necessarily contradict these pleasing images--rather, he provides an enriched portrait of a city that he clearly loves. He incorporates elements of political, economic, and art history as well as utilizing his refined eye to offer the best elements of a travel guide. While he acknowledges that his city has often been uniquely blessed, he doesn't ignore the seamier aspects of Amsterdam's saga, which include a substantial share of civil strife and bloodshed. For those who have visited or hope to visit this metropolis, Mak's survey will provide both enjoyment and essential information. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (October 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674009932
• ISBN-13: 978-0674009936
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,476,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making the City Come Alive Through Time, March 27, 2001

By 

Louis G "ryecatcher25" (Bradenton, Fl USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amsterdam (Hardcover)

I loved this book. After visiting and falling in love with Amsterdam, I sought to learn more of its history. This book does a great job of putting you inside the city throughout its long and remarkable history. From the first settlements at the edge of the wetlands to its zenith as the world's foremost trading power to modern times, author Mak makes the history come alive by focusing on individuals as well as the average Amsterdamer. Blom's translation is impeccable (I often find that Dutch translates very well to English). Highly recommended to the discerning traveler or the merely curious.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quick, entertaining history, August 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Amsterdam (Hardcover)

I read this book in preparation for a visit to Amsterdam, and my visit was far more enjoyable and interesting as a result. You owe it to the Amsterdammers to read this book before spending any amount of time in their city--you'll have a much deeper understanding to inform your stay. Imagine reading stories about Chicago by Studs Terkel before visiting that city.

It's really too bad, though, that such a good book has suffered such incompetent editing. Harvard University Press should be ashamed of itself--misspellings, strange punctuation, inconsistent formatting--did anyone actually look at the copy before it went to press?

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amsterdam by Geert Mak, April 27, 2004

By 

Willem van Eijk (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amsterdam (Paperback)

I read this book in Dutch, and lived in Amsterdam for many years. Being an (ex)Amsterdammer, I guess there are many things you take for granted, and I certainly subscribe to Mak's explanation that one of them is "being proud of not being proud".
However, having lived away from Amsterdam for so many years now, this book has thoroughly re-established my (not so proud) appreciation for Amsterdam! My next trip to my beloved home town will, thanks to Geert Mak, be an altogether different one.