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The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan, the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America

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The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan, the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America (Hardcover)

by Russell Shorto (Author)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

RRP:	�18.18
Price:	�16.45 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Customers buy this book with Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason (Vintage) by Russell Shorto

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Product details

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Doubleday Books; 1 edition (April 2004)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0385503490
ISBN-13: 978-0385503495
Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 16.4 x 3.1 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 346,288 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

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3 star:		(1)
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4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As engrossing as a novel, 8 Jun 2009

By	William Gallagher "william_gallagher" (England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America (Paperback)

I know everyone's different, I know you say potato and I say tomato, so of course I'm not criticising the reviewer who called this ponderous but I couldn't disagree more if I had money riding on it. It's a genuinely new account, a fresh view on what made New York the city it is today.

Sometimes the Dutch colony it describes seems so alien that you can't imagine it ever becoming the Manhattan we know and then there'll be a passage where you can vividly see a straight line from today right back to the decisions the first settlers made.

As for ponderous, I suppose it does have a great deal to cover but it didn't seem so to me. And I was won by the introduction, which ends with the simplest yet most evocative imagery of Henry Hudson's ship appearing on the horizon.

I adored this book and I'm only here, I only saw the negative review, because I was coming on to see what else author Russell Shorto has written. I'm glad I stopped by, I hope you buy the book and that you love it as much as I do.

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ponderous, 4 May 2006

By	George Boyd (Inverness, Scotland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America (Paperback)

This book is good, let's be fair about that. Well-researched and thorough, it is packed on every page with historic detail. But that makes it a bit heavy - like reading a thesis. The information clouded the true path of the book, to tell the story of New York's Manhattan. I still enjoyed the book, but would have preferred if it had been less onerous but without being too fluffy (ie airport book). As it was, I had to put the book down frequently until my brain cooled down with all the information!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Top marks, 1 Nov 2009

By	Xilfee "Fiona Kitchen" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America (Paperback)

Well, this book was recommended by someone I met through an online business network who lives on Statin Island - because we had a Dutch student living with us. I thought it would make for good conversation, no more.

The book arrived, it has a great 'feel' to it, you know you are going to love it even before you open the cover. I made an effort to read it all from page one.
I now know that was a smart thing to do.

I can honestly say that its one of the best books I have ever read and certainly the best history book I have read.

The language isn't complicated (I'm no'buff'), is without 'padding'; just wall to wall facts but told in a way which makes it feel like a story; which it is but the information is fact, real history.

Russell Shorto paints a vivid description of the people & places of the time so much so you can almost taste and smell; individuals, mood, architecture, plants, animals, ships and everyday life, right down to the paths along streets we know now, this day, - without over emphasising. What it was then and what it is now; what an eye opener.

Its the first book in my life, I have bothered to read slowly as I didn't want to miss a single snippet of information. Each line is packed with facts you don't want to miss, all taken from orginal manuscripts.

I have learnt so much about my own (English/British) culture as well as Dutch, American, Spanish and French.
There are at least three other family members in line waiting to read it after I finished it.

Buy it, you won't be disappointed. Enlightened, enriched, yes.

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