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Amsterdam: The Brief Life of a City
 
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Amsterdam: The Brief Life of a City (Paperback)

by Geert Mak (Author), Philipp Blom (Translator)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: The Harvill Press; New edition edition (15 Dec 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 186046789X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1860467899
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 47,401 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #12 in  Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Europe > Netherlands

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

From its very earliest days when it was no more than a cluster of small farms among the reed banks of the River Amstel, to the present, easygoing, cosmopolitan city with its celebrated red-light district and ganja-filled coffee-bars, Amsterdam has always been a fascinating, individualistic city. Geert Mak, one of Holland's leading journalists, here takes the reader on a riveting topographical journey in a book that is both social history and travel guide. Mak has an all-seeing eye and the best kind of journalistic style; he is always interested in the human angle of things, the smaller truths. He misses nothing; every detail attracts his attention and his imagination, from a medieval shoe rescued from the estuarial mud to the graffiti on the side of a grand house, said to have been applied by a deranged merchant in his own blood, prophesying the city's doom. And what a great cast of characters there is: Jan Vermeer, Rembrandt (who discovered the trick of bidding for his own paintings at auction, so driving up the price), Spinoza, and the tragic Anne Frank, as well as more recent counter-cultural figures such as Johnny the Selfkicker and Kees Hoekert, the "marijuana expert", who once threw a live chicken at Queen Juliana's State coach. --Christopher Hart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

A magnet for trade and travellers from all over the world, stylish, cosmopolitan Amsterdam is a city not only of dreams and nightmares, of grand civic architecture and legendary beauty, but also of civil wars, bloody religious purges, and the tragedy of Anne Frank. In this fascinating examination of the city's soul, part history, part travel guide, Geert Mak imaginatively recreates the lives of the early Amsterdammers, and traces Amsterdam's progress from waterlogged settlement to a major financial centre and thriving modern metropolis.

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3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent history of Amsterdam, 27 Mar 2001
By A Customer
This book skilfully combines a broad historical narrative with individual anecdotes about Amsterdam's more notable characters, and brings out the main themes of its history - trade, tolerance and solid middle-class practicality. While he clearly loves the city, Mak does not shy away from the more sordid aspects of its past, particularly its less-than-shining war record. The translator must also be highly commended - the language is flowing and natural, and one hardly realises that this is a translation. Altogether an excellent read, and a very good preparation for visiting the city.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars An effort to read, but overall worth it, 18 Jun 2001
By A Customer
This book did not turn out to be the history lesson i thought it would be. Mak concentrates on the lessor published events and ordinary people who lived in the city. The diary's of the priest who feared for his life and the auctioneer who looked forward to the public handings on the Dam being 2 examples on ordinary folk in the 1600's. Mak's research for detail is immense. I found the period from the 1800's to the present day the best read of the book, especially the War effort and re-building of the city thereafter. But those first 200 pages are hard work. There is so much information to take in you really cannot have long breaks between reads or you'll find yourself re-reading parts you have forgotten. I'd would only recommend the book to those who know or live in the city. It is not to be taken lightly and definitely not a travel guide.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Tour de Force, 27 April 2009
By Mr. P. J. Dawe "Peter Dawe" (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This book is written by an Amsterdammer who is fascinated by and proud of his city. As with "In Europe", he does not avoid cool, realistic assessments of those involved in the development of his subject, even if some of these are uncomfortable at times. He uses Amsterdam as a microcosm of the Netherlands at large. This should not be taken too far: not many Britons would wish to be regarded as regarded as Londoners manque. However it is an interesting slant on a fascinating story.

As ever, Mak exhibits an outstanding grasp of detail together with the ability to draw the reader into his story. Whilst in no way a guide book, to read it before visiting the city will add a very rich layer of enjoyment and understanding of a fascinating place.
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