About this item
An endlessly entertaining portrait of the city of Amsterdam and the ideas that make it unique, by the author of the acclaimed Island at the Center of the World Tourists know Amsterdam as a picturesque city of low-slung brick houses lining tidy canals; student travelers know it for its legal brothels and hash bars; art lovers know it for Rembrandt's glorious portraits. But the deeper history of Amsterdam, what makes it one of the most fascinating places on earth, is bound up in its unique geography-the constant battle of its citizens to keep the sea at bay and the democratic philosophy that this enduring struggle fostered. Amsterdam is the font of liberalism, in both its senses. Tolerance for free thinking and free love make it a place where, in the words of one of its mayors, "craziness is a value.
About the Author
RUSSELL SHORTO's latest book is "Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom," which Gordon S. Wood calls "an engaging, readable and surprisingly complete account of the American Revolution" and "a tour de force." He is also author of the bestseller "The Island at the Center of the World" and of "Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City." His books have been published in fourteen languages. From 2008 to 2013 he was the director of the John Adams Institute in Amsterdam.
