About this item
The thrilling narrative of how New York came to be, by the author of the beloved classic The Island at the Center of the World.In 1664, England decided to invade the Dutch-controlled city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Charles II and his brother, the Duke of York, had dreams of empire, and their archrivals, the Dutch, were in the way. But Richard Nicolls, who led the English flotilla bent on destruction, changed his strategy once he began parleying with Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch leader on Manhattan.Bristling with vibrant characters, Taking Manhattan reveals the founding of New York to be an invention: the result not of an English military takeover but of clever negotiations that led to a fusion of the multiethnic capitalistic society the Dutch had pioneered to the power of the rising English empire.
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.
