About this item
*A SCOTSMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR* Stranded at Schiphol airport, Ben Coates called up a friendly Dutch girl he'd met some months earlier. He stayed for dinner. Actually, he stayed for good. In the first book to consider the hidden heart and history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, the author explores the length and breadth of his adopted homeland and discovers why one of the world's smallest countries is also so significant and so fascinating. It is a self-made country, the Dutch national character shaped by the ongoing battle to keep the water out from the love of dairy and beer to the attitude to nature and the famous tolerance. Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland and why the colour orange is so important.
About the Author
Ben Coates was born in England in 1982. After completing a master's degree in economics, he worked as a political adviser, corporate speechwriter, lobbyist, journalist and aid worker. He has written for publications including the Independent, the Daily Telegraph, the Scotsman, the Irish Times and BBC News. He now works for an international organisation and lives with his wife, daughter and dog in a cottage in the Dutch countryside. He is the author of two best-selling books: the 'The Rhine', which blends travelogue with a lively history of western Europe; and 'Why the Dutch are Different', an exploration of the Netherlands and its unique history, politics and culture.
