Netherlands Books

Harvard graduate Motley traveled in the early 1800s from the U.S.to Europe where he studied in Germany, followed by a short stint as diplomat in Russia. Although he would become a leading diplomat in later years, he first turned to literary activities, of which The Rise of the Dutch Republic played a major role. Published in 1856 it became very popular among European and American readers and was translated in many languages,including Dutch and Russian.

This work not only describes the history of Holland in colorful and eloquent terms and with a sense of sympathy for the Dutch, but also instructs in well documented ways how the Dutch built their Republic and a political system which still today influences Dutch society. Moreover it offers lessons to a modernday world which continues to grapple with dictatorships, disfunctional governments and failed states. This book is clearly a landmark in literary and historical terms, and a delight to read for those interested in Dutch history as well as readers more generally interested in history and its links to today's societies.

Last year we were planning a trip to the Netherlands and found this book to be a quick, entertaining read. An athletic grandpa with plenty of guts takes his granddaughter and a young woman friend on a rollerblading vacation around Holland! (They have done other physically challenging vacations in the past which he has also written about.) It chronicles their preparations as well as the sites they saw and specifics about where they stayed and ate and even packing lists. Granddaughter ate ice creams daily! You could too if you skated 20 miles per day! It is written in journal form with lots of fun, personal stories about the games they played while skating and in their rooms. I actually did pick up a suggestion or two; specifically their visit to a dam inspired us to go to the very interesting Neeltje Jans, part of the Delta project which keeps the country from flooding. They had a great time together and it is getting me thinking about maybe taking my grandchildren on vacations when they are older.

I have read several guides to Dublin and the Rough Guide is the best by far. It is packed full of information in, and unlike many of the other guides, it includes information on off-the-beaten path destinations and day trips outside of Dublin.

It has lots of practical information that the first-time traveler to Dublin should know, like what buses you can take from the airport, the (new) location of the Dublin Tourist Office, and the costs of public transport.

The style of the Rough Guide is very enjoyable as well. Instead of just a few recommendations for rooms and restaurants, the guide includes many suiting virtually all tastes and budgets.

Highly recommended.

I traveled to Belgium in 1999 on a whim, for a long weekend in Antwerp, with about three days' notice. It was the best trip to Europe I've ever made. First, let me give you five really good reasons to go to Belgium and Luxembourg.

1) Since they are somewhat off the beaten path (with the possible exception of Brugge (Bruges), in Flanders), they're cheap. You can get top quality accommodations, food, and beer for about half what you would expect to pay for similar quality in Paris, Cologne or Amsterdam.
2) If well-preserved, but still functioning, medieval towns are your thing, consider this for a moment: Antwerp, Brugge, Ghent, Namur, Mechelen, Leuven. Any questions?
3) The best beer on earth, period.
4) Small enough to get anywhere within two hours, and entirely realistic to tour on a bicycle.
5) More linguistic, cultural, artistic and geographic diversity crammed into a small space than any other country in the world. You get Dutch, French, German, and maybe even a little Spanish.
6) A courteous and helpful service ethic. Belgians love tourists!

And, of course, there are also five good reasons to buy this guide rather than other guides.

1) Essential historical, cultural and literary contexts that explain these small countries' somewhat confusing, multi-ethnic histories.
2) Encyclopedic coverage of all the cities, towns and important natural sites, including insightful historic and practical information.
3) Immediately up-to-date listings.
4) More substance than style. Rough Guides are intentionally that way.
5) A "not to miss" section that is well researched and looks beyond the obvious.

With mighty Brugge right next door, I still think incredible Ghent gets the short end of the stick. Some of the writing is a bit stale in this regard. For me, the hoards of tourists in Brugge make the experience in Ghent that much more authentic. There's nothing like falling into a Ghent pub at about 4:30PM for a Duvel, and staying on until you forget where you are. It's awesome.

If you don't buy the book, go anyway. And if you go to Belgium and spend all your time in Brussels, shame on you:)

It is a good book to start exploring the Netherlands. It contains important information about what you must not miss, details about most important cities and places of interest.

But Netherlands has so many things to show, I believe it would be impossible to get them all into a book of this size, which you can still carry with you :)

Overall, it is a good insight on Netherlands. Very good for people who want to spend 1 to 4 weeks in Netherlands. Although if you have more time and want to see and find out more about this beautiful place, you'll have to just ride your bike or go by car from town to town, because all the nice and interesting places do not fit in any book of this size.

Royal Delft: A Guide to De Porceleyne Fles (Schiffer Book for Collectors)An excellent book for anyone interested in collecting ortiginal delft plates, etc.

My sons loved having this book read to them. It is full of mystery, intrigue, and genuine battles that will draw a boy into the wonderful history of piracy and the high seas. The main character is of the utmost morals and my boys always begged for more as we read through the compelling, true account of life as Michael DeRyuter.

This book combines first person interview accounts with a brisk narrative and historical context that makes for a great read and a very worthwhile experience to understanding what happened in World War II and the Holocaust.

This is a great journal for professionals, or the aspiring urban planners and landscape architects. It covers environmental design from an international perspective with extensive essays, interviews in a well though out academic manner; without the ubiquitous adverts. This periodical can be enjoyed by any one from professionals to backyard gardeners, just about anyone whom is devoted to environmental conservation and sustainability.
A. Thomas

As early as 1575 a number of Scottish scholars and merchants gravitated to the cities of Holland, Zealand, and Flanders because of the educational and commercial opportunities they offered. For their part, Scottish Covenanters went to the Netherlands to flee persecution under the Stuarts and to live among their Calvinist brethren. Probably the largest number of Scots found in the Netherlands were soldiers fighting in the service of the United Provinces in its 80-year struggle for independence against the Spanish Habsburgs and later France. The Scottish presence in the Netherlands was such that by 1700 about a thousand Scots lived in the city of Rotterdam alone. Over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries, some of these Scots or their descendants participated in the Dutch emigration to America.

For his latest book, Scottish emigration expert David Dobson has combed primary and secondary sources on both sides of the Atlantic in order to document these links between Scotland, the Netherlands, and America. Mr. Dobson provides over 2,000 separate references to this traffic. In each case, he states the individual's name, occupation (soldier, merchant, student, etc.), date of the reference, and the source. Marriage entries typically give the Scot's name and place of origin, those of his spouse, and sometimes the name(s) of parents, or more. In a few cases, the references are to Dutch persons who migrated in the opposite direction, attracted by Scotland's offer of full naturalization. The author cautions researchers to note that the names brought to America by these immigrants were generally modified by the Dutch and, on occasion, provide no clue to their actual Scots origin.