Netherlands Books

I used the book for two weeks driving around and doing business in The Netherlands and Belgium. It's sized so that I can keep it in a back pocket so I always had it with me. It might be a great book for people who have had some instruction and need refreshing. Since I had "never seen Dutch before" it was impossible to have a conversation using it.
I never expected to talk, just read signs. But each time I tried, I only found half the words I needed. (I was driving and parking on my own and I'm sure I bypassed legal parking or parked illegally but was lucky. I also completely misunderstood a "there's major traffic problems, find alternate route" sign because too many key words weren't listed.) A section of "common signage" would be really helpful.
The menu section was useful for $5-10/meal restaurants (whose staff may not be very good with English), but leaves out most of the fancy things at a good restaurant. (where there will often be someone who speaks enough English) (And if you're going to be in the area you have to treat yourself to good food - there's so much of it).
I try not to be an Ugly American, but found that it was better to greet someone in English, because they'll instantly switch over to continue the conversation. But if you start in Dutch they assume you understand and chatter on too fast to follow. Get a local to show you how to say "thank you" and "goodbye" and other key phrases for the end of your conversation - there are lots of locals out there laughing at our mispronunciation of words that can't be described through dictionary phoenetics and include sounds that don't exist in American words.

I wouldn't go back without it, but I'm still looking for a replacement that meets my needs for my return in a few months.

I agree with the first reviewer in that the pronounciation is off for the -en sounds (and a couple others, perhaps), but this book seems to be a useful guide for the casual tourist. Most of the travel items are the often-used phrases that folks would need. (Especially if you're in amsterdam or Rotterdam, where dropping that -en for the -eh is typical)

I took a copy of this along with me on a trip to the Netherlands, primarily for assisting in understanding signs and menu items more than as a phrase book. Unless you plan to travel to very rural areas, you will have absolutely no problem getting along/around in NL. Just learning a few phrases of greeting, please/thanks, and goodbye (for courtesy's sake) is sufficient.

A plus for providing some Dutch grammar basics, which might spark an interest in more in-depth study. A minus for an unnecessary section on vulgarisms. The translations of some phrases are a bit too "interpretive" for my taste, some of the translations could be a bit more literal (or provide a literal meaning of the Dutch phrase). The pronunciation guide is not completely accurate, either.

If you're just heading to the Netherlands or Belgium on a brief holiday, you really won't *need* a phrase book. A waiter will be happy to decipher the menu for you if it is not multi-lingual. You won't really need to know the road signs unless you're driving (and with the excellent public transportation system and bicycle paths/lanes, you probably won't). And if you're seriously interested in learning Dutch, it won't offer you anything you can't learn in a more substantial book.

Save the money, and put it toward your Lonely Planet guidebook.

Since I am a beginner in studying Dutch, I try every possible way to look for books and courses which are able to help myself improve my knowledge of the Netherlands. To know a country or a state or a nation, the best way is to understand what the people think, how the people lead their lives and the language they use. "The Rough Guide to Dutch" I think it is good for the beginners. It is a so-called "dictionary phrasebook." you can get not only basic vocabulary and phrases but also daily life information. In my opinion, to choose the book is a good idea to help yourself. It is a pocket book that you can bring it to everywhere without any trouble. Everytime and everywhere you want to enlarge your vocabulary, it is at hand. It is full of basic & daily vocabulary. The more you attempt, the more you earn!

I bought this book before going over to the Netherlands for a business trip. I found the book VERY confusing and VERY unusable. The pronunciation guide is very misleading. For example, it leads you to think that the "n" at the end of every word should be pronounced as "u" as in bus, which is totally untrue. The content is arranged in dictionary format, and is thus unhelpful at all for the beginner. I highly recommend AGAINST this book. BTW, most people in the Netherlands can understand and many can speak English, so if you go over there for a short stay, you don't need to learn Dutch at all.

The three naval campaigns fought between England and the Dutch Republic in the mid-seventeenth century were significant both politically and technically. Logic and self-interest should have dictated that the two great Protestant powers of the time never went to war with each other, but it took three bruising conflicts before they realised that their interests must be aligned in the face of the rising menace of Louis XIV's France. These wars were characterised by almost continuous series of large-scale battles involving huge numbers of ships. Hard experience exposed the weakness of the "melee" tactics predominating initially and led to experiments in the line-of-battle tactics and signalling systems which would be the foundation for the great age of fighting sail in the next century and a half. This book sketches the backgrounds to the three wars and gives competent descriptions of the main actions, thereby filling a need for an easily accessible book on this important period. The text's main weakness is however its brevity, which precludes any significant contextual information on the fleets or the principal commanders, most of whom we encounter as already mature and seasoned admirals. Little information is provided on the way in which the fleets came into being initially (how, after a decade of Civil War, did the English Commonwealth come to have such a large and efficient fleet?) or how they were employed immediately before, or between, the individual wars - the exploits of the Dutch Navy being particularly interesting in this respect. The story is full of colourful personalities - Blake, Tromp, de Ruyter, Evertsen, Monck, Sandwich, Prince Rupert, the de Witt Brothers and the future James II, but we learn nothing of their backgrounds or development prior to the events described. The book is well illustrated, and many of the pictures by the v/d Veldens, father and son, essentially official war artists to the Dutch Navy, make one long for more information on this fascinating duo and their working methods. A second edition of the book would benefit from the addition of "boxes" in the text with information on these main players, as well as on the navies themselves. The overall verdict is that this book is a missed opportunity - and an expensive one to boot, for its length - but it nevertheless does fill an empty niche. Those who buy it will also enjoy Sir Arthur Bryant's brilliant trilogy on Pepys, who played such a significant role in the latter two conflicts and who's eyewitness testimony is so invaluable.

This book is primarily a military history. The naval battles are described in some detail, drawing on first-hand accounts. A map is provided for most of the battles. Black-and-white reproductions of battle paintings and ship sketches by Dutch artists are provided. Nautical terms are used without definition. If you want to follow the battle descriptions in detail, you might want to grab a supplementary reference.

The underlying political events in England and Netherlands during 1652-1674 are also described. You get some fascinating glimpses into the workings of the Dutch republic during its brief heyday and into English politics during this very turbulent period.

The 2nd chapter and the brief epilogue are devoted to causes and results of the wars, respectively. Still, I agree with a previous reviewer that more context could have been provided. By limiting the detailed account to 1652-1674, we are left with unanswered questions, particularly biographical. Some heroic figures emerge from the account, particularly the Dutch admiral De Ruyter and politician Jan de Witt, and a brief biographical sketch would have been nice. However, b&w reproductions of paintings of the prominent figures, including De Ruyter and De Witt, are provided.

The writing style is occasionally eloquent, but also surprisingly awkward at times. The meaning is always clear, however.

In short, I enjoyed reading this book and learned a lot from it. There doesn't seem to be much alternative in print on this interesting subject.

This book, `The Anglo-Dutch Naval Wars, 1652-1674' by Roger Hainsworth and Christine Churches is a very enjoyable account of the naval wars fought between England and the Netherlands. The many battles fought took place from the period of Cromwell's Commonwealth through to the reign of Charles II. The book is broken up into two main sections; `The First Dutch War' and then `The Later Wars'.

The narrative flows smoothly and the story is well told, we come across many of the names we have all heard at school. Captains like Robert Blake, Prince Rupert, Cornelis Tromp and Michiel de Ruyter, plus many more naval commanders, some famous some infamous. The sections covering the fighting are well told and a number of first-hand accounts are used throughout the narrative to give you a better feeling of the terrors of naval fighting at that time.

The book is well researched and presented and I enjoyed the story a great deal. I have only read bits and pieces about these conflicts in other books covering this period; this is the first book that I have come across that has covered these naval wars in such detail.

Overall I think most people would enjoy the story as much as I did. The book is 212 pages in length and is full of lovely plates and paintings taken from the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich in London (sadly all in black and white). A number of maps are also supplied in the book but are of a basic nature.

While the subject matter is certainly fascinating, and the authors treatment is well researched and factual as far as it goes, I too long for more historical depth, not just on the characters of the day (Blake, De Ruyter, Tromp, etc.), but more on the ships themselves, particularly those of the Dutch fleet. it seems a commonplace that any book dealing with warships from Elizabethan times right through the Napoleonic era is primarily involved with English/British ships, with the occassional side-reference to 'the enemy.' Dutch naval ship building had enormous influence over all the sea-faring nations other than England, to include France, Sweden, Russia and the various German states of the time. Further, in style, construction methodology and overall theory were very different from English shipwrightry, but receives little mention. Dutch traders dominated the oceans, and it was this predominance of Dutch sea-borne trade that was the root cause of all three of the Dutch wars, as the English attempted to wrest control of the sea and its trade from its greatest rival. The Dutch had colonies all over the world at the time, not just New Amsterdam; how did the wars affect their day-to-day life? Dutch artists likewise dominated the art world, with the Van de Velde's painting commissions for both sides! The scattering of Van de Velde sketches is just the merest indicator of what might be available in the archives, but sadly, may never come to light. That said, an author has to start somewhere to gauge interest, and who knows? if enough people show some interest in this book, more in-depth volumes may follow....

After years of visiting family in the Netherlands and visiting obvious tourist attractions, I felt it was time to find a guide to help me unearth those not so noticeable sights. I quickly discovered that it was challenging to locate a book that focuses solely on the Netherlands. Then I stumbled upon the Rough Guide to the Netherlands. I thought I had finally discovered the ideal comprehensive Dutch travel book. But after opening the beautifully photographed cover, I dove into the introduction only to find the following statement, "Indeed for such a small and accessible country, the Netherlands is, apart from Amsterdam, relatively unknown territory." Unfortunately, I did not find that this book helped to dispel this myth and encourage travel anywhere outside of Amsterdam.

By the tone of the writing, it felt as though the writer(s) had a negative image of this country even before writing a sentence. They overlooked many of the quaint, personal aspects of this country, as well as many of the attractions that I considered obvious places to visit. I was able to attain more useful information about cities in the Netherlands from my outdated copy of Let's Go Europe 1994, which covers information on over a dozen countries in just one book.

In the back of the Rough Guide, there is a section of assorted English/Dutch translations, which can be extremely helpful for travelers. They list simple terms like hello, good-bye, thank you, etc and important translations for questions like, "where is the bathroom?"

If you are looking for a travel book to list a handful of plain-as-the-nose-on-your-face attractions in Amsterdam, then you found your book. If you are looking for an all-inclusive guide to aid your explorations throughout the Netherlands, this is not it. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this review, I have not found a book I can recommend and I am also sad to say this is the first book that I will return to Amazon.

It is always dangerous to criticize a travel guide to a place you have always lived, but reading this guide once again confronted me with the prevailing prejudice that Holland (the Netherlands) equals Amsterdam. Allow me to let you in on a little secret: it doesn't.
Personally, I don't care for Amsterdam that much: much of it is a noisy, messy, tourist trap filled with people you would prefer to avoid. Outside the capital life is generally much more gentle. However, there is enough hustle and bustle to be found in the nightlife of Rotterdam, Utrecht, or Groningen.
The problem is that you are unlikely to experience those places after having read this guide. Often it reads like an extension of the RG to Amsterdam, showing an unwillingness on the part of the researches to take the long one-hour train journey to Utrecht or Rotterdam and take in those places. Although I generally prefer this series over Lonely Planet, my advice is to take the 'other' guide to the Netherlands if you're really interested in travelling outside Amsterdam

I discovered The Rough Guide series last year when I was dazzled by their guide to Thailand. By comparing the Holland version to that one, however, I'd say TRG has dropped the ball in The Netherlands. Whereas TRG Thailand approaches its subject at a subdued level of wonder, the Holland writers seem to have gone about their itinerary by suppressing their interest in anything outside of Amsterdam or art museums. Forget subdued, it's as if the authors burned out in the capital, and a mummified expedition dragged their feet through the polders out of a need to comply with the terms of their contract. Humbug quotes from famous writers set the tone for chapters on cities they dislike. Many of the towns they cover are evaluated with Amsterdam as their benchmark: Utrecht - "just a half-hour from Amsterdam, all the brashness and vitality of the capital is absent;" The Hague - "[the city's] older buildings are a rather modest collection with little of Amsterdam's flamboyance." A measly six pages are devoted to Rotterdam, none of which mention the city's uppermost nightlife (for the sake of comparison, Michelin's guide gives Rotterdam twenty). Furthermore, parks and recreation get little or no air time. Nothing is mentioned in the way of The Hague's many forests and dune parks. If you obeyed only this guide, you wouldn't know that sky diving, among other sports, is offered in the Frisian Islands.

I do enjoy the voice of the Rough Guides, that of a discerning traveller, and the gray informational sections detailing national custom are usually right on target. As expected, each of these signature features can be found here. But if you want a comprehensive guide to The Netherlands, for recreation & nightlife as well as Amsterdam & museums, you might look elsewhere. I'd start with Michelin.

This is the closest thing out there to my ideal guide. The authors really did their research, and it showed in the copious amounts of background info for each city and region. Listings for lodging, restaurants and attractions were scrupulously accurate. The Rough Guide does not have as much of a budget focus as Let's Go; it does list inexpensive places to stay, but has a little bit of a tendency to sneer at them. The only drawback for me was that the authors' taste is more boyish and more upscale than mine. They like military and shipping museums and dungeons a lot, and are a little too harsh on places they find kitschy or dull. Nevertheless, I'm glad I brought this guide along. It made my trip much more enjoyable and did a lot for my peace of mind.

I'm an exchange student living in Belgium for a year.. and this book is AMAZING! I'm determined to do everything in this book, and I'm already on my way! A few of the pricing things and anything to do with money is a little outdated (ie: the Diamond museum in Antwerp is no longer free). But the authors know their stuff, and (quoting Notting Hill) has actually been to Belgium, which is a plus. And not only do they know their stuff, they give it to you straight up. No sugar coating, nothing, and that's a huge plus. Go out, buy the book, then visit our amazing country!

As much as I am faithul to Lonely Planet guidebooks, I was shocked by reading their edition of Belgium & Luxembourg. Not only did we have to wait 2004 to have a LP guidebook for those 2 countries (which must be after about all other regions in the world, even Antarctica, Papua New Guinea and tiny tropical islands), but it's not even half satisfying.

They should have kept the previous title "Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp", as there is frankly not much about the rest of the country. For instance, Belgium has some 3000 castles, but for some reason only 2 (yes, a miserable 2 !) are listed in the Lonely Planet. Same sparsity for the abbeys. Then, the book is heavily centered on Brussels and Flanders, as if the author didn't know more about Wallonia than the average occasional tourist. No mention of towns like Huy, Ciney or Gembloux - in fact they are not even on the guide's map ! No mention of the beautiful stone villages of the Condroz and Meuse Valley. It's like if they had written a guidebook about England without writing about the Cotswolds, Mendips and the country's many castles and stately homes ! It seems that the author is more interested in finding the best pubs and clubs in Antwerp than in historical and cultural sightseeing. There is more than lots of beer and legal drugs in Belgium !

All in all, in my 3 years living in Belgium, I found this a really helpful guide book. Prices are always wrong in guidebooks, but I found the contact information (web, address, phone) nearly always right, and the descriptions accurate.

You will be very challenged to find another guidebook that has this level of coverage of Belgium in its entirety, as most seem to focus on Brussels, Gent, Bruges, and perhaps Antwerp. Belgium seems to typically be an afterthought on most tourists' itineraries.

I really enjoyed the author's picks, both hotels and restaurants. What can I say to the other reviewer where the hotel unfortunately cancelled their booking because they found a group that would pay them more? Is that the authors' fault? No, welcome to Europe, and to Belgium, where the customer is always ... wrong!!

So you're browsing guidebooks, and wondering which one to get?

I would have to say, based on my experience using an earlier edition of this book for the past 3 years (I imagine they're pretty similar!), if you're swinging through Belgium for 2 days, and going to see Brussels and Bruges, this book is probably not the best for you. You'll probably do better with a thinner city-specific guidebook. But if you're going to tour around Belgium, or spend an extended amount of time in a city or two, then the in-depth coverage of this book is a real benefit.

One criticim I do have to echo: Lonely Planet, let's face it, is not known for its maps, and this book is no exception. They're good enough, and I've never NOT been able to find something, but sometimes the maps, er, well, don't necessarily reflect reality.

So all in all, this is a solid book, and if you follow my advice in paragraph 5, I think you'll be happy with it.

We, too, were shocked with the inadequacies of this guide, (along with the Netherlands guide). What's happened to Lonely Planet? Maps were almost unreadable, information attached to the maps was confusing, streets there were incomplete, addresses were wrong, and the tone was opinionated and unhelpful. To top it off, one of the hotels that was editor's choice cancelled our two-day booking when a full week booking came along from someone else, and we weren't told. No apology, only a remark that we wouldn't like the room with someone else in it. Who selected this place for inclusion in the book with an extra recommendation?

I put this in my cart on April 5th at $13. When I went to check out on April 8th, the price had been raised to the list price of $20.

I've used a fair number of travel guides, and this one is destined for the trash long before I take my trip. I find it extremely user UNfriendly, and short on lots of vital information. While there are some nice maps and some pieces of good data, the organization is appalling. Instead of a division by regions, it is in encyclopedia fashion -- alphabetical place names. Places that get 3 stars (their top rating -- must see) on some of the maps don't show up in the index or as a place heading. When you find something interesting in the text, you have to wonder, where is it in the country? Good luck finding further data. Prices and estimated costs? Forget it -- there are none. I suppose that reduces their costs of updating versions. Data on hotels and restaurants? No -- you have to buy Michelin's separate book, their "red guide." Meaningful information on any form of travel other than by car? Not here. Trying to plan a trip with this guide? Lots of luck.

I like the rating system used by the authors to evaluate theinterest of a prospective tourist site. It's helpful in trip planning. On the other hand, the detail given in describing individual cities or sites should be sufficient for the casual tourist. The book includes brief history lessons that increased my interest in the historical sites described. It's worth [the price].

Michelin's "Netherlands" guide is a compact and comprehensive companion when travelling in the Low Countries. It is pleasant to read and gives you the necessary historical, geographical and cultural background of the country as well as on its provinces and towns. It basically gives you the information, proposition for itineries etc. which you need and expect, without being too lengthy. Complemented with Michelin's 1:400.000 map, it is an excellent basis to plan a trip and then follow it through. The only point, which could be improved is the index, which does not reference all the sites marked as worth visiting on the overview maps on the first pages of the guide. Some sites (example Muiden castle) are not referenced in themselves but as excursions, which can be done in the environs of a town (such as Amsterdam).

I would like to respond to the previous review. William of Orange (also known as William the Silent) was a very prominent figure in the cessation of the Netherlands from the Habsburgian Empire. In Dutch history, he is the founder of the Orange Dynasty and a more important figure than any of his descendants William 2, 3, 4 or 5. The author tried to avoid confusion by adding a reference to his nickname "William the Silent".

This book is a typical example of "Orange propaganda" and the single star for this book is well deserved.

If not for William the Silent and the brave, heroic Dutch, the Reformation and the Enlightenment would have failed, the spark of Liberty would have been snuffed out, and darkness would have once again descended upon the West. For 80 years, one of the smallest countries in Europe fought against the mightiest empire in the world, and won. It is an important tale to learn young, to know that individuals like William the Silent lived, to know how they lived and how their lives made the dream of America possible.

This book is a must read for anyone who does not know European, and in particular, Dutch history. The author, a former schoolteacher does a very good job of narrating the history of the Dutch struggle against the Spanish Philip II under the leadership of the sovereign Prince of Orange who gave all his goods, and his life, for the benefit of the Dutch people. He was known as the silent prince because of his prudence in knowing when not to speak

First of all, this book isn't named correctly. "William of Orange" is William III. This book describes one of his ancestors. There were many Williams and Oranges, but WOO by historical consensus refers to the William who became king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. That I'm annoyed at having bought it by mistake will therefore be reflected in the tone of this review.

Now, it's fine to write in defense of a belief so long as one makes this clear up front. The author didn't. He described this William as a wonderful Christian hero commissioned by God so that wrong might fail and right prevail.

I don't mind that the author believes this, but I certainly do mind the lack of objective narrative. True, the book is written for children (another point of annoyance, for it wasn't advertised as such), but all the more reason for at least acknowledging that the wonderful hero was seen--correctly--as an acute religious and political threat by the Catholics of his time. He was no saint; he was a shrewd politician not known for having a mild temper.

I would be happier were apologists of a faith to stick to why they find certain people and events meaningful instead of moving right into this "God willed it so" propaganda that rewrites history, blurs the real issues and increases the interfaith intolerance from which the world has suffered too much already. For that reason I certainly wouldn't recommend this book for children. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone, except perhaps as a demonstration of how one can slant a point of view.

Was this review sharp enough? "Every bullet has its billet." -- William of Orange (the real one)

AAA tour books are small and easy to carry.They don't go into great depth on any subject,but if it's a short trip,they give you the highlights.I especially like the "Top Ten" listings in each book,and the star ratings for each attraction,which allow you to set priorities for things to see.

A guide about the catalan capital that has a picture of a woman dressed in an andalusian (southern Spain) typical dress on its cover is like a guide of Edinburgh with a pint of Guiness on its cover. Only suitable for anglosaxon tourists with a very low cultural profile.

The book has a good summary for the major highlights, and very nice pictures. Good overall coverage, but the best part is that the book is small enough to fit in a bag or a pocket to travel with you when finding the features of Madrid.

Good, but not detailed enough, map of central Madrid. One would still need a more detailed map for a lot of walking around the city.

I loved the premise of this book: food and "ambiance" from the countries and locations along the Rhine, a river that stretches through several countries. But it doesn't deliver.

The recipes are simple... a little *too* simple. When I was in the mood to make, say, a German saurbraten, I compared Nelson's recipe to several others. Her recipe wasn't bad, but it was wholly unremarkable. Every time I started to cook from this book, I ended up choosing a recipe from another cookbook.

Nor does the "travel" information provide any insights. It's as if she scribbled a few notes from a guidebook, rather than give the reader a view into another place, another life.

On the other hand, this book is suitable for people who are curious about European cooking but somewhat intimidated by "authentic" recipes. I ended up giving away the book to friends who are interested in German cooking, but not very adventurous.

I loved the premise of this book: food and "ambiance" from the countries and locations along the Rhine, a river that stretches through several countries. But it doesn't deliver.

The recipes are simple... a little *too* simple. When I was in the mood to make, say, a German saurbraten, I compared Nelson's recipe to several others. Her recipe wasn't bad, but it was wholly unremarkable. Every time I started to cook from this book, I ended up choosing a recipe from another cookbook.

Nor does the "travel" information provide any insights. It's as if she scribbled a few notes from a guidebook, rather than give the reader a view into another place, another life.

On the other hand, this book is suitable for people who are curious about European cooking but somewhat intimidated by "authentic" recipes. I ended up giving away the book to friends who are interested in German cooking, but not very adventurous.

All Along the Rhine presents recipes, wines and lore from Germany, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Holland, blending authentic Rhine recipes with cultural and political history and insights. No color photos, but the easy dishes don't need them and All Along the Rhine is as strong in its cultural information as in its culinary history of the entire region.

I have quite a collection of Lonely Planets and usually I find them most helpful. The 'Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent' edition was a big disappointment to me though. The restaurants mentioned in the LP were so-so for Brussels, very touristy with prices charged exceeding the quality offered by far. Luckily we knew some locals who showed us around but even without their help better restaurants than the ones recommended by the LP could be found in abundance. Brussels is a great and vibrant city and this LP does not do it justice. Overall, the guide seems to be written commercially; they just filled up the pages with some random places which in my opinion demonstrates a lack of respect for the readers.
Two suggestions for those of you who consider going to Brussels (both not in LP):
* Definately visit the Delirium pub which holds the world record for the most beers sold in a pub (2004 on January 1st 2004). In the evenings there is often live music and the place is the meeting spot for a younger crowd (students and yuppies).
* Babeko restaurant near St Catherine has FANTASTIC food (try for example the ostrich or the tortellini) and prices for main courses are ranging from 13-18 euros (amazing!).

We used this perfectly sized guide in both Brussels and Bruges, and we really enjoyed all of its recommendations. What really sets it apart, however, is its stellar food recommendations. 'T Kelderke, which specializes in traditional food, was our absolute favorite place we visited in Brussels. The crockpot of mussels was so good we went twice :-) And the book definitely does Belgian chocolate justice. Highly recommended!

I'm in the middle of the book in the chapter on the Roman republic. I find it valuable as an undergrad developing an interest in law, because it exposes me to constitutionalism as a highly-varied concept throughout history. Constitutionalism is much more than an American document and the legal and philosophical battles produced by it. That will be my over-arching lesson learned from this book.

The introductory chapters on constitutional theory and sovereignty are, in and of themselves, valuable. Instructive footnotes too, without being oppressive.

Scott Gordon's Controlling the State combines under one cover two distinct realms of discourse. One realm is the intellectual history of conceptual formulations about the constitutional control of government, when that control operates through the organizational structure of government. Two of the book's nine chapters treat these conceptual issues, though many of the other chapters present such material as well. The other realm is the actual conduct of government in several historical episodes that illustrate the author's theme. These episodes are treated in seven chapters-on Athens, Rome, Venice, Holland, Great Britain (with separate chapters on the seventeenth century and contemporary times), and the United States. The chapter on Athens, for example, emphasizes not democracy and majority rule, but "that the institutional structure of Athenian government was the first major polity in history to have a nonhierarchical system of plural and mutually controlling authorities" (p. 77)...

...Gordon does not dispute that states may possess sovereignty, only that they must. He argues that polities may be either hierarchical or polycentric (p. 16). Sovereignty exists in the hierarchical polity but not in the polycentric polity, which has no locus of ultimate authority but rather a number of nonsovereign authorities that check and balance each other. He describes this polycentric vision as the countervalence model...

...A concern with the control of government, Gordon argues, must adopt polyarchy and not hierarchy for its analytical orientation. If the state is hierarchical, it cannot be controlled outside of the optimizing calculus of the holder of sovereign authority. For the state to be controlled beyond this optimizing calculus, political authority must be splintered and diffused among independent parties. Governance then comes to operate ultimately not through the commands or acquiescence of the sovereign but through a concurrence among multiple, independent sources of authority...

...Although the orientation of Gordon's Controlling the State lies generally in a fruitful direction, overall the book disappoints me. Interesting bits appear here and there, including a number of citations that seem worth pursuing, yet when I close the book and ask how I must now rearrange my intellectual furniture, I have no answer. I find no conceptual formulations that I can bring to bear in illuminating one issue or another. The case studies are predictable and do not contain surprising formulations that arrest my attention. Nothing in the book leaves me feeling chagrined at not having thought of it first or so enthusiastic as to exclaim "that's truly interesting, now I understand!" The book's analytical framework is rudimentary and nonsystematic. For one thing, Gordon apparently made no effort to assimilate any of the recent scholarship on the emergent properties of decentralized orders. Yet these formulations, in which the outcomes of a process are not direct objects of anyone's optimizing choices, are surely relevant to the material at hand. Among other things, this literature challenges Gordon's foundational presumption that there is a choice between hierarchy and polyarchy with respect to social organization. Susanne Lohmann has in progress some fascinating work on universities as polyarchical, which stands in sharp contrast to Gordon's claim that universities are among the many modern organizations that are hierarchical (p. 16). In Alienation and the Soviet Economy (Oakland, Calif.: The Independent Institute, 1990), Paul Craig Roberts argues that central planing is never an option to markets and that the Soviet Union was simply "a polycentric system with signals that are irrational from the standpoint of economic efficiency" (pp. 76-77). In short, someone interested in exploring how ideas about polycentricity can be brought to bear on the constitution of governance will have to look outside of Gordon's Controlling the State...