Netherlands Books

It is a pleasure to see Van Gogh's original handwriting in his letters, accompanied by drawings and skecthes. Highly recommended.

I was so pleased to find this book in the library and after readint it I had to own it. I have many Van Gogh books. This one is espeically interesting since the editor minimized her words on the first page of every chapter. The words after that are Van Gogh's words taken from his letters to Theo and various others. I find it extremelly intersting to read what he wrote about his works as he did them. This is a terrific book.

Very well-written, considering that this German critic (I see that he's also prepared Pallas guides to Southwest England, East Anglia, and the West Country as well as Oxford & Cambridge and, in German, "Schotsland.") has David Henry Wilson's solid (or transparent?) translation to filter his own personality and perspective through. Pallas Guides apparently are British, so this is the first one I've seen. They're tinged with the Blue Guides cultural sophistication, but with less local color re: the natural resources, architecture, and the historical nuts-and-bolts of the edifices. Instead, this book's laid out going from the southeastern border at Monmouth to go up the coast along Cardiff and Swansea with byways into the mining valleys, industrial archeology, fortified and later eccentric castles (Cardiff again!) and Roman ruins. Sager then follows the coast up to "Little England" at the tip of the peninsula, ending the half-loop around Fishguard.

Then, he circles within Mid-Wales and the Marches before starting again at the border to re-enter Wales along the Northern coast, gradually and thoughtfully considering the debate over jobs vs. scenery in Snowdonia, admiring the Menai bridge, explaining carefully the controversy over holiday homes vs. waiting lists for council homes in such former Welsh-speaking enclaves as Anglesey and Lleyn, and then concluding powerfully with R.S. Thomas' poem "Reservoirs" and the last fight against the tide of anglicization and tourism in the mountains.

Throughout, Sager knows well the contradictions as a German travel writer celebrating this compromised Principality (and he tells us precisely why the English designated it as such-- a fact I as an American had never understood before) within a kingdom. He fairly presents the demands of those wanting increased autonomy: economist Leopold Kohr, folksinger Dafydd Iwan, and Hay-on-Wye's bookseller Richard Booth among them. He also counters with an understanding of the appeal of rural Wales for incomers and visitors. He highlights in self-contained essays on such topics as the language debate, slate mining, Lord Bute and William Burgess' medievalism, the Romantic vogue for the picturesque, the Ladies of Llangollen, the demise of the chapels, Aberfan's disaster, and "The Manor House of Servants" at Erddig Park many lesser-known subjects (compared to most tour guides) deserving attention. Blaenau and Ffestiniog are treated as two daughters, one grey, one golden, competing for a suitor's eye. Paintings and décor gain as much scrutiny, if not more, than Eryri and Cader Idris.

One example of his scope: he considers "yr hen iaith," the ancient language, deftly. Sager suggests that the "problem has solidified into a kind of national monument: for some it is an ancient pedestal without a statue, and for others a statue looking for a base." (66) He wryly notes but three pages into his text that the dragon's tongue stands as the emblem of the Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg). "The amputated tongue is as much a symbol of amputation as it is of language." (12) Sager's rather pessimistic about the viability of the tongue, and his own guidebook, as he well knows, contributes to the tension of Welsh heritage. It brings tourism, it creates jobs, it lures incomers. A few come to Nant Gwrtheyrn on Lleyn to learn Welsh; but they learn it in a village that lost all of its original, Welsh-speaking, families after the last granite quarry closed in the 1950s. Many more flood since then into the Lleyn peninsula for brief or permanent escape from English cities. (A sign of anglicization: I cannot include the proper Welsh circumflexion vowel mark for Lleyn into this review format!)

Somehow, Sager manages to move you along the Welsh itinerary steadily while pausing to share interviews and contexts without making it all sound like potted history or rambling erudition. Dylan Thomas, Saunders Lewis, the painter Richard Wilson, John Cowper Powys, Adelina Patti, Robert Owen, William Morgan, Gwen John, Mary Elizabeth Thompson, Eric Gill, Gwynfor Evans, George Borrow, and Arthur Clough all come alive in these pages. You may not know them all beforehand, but you will be interested in each one after you read his short but inviting introductions. He integrates further material into his the first sixty pages, taking on such icons as the Eisteddfod, the proliferation of castles, and rugby to illustrate deftly his own knowledge of how such items enrich our understanding of Welsh culture.

With Sager, you travel from your armchair. His simple but appropriate photo inserts enhance the presentation, and a supplement (I refer to the 3rd ed. 1998 rather than the latest 4th ed. 2002) specifies holidays, gives a short reading list, a small excursus on various tourist topics, and a small list of places to shop, sleep, drink, and sightsee. I do note no other than the two general road maps. This is one drawback; the visitor will need a much more detailed map, as the text like the maps remains largely "general" about exactly how to get to most of the places mentioned. This guide might best be employed in preliminary planning a trip, researching a place, or using it as I have, simply to get the sense of Wales-- albeit from afar.

I close with an example (p. 75) of how efficiently yet skillfully constructed are Sager's entries. This is the very first town he describes. He combines the necessary detail with a narrative command of his subject, combined with a personal touch that expresses his interest in whatever he shows you. "Like an inverted funnel Monnow Street leads uphill from the bridge to the town centre: broad and roomy down below, where the markets were always held, but increasingly narrow as it climbs upward to where St Stephen's Gate used to stand. It's a perfectly normal street, with its old houses, shops and pubs, and all the usual small-town bustle-- but then suddenly it broadens out into an unexpected square that echoes with a distant heroism: Agincourt Square. And her our little town takes on a new and unforeseen greatness. A cue for the entrance of Harry Monmouth."

If you really want to know about Wales before you travel this is the guide for you. This is a book to be read and digested not just skimmed through. It is rich in history, art and literature. It gives a deep understanding of the people, the land and its culture. It is not a travel guide per se but will certainly inform your travels. This is not for the lets hit the high points crowd.

That's one of my favorites books. It has history, dramma, romance and suspense. One of the betters in it's rank!! It's about a young guy, Michel, who lives near 1945. It has also humor. Michel has to take care of an English soldier, but... there's a traitor... you'll be surprised at the end. Read and enjoy!

I originally read this book in Dutch and am delighted to find that it has been translated into English. Jan Terlouw is one of those rare writers who writes about serious subject matters for children with great wit and humor amid gripping suspense, in a way that is neither condescending and simplistic nor depressing and morbid. The last winter of World War II was terrible for many of the Dutch, who were at the end of their rope and many were starving, but so many more found the strength and heroism to persevere under German occupation and help their friends and neighbors to survive. In this story, Michiel is fifteen and finds himself assuming very grown-up and dangerous responsibilities as he struggles to care for a downed English parachutist in hiding while participating in underground resistance activities against the Nazi occupation. This is a riveting, exciting book!

It is with great sadness that i tell you of the passing of this wonderful man.
He was my grandfather and i urge you to read this story......it is the story of my family and how he chose to make us his.
xo
jenny-bea englishman

This guide was invaluable on my recent trip to Amsterdam!

Even though I had other guides with me, I used this one the most because:

1) With lots of great photos, this guide gives you a really good idea of what things look like, which helps you decide whether an attraction is one you want to see.

2) While not as comprehensive as some other guides, the AAA guides point out the best sights and attractions, which are the things you want to see anyway.

3) The spiral format makes the guide very easy to use as it lays flat or folds flat. (Nothing like trying to juggle an awkward guide while balancing a tote bag, carryon bag, and a purse! Ease of use counts!)

4) The guide contains fun activities like suggested walking tours along with fun facts about locations that you won't find in other guides. The walking tours along the canals were wonderful, and helped us get a real feel for the city.

AELBERT CUYP is an art book developed in conjunction with the exhibit of Cuyp's work currently on view at the National Gallery in Washington (10/01-1/02), the National Gallery in London (2/02-5/02), and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (6/02-9/02). If you want to get a head start on your visit to the exhibit (and avoid dragging home a heavy book afterward) you may want to buy the book beforehand. In addition to photographs of the paintings and drawings in the exhibit, the book contains five essays. My favorite is entitled "Pigments and color change in the paintings of Aelbert Cuyp" by Marika Spring.

Unlike many contemporary painters, Aelbert Cuyp died a wealthy man. He married well and he amassed a fortune in revenue from his patrons. He was frequently commissioned to paint family gatherings such as 'Portrait of a Family in a Landscape' which he may have developed in collaboration with his father Jacob.

Cuyp's patrons were conspicuous consumers who wanted their wealth noted in portraiture. Cuyp addressed this by painting their horses and clothing with exquisite detail. In an essay entitled, "Cuyp's horsemen: what do the costumes tell us?", Emilie E.S. Gordenker traces the origins of the Hungarian-Turkish influence on the clothing Cuyp's models.

Many Hungarians attended school in the Netherlands in the 17th Century. These young men were heros because they had driven the Turks from the doors of Europe and saved Hungary for Protestant Christianity (much to the delight of the Protestant Dutch). Following their victory, the Hungarians adapted Turkish elements of clothing such as linen undershirts, hip-length tunics, and turbans. The Dutch upper classes made this remarkable new dress the latest fashion. (Recall the oriental aspects of clothing in Rembrandt's paintings? Cuyp literally followed suit).

Cuyp (pronounced as "cowpt") is best known by his bucolic landscapes filled with farm animals, particularly cows--cows in the river, cows in the barn, cows in the fields, cows in the woods, cows with herdsmen, and herdsmen with cattle. However, he was also a master horse painter (plenty of gentry and aristoi on horseback), and his maritime scenes are gorgeous. According to Spring, he introduced the "yellow light" of the Italian Renaissance to Dutch landscape painting. His views of lakes, rivers, and harbor scenes exude a peaceful, serene, and almost other worldly beauty. I particularly like 'Dordrect Harbor by Moonlight'.

The last part of the book contains an essay and reproductions of Cuyp's many realistic pen and ink drawings from the area around Dordrect. These are beautiful sepia pieces you won't want to overlook.

Illustrated with maps by Samuel B. Bryant

A practical tourist guide of the Netherlands from 1953...its history, geography, customs, culture and the character of its people. The author tells you about entrance regulations, and the exchange rate, what clothes to pack, how to get there, where to stay and eat, what each region offers in the way of entertainment and special events, what museums, castles, churches, zoos, industries, scenic beauties and historical places to see and what excursions to take by boat, bus, bicycle, car or on foot. Endpapers are a map. 257 pages. Index.

The American Express Travel Guide of Amsterdam (1992), written by Derek Blythe, has been re-written by Carol Winkelman and re-published as Travel&Leisure: Amsterdam (1997). Travel&Leisure magazine, in conjunction with Macmillan Travel, designed this new version of the book for a larger audience that includes young travelers, budget travelers, babyboomer travelers, discriminating travelers, and business travelers. The new book is a combination of traditional and offbeat travel guide, helping the reader find his/her way to hotels, restaurants, museums, and historical sites while also taking him/her "inside" Amsterdam to experience its cafe culture, lively arts scene, and famous nightlife. The new book, like The American Express Guide, includes an excursion to Rotterdam that leads the reader from the historic to the ultramodern.

Travel&Leisure magazine and Macmillan Travel designed a newer version of this book entitled, Travel&Leisure: Amsterdam (published in 1997). The original American Express Guide contains excellent, detailed chapters on Sites and Attractions, Art and Architecture, and Cafes. It also includes a side trip to Rotterdam that captures the essence of the city and takes the reader to the most interesting museums and architectural sites.

Lost our copy in the canal when we were watching the locks fill. What a shame. Great walking tours for a beautiful city.