The Island at the Center of the World : The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and

Description: In a riveting, groundbreaking narrative, Russell Shorto tells the story of New Netherland, the Dutch colony which pre-dated the Pilgrims and established ideals of tolerance and individual rights that shaped American history. "Astonishing . . . A book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past." --The New York Times When the British wrested New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, the truth about its thriving, polyglot society began to disappear into myths about an island purchased for 24 dollars and a cartoonish peg-legged governor. But the story of the Dutch colony of New Netherland was merely lost, not destroyed: 12,000 pages of its records-recently declared a national treasure-are now being translated. Russell Shorto draws on this remarkable archive in The Island at the Center of the World, which has been hailed by The New York Times as "a book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past." The Dutch colony pre-dated the "original" thirteen colonies, yet it seems strikingly familiar. Its capital was cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic, and its citizens valued free trade, individual rights, and religious freedom. Their champion was a progressive, young lawyer named Adriaen van der Donck, who emerges in these pages as a forgotten American patriot and whose political vision brought him into conflict with Peter Stuyvesant, the autocratic director of the Dutch colony. The struggle between these two strong-willed men laid the foundation for New York City and helped shape American culture. The Island at the Center of the World uncovers a lost world and offers a surprising new perspective on our own. Russell Shorto is the author of five books and is a contributing writer at the The New York Times Magazine. His books have been published in fourteen languages and have won numerous awards. From 2008 to 2013, he was the director of the John Adams Institute in Amsterdam.

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Location: East Hanover, NJ

End Time: 2024-11-28T23:42:26.000Z

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EAN: 9781400078677

UPC: 9781400078677

ISBN: 9781400078677

MPN: N/A

Book Title: Island at the Center of the World : The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America

Number of Pages: 416 Pages

Language: English

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Item Height: 0.9 in

Publication Year: 2005

Topic: American Government / Local, United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, De, Md, NJ, NY, Pa), United States / Colonial Period (1600-1775), General, Historical, Modern / 17th Century

Illustrator: Yes

Genre: Political Science, Biography & Autobiography, History

Item Weight: 11.6 Oz

Author: Russell Shorto

Item Length: 7.9 in

Item Width: 5.2 in

Format: Trade Paperback