Books about Amsterdam from Amazon.com

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. Drawing on this remarkable archive, Russell Shorto has created a gripping narrative–a story of global sweep centered on a wilderness called Manhattan–that transforms our understanding of early America.

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..
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Anne Frank's diaries have always been among the most moving and eloquent documents of the Holocaust This new edition restores diary entries omitted from the original edition, revealing a new depth to Anne's dreams, irritations, hardships, and passions. Anne emerges as more real, more human, and more vital than ever. If you've never read this remarkable autobiography, do so. If you have read it, you owe it to yourself to read it again..
Price: $3.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

When good-time, fortysomething Molly Lane dies of an unspecified degenerative illness, her many friends and numerous lovers are led to think about their own mortality Vernon Halliday, editor of the upmarket newspaper the Judge, persuades his old friend Clive Linley, a self-indulgent composer of some reputation, to enter into a euthanasia pact with him. Should either of them be stricken with such an illness, the other will bring about his death. From this point onward we are in little doubt as to Amsterdam's outcome--it's only a matter of who will kill whom. In the meantime, compromising photographs of Molly's most distinguished lover, foreign secretary Julian Garmony, have found their way into the hands of the press, and as rumors circulate he teeters on the edge of disgrace. However, this is McEwan, so it is no surprise to find that the rather unsavory Garmony comes out on top. Ian McEwan is master of the writer's craft, and while this is the sort of novel that wins prizes, his characters remain curiously soulless amidst the twists and turns of plot. --Lisa Jardine.
Price: $3.25 [Notify me when price goes down.]

As seen on TV, "The Hedonist" is the Sex Bible for Single Male vacations This in-depth guide is written for the Professional Hedonist, the guy who knows exactly what he wants, is willing to pay for it, and likes to spoil himself rotten. If you love exotic tropical excursions with Golf, Deep Sea Fishing, Casinos, and sexy young girls who always say yes, this book is for you. This detailed travel assistant covers 20 affordable tropical cities, from the hot spots in Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, and the Caribbean, to a dozen untarnished island paradises in South America, Asia, and Europe, where you'll be treated like a King for $25! A fascinating read written from personal experiences, in a hysterical, Maxim-like sarcastic style that seems more like a Bachelor Party conversation than a travel guide. You'll learn the how and the where to go for all your sports activities, as well as meeting your uninhibited "dates", with the low down on the club procedures, pricing and terminology, and local updated websites w/maps and details. Red Light Districts, Brothels, full service nude strip clubs, massage parlors, outcall escorts, horny locals, beach play toys, whatever your preference, it's all here...complete with reviews, addresses, phone numbers, and first hand field reports. Included is a must-read 30 pages of Sex Tourism 101 advice on mastering the games and psychology of the local women you'll meet. This is the taboo Bachelor's Vacation Guide that we've all been waiting for, without a single politically correct word in it. All in all, a fantastic resource, packed with info you can't find anywhere else, over 200 pages of extensive, concise, well-researched advice. A real time and money saver. Why settle for anything but the best, and why gamble on hopes. Bet on the sure thing. The girls are waiting....
Price: $10.86 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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Price: $10.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

“Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?”
—Janis Joplin

A journalist’s intrepid endeavor to sell his used car abroad results in a high-spirited and revealing look at West Africa.

“Look, there’s my car,” I say, pointing at my Mercedes in the parking lot.
“Where?” a fellow desert traveler asks.
“There, that Mercedes,” I say.
He looks at me, questioning. “You want to drive that through the Sahara?”
 
Jeroen van Bergeijk came up with what seemed like a great scheme for making a quick profit: buy a clunker of a car in his native Amsterdam and resell it in the Third World, where a market even for jalopies still thrives. His chariot of choice is a rusted-out 1988 Mercedes 190D with 220,000 kilometers on its odometer; his route will take him from Holland through Morocco, across the Sahara, and into some of the least trodden parts of Africa.
My Mercedes Is Not for Sale is a rollicking tale of an innocent abroad. The author finds himself facing a driving challenge akin to the Dakar Rally but encounters obstacles never dreamed of by race-car drivers: active minefields, occasional banditry—mostly by the border guards—and a teenage, chain-smoking desert guide with a fondness for Tupac lyrics. Food and water are scarce, sandstorms are frequent, and all he has to patch up his many car breakdowns thousands of miles from civilization is a bar of soap, some duct tape, and a pair of women’s nylons. Then there’s the coup he survived.
My Mercedes Is Not for Sale captures more than the adventure—it vividly portrays the impact of globalization on Africa through a surprise-filled journey into its thriving car culture, while asking the question: is the white man’s burden really a used car?

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Price: $7.36 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Discover Amsterdam

Uncover a grand church hidden in an attic in the Red Light District

Visit a shoe-shaped home and the office of the future at the Living Tomorrow Pavilion

Sip jenever (Dutch gin) at a traditional tasting house or distillery

Practice your dangling skills sampling herring from a street stall

In This Guide:

42 days of in-city research, five walking tours, three cycling tours, 18 detailed maps

Color Architecture chapter shows the contrast between Amsterdam's classic and modern styles

Local insights from a film director, a boat-tour operator and an author

Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler suggestions
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Price: $12.58 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Joe Pauker, who refers to himself as "a goof," has compiled what is perhaps the funniest, most original guide available to the city of Amsterdam. Get Lost! The Cool Guide to Amsterdam, which is clearly not aimed at mainstream travelers, will take you to the places that standard guidebooks don't bother to cover (at least not in any detail): sex shows, hemp and 'shroom shops, and places where you can get free samples of cheese when you're too low on cash to buy food. Pauker's not shy about sharing his opinions, either. On taxis: "They're expensive, and they treat cyclists like shit, but if you really need one ... [they're] very comfortable." On banks and developers who would evict squatters: they're "conservative pigs who care more about money than people." And on cannabis: "nederwiet (Dutch grown weed, such as Northern Lights) is spectacular."

Off-the-wall humor and opinions aside, you get the feeling that Pauker really knows Amsterdam and wouldn't give you bum advice. Hotels and hostels (including the comfortable couches at Schiphol Airport), restaurants, attractions, and shopping are all covered in some detail, and obvious care was taken in selecting those establishments hip enough (and cheap enough) to make it into the book. If you're the kind of traveler who might need the Dutch translation of "stoned as a shrimp," or if you simply appreciate a fresh perspective and directions away from the trampled path, let Pauker be your guide to the "coolest, most happening city in Europe.".
Price: $7.42 [Notify me when price goes down.]