• Amsterdam

  • A History of the World's Most Liberal City
  • By: Russell Shorto
  • Narrated by: Russell Shorto
  • Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (581 ratings)

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Amsterdam  By  cover art

Amsterdam

By: Russell Shorto
Narrated by: Russell Shorto
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Publisher's summary

An endlessly entertaining portrait of the city of Amsterdam and the ideas that make it unique, by the author of the acclaimed Island at the Center of the World

Tourists know Amsterdam as a picturesque city of low-slung brick houses lining tidy canals; student travelers know it for its legal brothels and hash bars; art lovers know it for Rembrandt's glorious portraits.

But the deeper history of Amsterdam, what makes it one of the most fascinating places on Earth, is bound up in its unique geography - the constant battle of its citizens to keep the sea at bay and the democratic philosophy that this enduring struggle fostered. Amsterdam is the font of liberalism, in both its senses. Tolerance for free thinking and free love make it a place where, in the words of one of its mayors, "craziness is a value". But the city also fostered the deeper meaning of liberalism, one that profoundly influenced America: political and economic freedom. Amsterdam was home not only to religious dissidents and radical thinkers but to the world's first great global corporation.

In this effortlessly erudite account, Russell Shorto traces the idiosyncratic evolution of Amsterdam, showing how such disparate elements as herring anatomy, naked Anabaptists parading through the streets, and an intimate gathering in a 16th-century wine-tasting room had a profound effect on Dutch - and world - history. Weaving in his own experiences of his adopted home, Shorto provides an ever-surprising, intellectually engaging story of Amsterdam from the building of its first canals in the 1300s, through its brutal struggle for independence, its golden age as a vast empire, to its complex present in which its cherished ideals of liberalism are under siege.

©2013 Russell Shorto (P)2013 Random House Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"The story of a great city that has shaped the soul of the world. Masterful reporting, vivid history - the past and present are equally alive in this book." (James Gleick, author of The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood)
"An often brilliant, and always enjoyable, investigation of liberalism's Dutch roots. Shorto is once again revealed as a passionate and persuasive historian of culture and ideas." (Joseph O’Neill, author of Netherland)
"Russell Shorto loves Amsterdam, I love this book."(Job Cohen, former mayor of Amsterdam)

What listeners say about Amsterdam

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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Worth Reading - Highly Recommended

Any additional comments?

This book is a fascinating history of Amsterdam and its origins as well as its impact on the world.
The book was very well structured - there was a fluid and ordered chronological progression from its inception to current day, but it was built on specific and more concise anecdotal clips.
It covered:
- The formation of Amsterdam, and its origins as a religious pilgrimage site
- Its role in the India Trading Companies
- The first ever stock market
- Its role as the first colonizers of New York
- Its prominent artists such as Rembrandt & Van Gogh
- Its involvement in World War II - Anne Frank's place of birth
- And of course, first place to legalize gay marriage, prostitution, marijuana etc.

Overall it did a very good job of highlighting Amsterdam's pioneering of progressive ideas including religious/cultural/racial tolerance, separation of church and state, liberalism (as opposed to a monarchy), and its open minded environment that fostered the development of these concepts.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting!

What does Russell Shorto bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The author also reads this book and does a great job. This book is well-worth reading and the author makes it interesting by adding real life characters to help describe the world at that time in history. I would even listen to most of it again!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, you need time to comprehend some of the information. I listened to the entire book in less than one week though!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Travel Companion

Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands are not splashy tourist destinations in the way of Rome or Melbourne. How can a traveller come to appreciate what goes in behind the facades of the canal houses? What is the meaning of all those men in black hats and lace hanging in the Rijksmuseum? What does an Amsterdam coffee shop have to do with me, if I am not a smoker? Read Shorto's book. This is a pretty perfect brief overview of Dutch history for the uninitiated. It does an excellent job of helping an outsider figure out how the random anecdotes and objects one hears and sees about Amsterdam relate to the Dutch psyche or the Dutch way of doing things. It emboldened me to have my own conversations with Dutch people about their history, politics, and outlook and those conversations made me appreciate how rich a picture Shorto paints (even if he has that somewhat irritating journalistic tic of reiterating his thesis too often). Great reading too!

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The most entertaining history I have read.

If you could sum up Amsterdam in three words, what would they be?

History, Politics, and Sociology

What about Russell Shorto’s performance did you like?

Shorto's reading was clear and consistant. He obviously is interested in his own research and his enthusiasm carries the listener along.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is too long to do that, but I found myself immersed in it and I plan to listen to the book again.

Any additional comments?

The author weaves present day stories into his information and stories from the past keeping the listener engaged and wanting to hear more. Stories are the author's teaching tools. Well done!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

your are not in Kansas anymore

Russel Shorto does a great job looking backwards and connecting the dots. The result is a reasonable hypothesis of how Amsterdam turned out to be the city it is.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Engaging, accessible, intelligent

Both engaging and accessible, the author's first person style belies the complexity of this extensive analysis of the role of Amsterdam in the history of the Western world.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Personal Essay instead of history

Author is intent on being a writer instead historian and manages to be unengaging at both.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book! very good storytelling

Fantastic storytelling. Most engaging history of Amsterdam written! Thank you Russel Shorto, you've made my city come to life.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

History reads like a novel!

Enlightening and engaging. Wonderful to hear it read by the author. Loved the interweaving of so many stories with such a rich history. You shouldn't go to a The Netherlands before reading this!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great book for putting Amsterdam into context

We listened to this book before during and immediately after visiting Amsterdam. Overall it was a good introduction to the people, culture, and history of the city.

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1 person found this helpful