By Lauren
I thought I had a milestone birthday this year, but Amsterdam is turning 750-years-old!
From a small fishing village in 1275 to the bustling multi-cultural metropolis it is today, Amsterdam will be celebrating its rich history and looking to the future starting October 27, when the city kicked off a year-long celebration of all things Mokum, from cultural festivals and concerts to a city-wide quiz and my favorite: the closing of the A10 ring road on the summer solstice in 2025 for a dance party and general merriment.
(Anyone who has ever been stuck in traffic on the ring road—aka anyone who has ever driven in Amsterdam—will no doubt delight in this seemingly subversive takeover—it is sponsored by the city after all—of a normally arterial nightmare.)
But back to business. Here at ABC, we’re serving up the best books about Amsterdam, featuring the city as protagonist, villain, backdrop or supporting character extraordinaire.
Check out our highlights page here for a comprehensive list. These are a few of my standouts to get you started.
Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto
From the city’s first canals through the Golden Age and up to its populist-threatened present, Shorto’s history of his adopted city is the gold standard. Period.
Amsterdam: A Brief Life of the City by Geert Mak
Another city classic, journalist and writer Geert Mak’s Amsterdam, according to the book’s publishers, “is a city of dreams and nightmares, of grand civic architecture and legendary beauty, but also of civil wars, bloody religious purges, and the tragedy of Anne Frank.”
The Coffee Trader by David Liss
If you love historical fiction and/or mystery, step into Liss’ 1659 Amsterdam, where the world’s first commodity exchange was born and coffee was still far from being poured into to-go cups (or even ones made of Delft porcelain). The Golden Age comes to life in this financial thriller with streets many present-day Amsterdammers will recognize.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
This bestselling Young Adult love story between two cancer patients finds Hazel and Augustus in Amsterdam enjoying all the romance the city is famous for. I dedicate this rec to all the YAs out there, my daughters included.
The Sisters of Auschwitz: The True Story of Two Jewish Sisters’ Resistance in the Heart of Nazi Territory by Roxane van Iperen
When writer Roxane van Iperen bought her home, ‘t Hooge Nest (the High Nest), in 2012, she had no idea it had served as a hiding place during the German occupation of the Netherlands. She wrote this book about it—another history book that reads like a thriller with Amsterdam playing a lead role. It sticks with you.
