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The Island at the Center of the World
The Island at the Center of the World | Russell Shorto
4 posts | 6 read | 1 reading | 10 to read
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 recordsrecently declared a national treasureare now being translated. Drawing on this remarkable archive, Russell Shorto has created a gripping narrativea story of global sweep centered on a wilderness called Manhattanthat 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. BONUS MATERIAL: This ebook edition includes an excerpt from Russell Shorto's Amsterdam.
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Amiable
Amiable
The Island at the Center of the World | Russell Shorto
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A day late (and a dollar short) for #weirdwordwednesday — but wanted to share anyway! I just finished the tagged book about the Dutch colony that first settled NYC. This section mentioned some of the Dutch words that were mutated into the English language and are still part of our lexicon 400 years later. As a word nerd, this type of stuff fascinates me!
@CBee

Ruthiella I nerd out on that kind of thing too! 😅 5d
BarbaraBB So funny to scroll and come upon words in my own language! Two very old fashioned and ordinary names in Dutch are Jan and Kees. That‘s what they called the Americans back in those days. Hence the American word Yankees! Just saying 😀 5d
Amiable @Ruthiella @BarbaraBB I love seeing how languages merge and intermingle! 5d
CBee @BarbaraBB I had NO idea!! How cool is that? 5d
CBee @Amiable thanks for sharing 😊 5d
46 likes5 comments
review
Amiable
Amiable
The Island at the Center of the World | Russell Shorto
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Pickpick

Fascinating account of New Netherland, the Dutch colony on the island of Manhattan that predated the Pilgrims. After the English took control of the colony in 1664, the narrative shifted in favor of the “victor” and much of the Dutch history was lost. This book draws on a research project at the New York State Library that included the translation of thousands of original documents from the 17th century.

ferskner Oh wow, I hadn't heard of this book at all! Thanks for the rec. 6d
Amiable @ferskner This book was published 20 years ago. He just came out with a new one that picks up the history of NYC in 1664 after the English take over the colony:
[tagged book]Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
6d
ferskner Oooooo adding that one too! 6d
56 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Nitpickyabouttrains
Nitpickyabouttrains
The Island at the Center of the World | Russell Shorto
post image
Pickpick

Nonfiction about the founding of New York. The Dutch colony there is often overlooked and this book took a deep dive into it and how it influenced the city there today.

16 likes
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PatriciaU
PatriciaU
The Island at the Center of the World | Russell Shorto
post image

Finally getting to read this narrative of New Netherland colony, drawn from 12,000 pages of original historical records. Just downloaded this using NYPL's SimplyE app - if you're a New York State resident, you can get a NYPL card and access their amazing e-collections!

13 likes