The Invention of Amsterdam

a history of Europe’s greatest city in ten walks
Ben Coates

‘The Invention of Amsterdam succeeds as a breezy, sympathetic introduction. The author, who has lived in and around the city for the past decade, clearly knows it intimately and is an effortlessly charming guide.’

Pablo Scheffer, TLS

‘Ben Coates is the ideal companion to wander around Amsterdam with. He’s witty, knowledgeable — without being overbearing — and eager to upend many of the cliches associated with the city. As someone who lives in The Netherlands, and who is married to a Dutch woman, he’s keen to show you the real Amsterdam and, because you’re travelling at walking speed, he has time to linger over details that most travel books overlook. Coates is excellent on what it’s like to live in the city today. However, he’s equally skilled at showing us Amsterdam’s past. The section on the country’s colonial history is both important and informative and he even manages to shed new light on the city under Nazi occupation. The Invention of Amsterdam will make you desperate to jump on the next plane or train to rediscover one of Europe’s most complex cities.’

Midge Gillies, author of Amy Johnson and Piccadilly

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‘A beautifully illustrated book cover of the Dutch capital. This travelogue mixed with history provides a vivid and interesting portrait of a complicated global city.’

Laura Hackett, The Times

An essential guide to one of the world’s most remarkable, and often misunderstood, cities by the author of Why the Dutch Are Different.

When Ben Coates injures his leg and needs to rebuild his strength by walking, he finds himself presented with an exciting opportunity: to rediscover the city he has been working in for over a decade, at a slower pace. He devised ten walks, each demonstrating a different chapter of Amsterdam’s history, from its humble beginnings in the early 1200s as a small fishing community through two Golden Ages, fuelled by the growth of the Dutch colonial empire, two world wars, and countless reinventions.

Join Coates as he meanders past beautiful townhouses and glittering canals, dances at Pride celebrations, witnesses the King’s apology at Keti Koti, attends a WW2 memorial, gets high at a coffee shop, walks through the red-light district, and gazes in awe at Rembrandt paintings, all the while illuminating modern Amsterdam by explaining its past.

Blending travelogue and quirky history, The Invention of Amsterdam is an entertaining and sharply observed portrait of a fascinating and complicated city.

Pablo Scheffer, TLS

Midge Gillies, author of Amy Johnson and Piccadilly

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 198mm × 129mm

Extent:384pp

ISBN (13):9781915590350

RRP:$29.99

Pub date:29 Apr 2025

Rights Held: World

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Ben Coates

Ben Coates is the author of Why the Dutch Are Different and The Rhine. He was born in England in 1982 and has worked at various times as a political adviser in London, speechwriter, lobbyist, and aid worker in Africa. He currently lives in a cottage in the Dutch countryside with his wife, children, and assorted farmyard animals. Ben has also worked freelance as a journalist for outlets including Politico, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, the BBC, The Scotsman, and The Irish Times. He writes a regular weekly column for the Dutch newspaper AD.

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We publish books that matter — narrative and literary nonfiction on important topics, and the best of local, international, and translated fiction.

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