Russell Shorto's wonderful new book Amsterdam is not only the story of a city 鈥� it's the history of an idea. Shorto, a New York Times Magazine contributor and bestselling author ("The Island at the Center of the World"), writes about his adopted city of Amsterdam as the source of the liberal concepts 鈥� constitutional government, democratic elections, freedom of worship, civil rights, free trade 鈥� on which all Western democratic societies are built. The Dutch, Shorto argues, were pushed into such practices by their constant struggle with the sea. Shorto is that rare author with a gift for turning intellectual history into a lively and compelling read.
