Russell Shorto

Sixteen years after René Descartes death in Stockholm in 1650, a pious French ambassador exhumed the remains of the controversial philosopher to transport them back to Paris. Thus began a 350-year saga that saw Descartes bones traverse a continent, passing between kings, philosophers, poets, and painters. But as Russell Shorto shows in this deeply engaging book, Descartes bones also played a role in some of the most momentous episodes in history, which are also part of the philosophers metaphorical remains: the birth of science, the rise of democracy, and the earliest debates between reason and faith. Descartes Bones is a flesh-and-blood story about the battle between religion and rationalism that rages to this day.

A través de un relato cautivante y vivaz, Shorto analiza cómo una pequeña ciudad, fundada sobre la endeble base de ciénagas y pantanos, llegó a ser la cuna del liberalismo y uno de los centros de pod

Les aventures dels ossos de Descartes serveixen per guiar hàbilment el lector per un debat que després de 350 anys encara dura: entre religió i ciència, entre fe i raó. Descartes va obrir el camí de

A partir de registros hoslandeses del siglo XVII, Shorto trae a la vida el exuberante drama humano que yace detrás de la fundación de la colonia, enclave comercial abierto al intercambio cultural y a la tolerancia religiosa. Es una historia desconocida, la de aquellos emprendedores pioneros, procedentes de una cultura tan progresista como lo fue la holandesa del siglo XVII, y cuya repercusion en la historia de Nueva York es mucho mas profunda de lo que hasta ahora hemos conocido.

Trad., Claudia Conde. Este libro es un relato histórico y detectivesco sobre la creación del pensamiento moderno que, a través de diversos giros, nos traslada hasta el presente; al Museo de las Ciencias de Paris, donde ahora moran los restos del pensador.

A richly nuanced portrait of the unknown history of New York City

An informative and thought provoking history The Telegraph A story rich in intrigue diplomacy and personalities New Statesman Offering new perspectives and ideas Guardian Here is the whirligig of history which Shorto captures vividly in this well researched well written sprightly book Literary ReviewIn 1664 England decided to invade the Dutch controlled city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island Charles II and his brother the Duke of York had dreams of empire and their arch rivals the Dutch were in the way But Richard Nicolls who led the English flotilla bent on destruction changed his strategy once he began parleying with Peter Stuyvesant the Dutch leader on Manhattan Bristling with vibrant characters Taking Manhattan reveals the founding of New York to be an invention the result not of a violent English takeover but of clever negotiations that led to the fusing of the multiethnic capitalistic society the Dutch had pioneered to the power of the rising English empire But the birth of what might be termed the first modern city is also a story of the brutal dispossession of Native Americans and of the roots of American slavery Based on newly translated sources Taking Manhattan shows how the paradox of New York s origins boundless opportunity c

Narratively irresistible, intellectually provocative, historically invaluable Simon Callow, GuardianAstonishing ... a book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective pastNew York TimesA landmark work ... Shorto paints the emotions and attitudes of his characters with a sure hand, and bestows on each a believable, living presenceThe TimesWhen 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. Drawing on the archives of the New Netherland Project, Russell Shorto has created a gripping narrative that transforms our understanding of early America.

An endlessly entertaining portrait of the unique city of Amsterdam, by the author of the acclaimed Island at the Center of the World Updated Edition with a New Preface for Amsterdams 750th AnniversaryTourists 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 Rembrandts 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 worlds 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 sixteenth-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.

In a riveting, groundbreaking narrative, Russell Shorto tells the story of New Netherland, the Dutch colony which pre-dated the Pilgrims and established ideals of tolerance and individual rights that shaped American history. UPDATED EDITION WITH A NEW PREFACE AND POSTSCRIPT"Astonishing . . . A book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past." --The New York TimesWhen 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. Russell Shorto draws on this remarkable archive in The Island at the Center of the World, which has been hailed by The New York Times as a book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past. 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.

An informative and thought-provoking historyThe TelegraphA story rich in intrigue, diplomacy and personalitiesNew StatesmanOffering new perspectives and ideasGuardianHere is the whirligig of history, which Shorto captures vividly in this well-researched, well-written, sprightly bookLiterary ReviewA New Zealand Listener 100 Best Books of 2025In 1664, England decided to invade the Dutch-controlled city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Charles II and his brother, the Duke of York, had dreams of empire, and their arch-rivals, the Dutch, were in the way. But Richard Nicolls, who led the English flotilla bent on destruction, changed his strategy once he began parleying with Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch leader on Manhattan.Bristling with vibrant characters, Taking Manhattan reveals the founding of New York to be an invention: the result not of a violent English takeover, but of clever negotiations that led to the fusing of the multiethnic, capitalistic society the Dutch had pioneered to the power of the rising English empire. But the birth of what might be termed the first modern city is also a story of the brutal dispossession of Native Americans and of the roots of American slavery.Based on newly translated sources, Taking Manhattan shows how the paradox of New Yorks origins boundless opportunity coupled with subjugation and displacement reflect Americas promise and failure to this day.

Sixteen years after René Descartes death in Stockholm in 1650, a pious French ambassador exhumed the remains of the controversial philosopher to transport them back to Paris. Thus began a 350-year saga that saw Descartes bones traverse a continent, passing between kings, philosophers, poets, and painters.But as Russell Shorto shows in this deeply engaging book, Descartes bones also played a role in some of the most momentous episodes in history, which are also part of the philosophers metaphorical remains: the birth of science, the rise of democracy, and the earliest debates between reason and faith. Descartes Bones is a flesh-and-blood story about the battle between religion and rationalism that rages to this day.A New York Times Notable Book

Standard kit for anyone visiting the cityGuardian Rich and eventful ... a book that easily fuses large cultural trends with intimately personal storiesNew York TimesThe story of a great city that has shaped the soul of the world. Masterful reporting, vivid history James GleickIn this ever-surprising and effortlessly erudite portrait, Russell Shorto traces the idiosyncratic evolution of Amsterdam and examines its role as the fount of liberalism. Weaving in his own experiences of his adopted home, he delivers a delightful and intellectually engaging story of the city from the building of the first canals in the 1300s through the brutal struggle for Dutch independence and its golden age as the capital of a vast empire, to its complex present in which its cherished ideals are being questioned anew.

Veinticuatro dólares. Ése es el importe que en 1626, según cuenta la leyenda, los colonos holandeses pagaron a los nativos americanos a cambio de Manhattan.La historia real, sin embargo, es otra. En esta exhaustiva investigacion, Russell Shorto desmonta el mito de origen de la isla y narra las peripecias de aquellos aventureros.

Una aventura histórica que ilustra el eterno debate entre fe y razón.En un crudo día de invierno de 1650, René Descartes fue enterrado lejos de su hogar. Dieciséis años más tarde, el embajador francés exhumo secretamente sus huesos y los transporto a Francia. La historia de estas insolitas reliquias involucra a los personajes mas diversos que usaron estos huesos.