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Perhaps the most interesting portion of Amsterdam concerns the German occupation of the city during World War II. When the Germans bombed Amsterdam on May 12, 1940, it was the first taste of war that the city's denizens had had in 400 years. During the occupation, the Nazis implemented the annihilation of the Jewish populace in a coldly subtle series of inscrutably escalating steps that recalls the proverbial frog being boiled alive in a kettle of water that is raised one imperceptible degree at a time.

In fact, the Germans were so subtle, that many of the Dutch found themselves complicit in the activity without really knowing what they were doing. A postwar investigation found that half a million Dutch men and women had collaborated in the effort that sent 98 deportation trains with more than 100,000 Jews from Amsterdam's Central Station to Auschwitz and like destinations.

Amsterdam finishes with the social movements that shaped the city in the late 20th century. The "Provo" movement of Robert Jasper Grootvelt paralleled the 1960's civil rights movements in America with a number of "white plans": a white bicycle plan advocating a car-free city, a white chimney plan to address Amsterdam's air pollution, and the white women plan, similar to the women's rights movements in many other countries at the time.

First published in Dutch in 1994, Amsterdam was translated into English five years later by Philipp Blom. Geert Mak views the historical growth of this pivotal city from various angles: historical, political, social, artistic, architectural, and philosophical.

This is no guidebook. And if you're heading to Amsterdam, I suggest you pick up a guidebook, preferably one with a nice fold-out map, as the city's roads were informed by her canals and make her a navigational challenge for the casual visitor.

Geert Mak's Amsterdam, in concert with a good guidebook, will round out your travel literature by providing the sort of historical background that will enrich and enliven your walks along the canals, that cycling trip to Zanse Schans, and yes, even those late night strolls along the red lit windows of the Rossebuurt.