
A reissue of Simon Schama`s landmark study of the Netherlands from 1780-1813, this is a tale of a once-powerful nation`s desparate struggle to survive the treacheries & brutality of European war & politics. Between 1780 & 1813 the Dutch Republic
- a country once rich enough to be called the cash till of Europe & powerful enough to make war with England
- was stripped of its colonies, invaded by its enemies, driven to the edge of bankruptcy, &, finally, reduced to becoming an appendage of the French empire
- an appendage not even the French seemed to value overmuch. Out of these events Simon Schama has constructed a gripping chronicle of revolution & privateering, constitutions & coups, in a tiny nation desperately struggling to stay afloat in a sea of geopolitics. Like his classics ` The Embarrassment of Riches` & ` Citizens`, ` Patriots & Liberators` combines a mastery of historical sources with an unabashed delight in narrative. The result confirms Schama as a historian in the finest tradition
- one whose study of the past reveals volumes about the present. This is one of our most revered historians` greatest works, & this new Perennial edition will reintroduce his genius to a new generation of readers.