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Simon Schama
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The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age Paperback – December 8, 1997

by Simon Schama (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 191 ratings
See all formats and editions
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Schama explores the mysterious contradictions of the Dutch nation that invented itself from the ground up, attained an unprecedented level of affluence, and lived in constant dread of being corrupted by happiness. Drawing on a vast array of period documents and sumptuously reproduced art, Schama re-creates in precise detail a nation's mental state. He tells of bloody uprisings and beached whales, of the cult of hygiene and the plague of tobacco, of thrifty housewives and profligate tulip-speculators. He tells us how the Dutch celebrated themselves and how they were slandered by their enemies.



"History on the grand scale...An ambitious portrait of one of the most remarkable episodes in modern history."--New York Times


"Wonderfully inclusive; with wit and intense curiosity he teases out meaning from every aspect of Dutch seventeenth-century life."--Robert Hughes
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    1 year and up
  2. Print length
    720 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Dimensions
    6.6 x 1.6 x 9.3 inches
  5. Publisher
    Vintage
  6. Publication date
    December 8, 1997
  7. ISBN-10
    0679781242
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0679781240
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Schama explores the mysterious contradictions of the Dutch nation that invented itself from the ground up, attained an unprecedented level of affluence, and lived in constant dread of being corrupted by happiness. Drawing on a vast array of period documents and sumptuously reproduced art, Schama re-creates in precise detail a nation's mental state. He tells of bloody uprisings and beached whales, of the cult of hygiene and the plague of tobacco, of thrifty housewives and profligate tulip-speculators. He tells us how the Dutch celebrated themselves and how they were slandered by their enemies.



"History on the grand scale...An ambitious portrait of one of the most remarkable episodes in modern history."--New York Times


"Wonderfully inclusive; with wit and intense curiosity he teases out meaning from every aspect of Dutch seventeenth-century life."--Robert Hughes

From the Back Cover

Schama explores the mysterious contradictions of the Dutch nation that invented itself from the ground up, attained an unprecedented level of affluence, and lived in constant dread of being corrupted by happiness. Drawing on a vast array of period documents and sumptuously reproduced art, Schama re-creates in precise detail a nation's mental state. He tells of bloody uprisings and beached whales, of the cult of hygiene and the plague of tobacco, of thrifty housewives and profligate tulip-speculators. He tells us how the Dutch celebrated themselves and how they were slandered by their enemies.


"History on the grand scale...An ambitious portrait of one of the most remarkable episodes in modern history."--New York Times

"Wonderfully inclusive; with wit and intense curiosity he teases out meaning from every aspect of Dutch seventeenth-century life."--Robert Hughes

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage (December 8, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 720 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679781242
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679781240
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 year and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.88 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.6 x 1.6 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 191 ratings

About the author

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Simon Schama

Simon Schama

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Simon Schama is a professor of art history and history at Columbia University, and is the author of numerous award-winning books; his most recent history, Rough Crossings, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction. He is a cultural essayist for the New Yorker and has written and presented more than thirty documentaries for the BBC, PBS, and the History Channel, including The Power of Art, which won the 2007 International Emmy for Best Arts Programming.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
191 global ratings
Title page fell out upon opening
2 Stars
Title page fell out upon opening
I purchased this book as a new item. When I opened the book the title page fell out. I’m concerned that subsequent pages will do the same as I read the 612 page work on Dutch culture.
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Top reviews from the United States

Flippy
5.0 out of 5 stars All Things Dutch in a Golden Age...
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book is certainly not for everyone. I would describe it as a mountain climb. I myself found myself slugging towards the summit in certain chapters simply to get further along into the sections that held more of my interest. In some ways Schama's massive tone on the Dutch Golden Age feels like a university textbook, a work perhaps best appreciated by scholars and students; on the other hand there is some vital and intriguing research going on here, making the ascent fulfilling.

Considering the book was written in the late 1980s, it still feels and reads with relevancy. Schama's style is definitely scholarly but also personal. Imagine traveling through the seventeenth century history of The Netherlands with a tour guide that is both passionate and knowledgeable, someone eager to share his research but also equally eager to draw you in with facts that are esoteric and sometimes strange - the drowning cell in a reform prison, beached whales, the symbolism of pipes, oysters and blowing bubbles in Dutch household art. Overall, it's still a fascinating trip.

While visiting Holland this past spring, the Dutch are always reminding tourists that Amsterdam isn't The Netherlands. After reading Schama, I have to disagree. The Dutch are famous for their tolerance, innovation, art and science. And though this book doesn't specifically highlight any city (Amsterdam being the most famous and exemplifying the forward-thinking ideals of Dutch society), it provides an excellent in-depth look at a time when the Dutch became the 'Dutch', carving out their identity while defending themselves against the Spanish, French and English.

The book is divided four parts: Becoming, Doing and Not Doing, Living and Growing and Watersheds. Schama navigates the aspects of Dutch culture with ease as chapters seamlessly flow into each other. From discussions on the influence of Bible scripture on Patriotic fervor (the Dutch saw their territory as a kind of new Jerusalem) to the Calvinist zeal of cleanliness, there are excellent discussions here highlighted by looking at works of art and lithographs of the time as well as quoting from the writers and polemicists of the day.

What I came with is how much the people of The Netherlands appreciated and loved their children. Before Dr.Spock, the Dutch were very aware of the beauty and innocence of childhood and nurtured it in their families. This and the fact that the Dutch believed in friendship in marriage, that a love based in companionship and harmony was far more successful that unions forged in finance (though I'm sure this occurred as well).

I also loved the section on the mid-wife's role in Dutch society as well as the drinking and smoking habits of the rich and poor. A massive book but so rich I'm sure most readers will return to certain chapters just to revisit the interesting facts and discussions. And considering there is so much here, it's no wonder Schama's book is still in publication. A heavy one, a times a bit of a struggle but to quote Spinoza, a resident of Amsterdam in the Golden Age: "All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare."
32 people found this helpful
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Diamonds
5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to understand the Dutch today; go back to the 17th century with this..
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2016
Verified Purchase
Halfway through now, and it is hard to put down (except for those passages where the author does seem to take along time to get over dwelling on some particular (art) pieces to put in context). Having said that, the very same thing that makes it so intriguing and interesting, that is being able to explain context and add nuance before trying to draw a conclusion, can make it a challenge to get thru, at times. If you stick with it though the insight that's gained is uniquely valuable, and changes your view on history, if you had already formed some (for some reason, i.e. by roots, like me), forever. The most surprising aspect of reading though, when you're native, or somehow have a connection with the subject already (i.e. by birth, descent, etc.), is that many traits in the attitudes, culture are recognizable, as in still present today.

In other words; what Schama is giving us is a time travel that allows one to understand how the particulars of a people, country, culture, came into being, and in that way you learn about yourself (if applicable), or your friend, your colleague, your ancestry, etc., (fill in as applicable). Schama does presuppose a certain amount of historic knowledge though, by way of making references that will be totally lost on you if you don't possess that. And he's not filling in, nor repeating, all the historic conflicts, details, etc., (in all honesty, it would need to send me back to 'history class'); that's not what the book is about; it is focusing and refocusing on the general attitudes and popular sentiments that prevailed time and again in the Netherlands through the 17th century. Schama does so with his uncanny talent to portray times as if you live in them, to bring them back to life, with the help of detail, art, and his hard to match talent for story-telling.
18 people found this helpful
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Randall
4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Reference
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2010
Verified Purchase
When I first opened the box containing Simon Schama's Magnum Opus, I was filled with as much apprehension at the size as I was with anticipation of what was to be learned about Dutch culture during the 17th Century. Well, if you want information, there can be no better reference. I absolutely loved how thorough the work was, but its depth almost became too much and at times I was hoping not to drown in the sea of information. Schama's strengths in this book are its own weaknesses. Obviously a work from a man who has been steeped in academia for decades, Schama at once presents a banquet and invites the reader to things most readers would want to consume, yet a great deal that they may not. A traditional history junkie like myself was voraciously running through the chapters about the political, social and sociological aspects of Dutch culture, but I found myself plodding through the economics and even a lot of the social that I suspect Schama crammed in for a quantity over quality strategy. The one chapter that embodies most of these criticisms is the chapter relating to the subject of children in the Dutch Golden Age. I didn't particularly care about the subject in the first place, but I entered the subject about smoking and liquor in a similar mode of thought only to be pleasantly surprised. Sadly, the chapter on children was not like the chapter on tobacco and booze; I don't even think Shama himself must have been that excited about the chapter because it just feels like a journey into a subject where Schama had finally run out of steam. His academic observations are peerless and while it lacked his passion, it is undoubtedly easy for a man of his faculty to bring the profound out of the most mundane things.

All in all, I loved the book, but would warn the average reader with no prior knowledge of the age and context to be ready to consult various other references (and a dictionary!).
8 people found this helpful
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NoneTheRicher
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb history, abysmal packaging by Amazon
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2022
Verified Purchase
Schama’s book is superb, a model of how history should be written. Would that I could say as much for Amazon’s increasingly careless packing of books prior to shipment: this, a brand new book, came dog-eared and creased. Hardly the first time.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Bill
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
An excellent book for those interested in the history and art of the Netherlands of the Golden Age.
One person found this helpful
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Niharika Manjunath
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Dutch Golden Age enthusiasts
Reviewed in India on May 26, 2021
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An important period explained in detail- paying close attention to Dutch culture and attitudes.
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars ok
Reviewed in France on April 10, 2019
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ok
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Demonstrates the Dutch culture
Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
Excellent. Demonstrates the Dutch culture, the fragility of their existence with the constant threat of flooding and their adventurous spirit is exploring the rest of the word.
2 people found this helpful
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Harry Soda
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
I am loving this book, Simon Schama's pet subject. Now I am being asked to write six more words here.
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