The Island at the Centre of the World

'Narratively irresistible, intellectually provocative, historically invaluable' Simon Callow, Guardian

'Astonishing ... a book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past' New York Times

'A landmark work ... Shorto paints the emotions and attitudes of his characters with a sure hand, and bestows on each a believable, living presence' The Times

When 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.