[W]ho is there that has studied the events of those years between 1795-1815 who did not feel the utter indignation, the terrible shame, of so much cowardice, of such hopeless vacillation in the hour of need, of such indifference to civic duties?... And who that has studied the history of the early nineteenth century does not know how for two whole generations after the Napoleonic wars our country was no better than a negative power, tolerated because so inoffensive? -from the Foreword

Hendrik Willem van Loon was one of the most popular American writers of all things historical in the early 20th century, but he was Dutch by birth and took a great pride in his native land.

In this 1915 book, he lays bare the grand soap opera that shook Holland a century earlier, a tale of revolution, coups d'etats, foreign warfare, royal misbehavior, and more. But more than just the story of a nation suffering a period of decline, it is also a testament to the character of the Dutch people, which survived and thrived in spite of the misdeeds of their rulers. Splendidly entertaining, this is one of van Loon's best and most passionate works.

OF INTEREST TO: history buffs, readers of Dutch culture

Also available from Cosimo Classics: van Loon's The Fall of the Dutch Republic (1913), The Golden Book of the Dutch Navigators (1916), A Short History of Discovery (1917), and Ancient Man (1920)


Dutch-American author, journalist and illustrator HENDRIK WILLEM VAN LOON (1882-1944) was the first winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal for outstanding American children's book for his The Story of Mankind. Acclaimed for his ability to depict history in a lively and entertaining manner for children and adults alike, he was a popular lecturer and radio personality, equally comfortable on informational programs and celebrity quiz shows.