The island at the center of the world : the epic story of Dutch Manhattan and the forgotten colony that shaped America

Wonderful telling of the little-known history of New Amsterdam (the precursor to New York City). It's very interesting to see how the (fairly disorganized) city tried to maintain relations with the various British colonies on the east coast, as well as their interctions with the native populations. For people familiar with NYC, this book is a great source for the Dutch origins of many of the neighborhood names that are still in use!