• Written by Peter Brusse
  • Published in 2019
  • 204 pages
  • Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Lovely book! Very easy to read. No complex material, but a very nice description of the relationship between the Netherlands and England (from the 5th century till now). Gathered a lot of nice fun-facts that I can use to impress my father in law (who loves history as well) haha.

Nice examples:

1. We introduced beer and gin to England (you’re welcome)

2. English people are poor planners

3. We basically created the British Empire (when Willem III ruled England, he founded the Bank of England, modelled after the successful Bank of Amsterdam, which launched England’s overseas adventures).

4. An old, misogynistic Dutch poem:

"If sometimes the evil lusts of the flesh may afflict you, I would advise you to postpone, you-know-what-I-think, till you are back in Holland,
for the English whores
no one will recommend
they are in the feathers just like frozen monuments.
And to make an English whore-woman live a little while srewing,
you would have to put another under it who has the hiccups."