Amsterdam: A Metropolitan Village

This is a large hard cover coffee table book that looks pretty impressive from the outside, but don't judge a book by the cover. Another website stated that the photographer, Ewout Huibers, was "given the freedom to wander through the city and capture what he thought was interesting" for a year, and that's exactly what this book encompasses. What one person thought was interesting, unfortunately I did not find that interesting. I think what the photographer thought was interesting is difficult because it may not be what someone who has been to Amsterdam would find interesting or familiar (our case). It also may not be what someone who wants a better idea of what the city offers before heading there wants (also us). The photographs didn't wow me - quality, composition, technicality, color, lighting or subjects. They may be "artsy," but I would much rather see more photos of familiar landmarks or panoramic views of the charming Dutch architecture or canals with lights and bicycles versus a two-page spread of a blurred image of a grey concrete underpass in winter weather that I can't really identify or a picture of some scribbled graffiti and an old car. There are a handful of nice photos that showcase Amsterdam's beauty, but for the most part I was left feeling disappointed and not at all interested in visiting - especially for the cost of the book. I think there is still a market for someone to capture Amsterdam and publish a book, since they are so difficult to find. I am sorry to say that a quick internet image search has more aesthetically pleasing images than this book. So, depending on what you're looking for, this may be the book you want, or you may need to keep searching, or better yet, visit Amsterdam and then create your own.

It is a very large book, professionally done; however, the photos are very industrial and do not show Amsterdam as the wonderful, warm city that it is. I purchased it as a gift for a friend who traveled to Amsterdam with me and I was very disappointed in the book.

A book with wonderful photos is IN THE JORDAAN by Frank van Paridon.

I've visited Amsterdam eleven times (between 1978-2010), so I can say with certainty that the photos in this book evoke wonderful memories. The photographer obviously spent lots of time wandering around many parts of Amsterdam in order to get such lovely photos. It's a large/heavy book, and worth the cost. The only reason I'm not giving five stars is because I hadn't realized the pages had a matte finish instead of being glossy, and I think that detracts from the impact of the photos.