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Columns uit de periode eind 1999-begin 2001 over actuele sociale, politieke en economische kwesties.

"Het paard van Troje op het Binnenhof": zo betitelden Johan en Pieter de la Court rond 1660 het Huis van Oranje. De broers staan te boek als de meest radicale republikeinen uit de Nederlandse geschiedenis. Op het hoogtepunt van de Gouden Eeuw beheersten ze het publieke debat in Hollandse herbergen en trekschuiten, en hun denken over vrijhandel, democratie en tolerantie had grote invloed op de ontwikkeling van de Verlichting in binnen- en buitenland, van Spinoza tot de Amerikaanse Revolutie. 'De radicale republiek' laat, na driehonderdvijftig jaar, de broers opnieuw aan het woord. Het vertelt hoe twee immigrantenzonen uit Leiden rijk werden in de handel, en met hun provocatieve geschriften het hele land tegen zich in het harnas joegen."--Cover.

Now the subject of a film by Richard Linklater, Eric Schlosser's explosive bestseller Fast Food Nation: What the All-American Meal is Doing to the World tells the story of our love affair with fast food.

Britain eats more fast food than any other country in Europe. It looks good, tastes good, and it's cheap. But the real cost never appears on the menu.

Eric Schlosser visits the lab that re-creates the smell of strawberries; examines the safety records of abattoirs; reveals why the fries really taste so good and what lurks between the sesame buns - and shows how fast food is transforming not only our diets but our world.

'Fast Food Nation has lifted the polystyrene lid on the global fast food industry ... and sparked a storm'
Observer

'Has wiped that smirk off the Happy Meal ... Thanks to this man, you'll never eat a burger again'
Evening Standard

'Startling ... Junk food, we learn, is just that ... left this reader vowing never to set foot in one of those outlets again'
Daily Mail

'This book tells you more than you really want to know when you're chomping on that hamburger ... Have a nice day? Listen - you should live so long'
The Times

Eric Schlosser is a correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly. His first book, Fast Food Nation, was a major international bestseller. His work has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone and the Guardian. He has received a number of journalistic honours, including a National Magazine Award for an Atlantic Review article on the drug trade, which was later adapted into the book Reefer Madness.

Holidays on Ice is a collection of three previously published stories matched with three newer ones, all, of course, on a Christmas theme. David Sedaris's darkly playful humor is another common thread through the book, worming its way through "Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" a chipper suburban Christmas letter that spirals dizzily out of control, and "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol," a vicious theatrical review of children's Christmas pageants. As always, Sedaris's best work is his sharply observed nonfiction, notably in "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," the tale of a memorable Christmas during which the young Sedaris learns to see his family in a new light. Worth the price of the book alone is the hilarious "SantaLand Diaries," Sedaris's chronicle of his time working as an elf at Macy's, covering everything from the preliminary group lectures ("You are not a dancer. If you were a real dancer you wouldn't be here. You're an elf and you're going to wear panties like an elf.") to the perils of inter-elf flirtation. Along the way, he paints a funny and sad portrait of the way the countless parents who pass through SantaLand are too busy creating an Experience to really pay attention to their children. In a sly way, it carries a holiday message all its own. Read it aloud to the adults after the kids have gone to bed. --Ali Davis

Artikelen over ontspanning en vrijetijdsbesteding voor emanciperende arbeiders in de periode 1870-1920. Rond 1870 kon men er niet meer omheen: de arbeidende klasse domineerde stad en samenleving. Er was meer nodig dan politie, kerk, school en spaarbank om de leefwijze van de arbeider onder controle te houden. De arbeider leek staatsburger te worden, maar voldeed nog niet aan het ideaal van de burgerlijke beschaving. Een actieve groep hervormers ging de arbeider stimuleren om zijn vrije tijd op een deugdzame manier door te brengen. Zo hoopten zij de moderne maatschappij harmonieus te houden, de aantrekkingskracht van het socialisme tegen te gaan en de sociale kloof te verkleinen.

De Tweede Kamer veranderde tussen 1866 en 1940 van een debatruimte voor onafhankelijke en vooraanstaande burgers naar een vergaderplaats voor partijgebonden beroepspolitici. "Goede politiek" beschrijft de veranderingen van de parlementaire cultuur in deze periode. Daarbij staan de ideeën van Tweede Kamerleden over de regels van het politieke spel centraal.

From Pulitzer Prize–winner Garry Wills, the story of Augustine’s Confessions

In this brief and incisive book, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garry Wills tells the story of the Confessions--what motivated Augustine to dictate it, how it asks to be read, and the many ways it has been misread in the one-and-a-half millennia since it was composed. Following Wills's biography of Augustine and his translation of the Confessions, this is an unparalleled introduction to one of the most important books in the Christian and Western traditions.

Understandably fascinated by the story of Augustine's life, modern readers have largely succumbed to the temptation to read the Confessions as autobiography. But, Wills argues, this is a mistake. The book is not autobiography but rather a long prayer, suffused with the language of Scripture and addressed to God, not man. Augustine tells the story of his life not for its own significance but in order to discern how, as a drama of sin and salvation leading to God, it fits into sacred history. "We have to read Augustine as we do Dante," Wills writes, "alert to rich layer upon layer of Scriptural and theological symbolism." Wills also addresses the long afterlife of the book, from controversy in its own time and relative neglect during the Middle Ages to a renewed prominence beginning in the fourteenth century and persisting to today, when the Confessions has become an object of interest not just for Christians but also historians, philosophers, psychiatrists, and literary critics.

With unmatched clarity and skill, Wills strips away the centuries of misunderstanding that have accumulated around Augustine's spiritual classic.

Reconstructie van een politiek schandaal rond de anti-revolutionaire politicus (1837-1920) die destijds werd beschuldigd van corruptie.

Gebeden en overdenkingen door de Nederlandse kloosterling (1379-1471).

This is not a comforting book -- it is a book about disturbing issues that are urgently important today and enduringly critical for the future. It rejects both "merit" and historical redress as principles for guiding public policy. It shows how "peace" movements have led to war and to needless casualties in those wars. It argues that "equality" is neither right nor wrong, but meaningless.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice shows how confused conceptions of justice end up promoting injustice, how confused conceptions of equality end up promoting inequality, and how the tyranny of social visions prevents many people from confronting the actual consequences of their own beliefs and policies. Those consequences include the steady and dangerous erosion of the fundamental principles of freedom -- and the quiet repeal of the American revolution.

Every country has its own customs, and Holland is no different in this respect. We take a look at some of the cultural customs, complexity and classic confusion in minding your manners in the Netherlands. When (temporarily) moving to another country or another part of the world it is convenient to be more or less familiar with the customs and habits in the new 'home country'. Becoming acquainted with the "do's and don'ts" will present the newcomer with some interesting challenges.

Originally published in 1951, this concise book presents an engaging study of the works and influence of the renowned English philosopher Ralph Cudworth (1617-88), the leader of the Cambridge Platonists. A bibliography of writings by and about Cudworth is also included, together with an appendix section on his manuscripts. The text was an early work by Australian philosopher and historian of ideas John Passmore (1914-2004). This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Cudworth, the Cambridge Platonists and the historical development of philosophy.

Journalist Michael Joseph Gross takes us deep into the world of celebrities and the people who love them.

Why are we so obsessed with fame? Even if we don't read People, we all crane our necks to see the stars. As a teenager, Michael Joseph Gross amassed a collection of about four thousand autographs by writing letters to celebrities and world leaders. The collecting fever broke when he grew up, but his fascination with fandom remained.

In Starstruck, Gross travels from Hollywood to Dollywood, from Neverland to Middle Earth. He crashes a Kid Rock concert with a sixty-six-year-old fan, sprints after Mick Jagger with a professional autograph collector, gets the inside scoop from Mary Hart on covering Hollywood for Entertainment Tonight, visits the world's largest comic book convention with the hobbits from The Lord of the Rings, and discovers what fans look like from the perspective of celebrities-who, paradoxically, often seem to be among the most starstruck of us all. Sympathetic, funny, and endlessly curious about stars and fans alike, Gross gives us a winning portrait of how our dreams of fame shape our everyday lives.

Beschrijving van de reactie van de Nederlandse samenleving op de komst van een nieuwe bevolkingsgroep.

Gedicht over Karol Wojtyla, paus Johannes Paulus II.

Gedichten.

Essay over de invloed van immigranten op de culturele identiteit van Nederland in de vorm van een open brief aan een pas gearriveerde immigrant.

Beschrijving van leven en werk van de Nederlandse schrijver J.H.F. Grönloh (1882-1961)

Verslag van de de 2 reizen die Nescio naar Frankrijk maakte. 1932-1935

Gedichten uit de periode 1944-1948 van de Poolse dichteres die in 1996 de Nobelprijs voor literatuur won.