Author Guide · History & Reportage
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In 1999 Geert Mak, a Dutch journalist, spent a whole year travelling across Europe for his newspaper, visiting the places where the twentieth century had been decided, from the trenches of the Somme to Auschwitz and Sarajevo, and talking to the people who remembered. In Europe became a bestseller across the continent and a television series. He had already written the story of a Frisian village that lost its faith and its farmers, and later followed John Steinbeck's route across America. This guide covers his twelve books in order, with which ones are in English, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 12 books · History and reportage · 1985–2021 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Geert Mak has published twelve books since 1985, the last a revised edition of Jorwerd: on Amsterdam, the Dutch countryside (Jorwerd), his father's century, Europe (In Europe and its sequel The Dream of Europe), America (In America) and the Six family of Amsterdam. Most of his major books are available in English.
Where to Start with Geert Mak
If you want the famous one
→ In Europa (2004).
If you want Amsterdam
→ Een kleine geschiedenis van Amsterdam (1995).
If you want the Netherlands
→ Hoe God verdween uit Jorwerd (1996).
If you want America
→ Reizen zonder John (2012).
All 12 Geert Mak Books, in Order
De Amsterdam-droom
No English edition · available in Dutch
His first book, about the problems of Amsterdam in the early 1980s.
De engel van Amsterdam
An anatomy of Amsterdam and a series of portraits of its inhabitants. In English it is The Angel of Amsterdam.
Een kleine geschiedenis van Amsterdam
The history of Amsterdam from its beginnings. In English it is Amsterdam: A Brief Life of the City.
Hoe God verdween uit Jorwerd
The decline of traditional village life in the Frisian village of Jorwerd in the second half of the twentieth century. In English it is Jorwerd: The Death of the Village in Late Twentieth-Century Europe.
De eeuw van mijn vader
The twentieth century told through his father's family, a Dutch Reformed minister's family in the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. In English it is My Father's Century.
In Europa
A year's journey across Europe in 1999, to the places and the people of the twentieth century's wars and revolutions. It became a 35-part television series and won the NS Publieksprijs. In English it is In Europe.
Gedoemd tot kwetsbaarheid
No English edition · available in Dutch
An essay on Dutch society after the murder of Theo van Gogh.
De brug
The Boekenweekgeschenk for 2007: the Galata Bridge in Istanbul and the people who make their living on it. In English it is The Bridge.
Reizen zonder John
Following John Steinbeck's 1960 road trip across America fifty years later. In English it is In America.
De levens van Jan Six
Four centuries of an Amsterdam patrician family, starting with Rembrandt's friend Jan Six. In English it is The Many Lives of Jan Six.
Grote verwachtingen
The sequel to In Europa: Europe in the first two decades of the twenty-first century. In English it is The Dream of Europe.
Hoe God verdween uit Jorwert
No English edition · available in Dutch
A revised and updated edition of Jorwerd, twenty-five years on.
How Many Books Did Geert Mak Write?
Twelve books between 1985 and 2021, most of the major ones in English.
- Europe — In Europa and Grote verwachtingen. Read the entries →
- Amsterdam — De engel van Amsterdam, Een kleine geschiedenis van Amsterdam, De levens van Jan Six. Read the entries →
- The Netherlands and beyond — Jorwerd, De eeuw van mijn vader, De brug, Reizen zonder John. Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Geert Mak
In Europa and Grote verwachtingen should be read in that order; the others stand alone.
A reading path
1. In Europa (2004)
2. Hoe God verdween uit Jorwerd (1996)
3. De eeuw van mijn vader (1999)
4. Reizen zonder John (2012)
Quick facts about Geert Mak
- Born
- 4 December 1946, Vlaardingen
- Studied
- Law and sociology in Amsterdam
- Prizes
- NS Publieksprijs (twice); Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding; Gouden Ganzenveer
- In English
- Amsterdam, Jorwerd, My Father's Century, In Europe, The Bridge, In America, The Many Lives of Jan Six, The Dream of Europe
How Geert Mak Writes: History on the Road
Mak travels to the places where history happened and talks to the people who lived through it, weaving their memories into a larger narrative.
He writes as a journalist and storyteller rather than an academic historian, aiming at a broad public.
Frequently asked questions about Geert Mak's books
How many books has Geert Mak written?
Geert Mak has published twelve books between 1985 and 2021.
Which Geert Mak books are in English?
Most of his major books, including Amsterdam, Jorwerd, My Father's Century, In Europe, In America and The Dream of Europe.
What is In Europe about?
In Europe (2004) describes Mak's year-long journey across Europe in 1999, tracing the history of the twentieth century.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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