While the English colonies in North America are a frequent subject for historians, comparatively little has been written about life in the Dutch colony of New Netherland. Focusing on the nuts and bolts of the colony--trade, agriculture, governance, religion, and artisans and industry--Jacobs (formerly affiliated with Ohio University and Cornell University) portrays the distinctive nature of the Dutch colonial experience. Although the Dutch tenure as colonialists din North America was relatively short, lasting only a half-century or so, their colony had a major effect on the culture, land use, political geography, and language of the mid-Atlantic area centered on what is now New York. Likely to become a standard reference on New Netherland, this book will appeal to historians of the colonial experience in North America and to readers interested in the history of New York. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)