Ever since the 1950s, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has given away Delft Blue miniature houses to its royal class and business class passengers. These replicas of real monuments are considered worldwide to be an icon of the Netherlands. A beautifully finished ebook (in Dutch language) is now avaliable about these famous Delft Blue canal houses. Author Mark Zegeling looked behind their façades, offering a unique guide to 500 years of Dutch history and architecture. 
 
'Sterke Verhalen voor bij de borrel', or 'Tall stories about Hollands Golden Age' offers readers an exclusive peek into the lives of the people who have lived in the houses upon which the KLM collection is based; portraits of pioneers, bold adventurers and other colourful figures who made their mark on Dutch history. 
 
Extensive archive research and interviews with (architectural) historians and current residents of the centuries old properties have yielded a wealth of great anecdotes and unique and juicy stories. The tales are all based on fact, even though sometimes they seem too good to be true. The book consists of 432 pages and is richly illustrated with more than 1,900 (historical) photographs and paintings belonging to Dutch and international museums. Some of them belong to private collectors and have never been published before. 
 
This book will become available in english in october 2014, a Chinese and Japanese edition is scheduled for december.
Book 'Sterke verhalen':
Ever since the 1950s, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has given away Delft Blue miniature houses to its royal class and business class passengers. These replicas of real monuments are considered worldwide to be an icon of the Netherlands. A beautifully finished ebook (in Dutch language) is now avaliable about these famous Delft Blue canal houses. Author Mark Zegeling looked behind their façades, offering a unique guide to 500 years of Dutch history and architecture. 'Sterke Verhalen voor bij de borrel', or 'Tall stories about Hollands Golden Age' offers readers an exclusive peek into the lives of the people who have lived in the houses upon which the KLM collection is based; portraits of pioneers, bold adventurers and other colourful figures who made their mark on Dutch history. Extensive archive research and interviews with (architectural) historians and current residents of the centuries old properties have yielded a wealth of great anecdotes and unique and juicy stories. The tales are all based on fact, even though sometimes they seem too good to be true. The book consists of 432 pages and is richly illustrated with more than 1,900 (historical) photographs and paintings belonging to Dutch and international museums. Some of them belong to private collectors and have never been published before. This book will become available in english in october 2014, a Chinese and Japanese edition is scheduled for december.
 
€ 35,-