The Dutch
Prelude To Their Golden Age
A Historical Novel
By
Richard E. Schultz
Eternal Press
A division of Damnation Books, LLC.
P.O. Box 3931
Santa Rosa, CA 95402-9998
The Dutch: Prelude To Their Golden Age; A Historical Novel
by Richard E. Schultz
Digital ISBN: 978-1-61572-642-4
Print ISBN: 978-1-61572-643-1
Cover art by: Amanda Kelsey
Edited by: Kim Richards
Copyright 2012 Richard E. Schultz
Printed in the United States of America
Worldwide Electronic & Digital Rights
1st North American, Australian and UK Print Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any form, including digital and electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the Publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
To my wife Nancy:
Without her encouragement and assistance this novel would never had been written. She has generously allowed me to share her life for nearly forty years. I hope our partnerships will continue for a bit longer then eternity.
Early on, Ken Cashman, editor of the local paper and Susanna Lesan, a retired textbook editor, labored tirelessly in editing the earliest versions of the novel. Both Ken and Susanna refused any remuneration for the many hours they spent. Each of them helped me to become a more competent writer. I will also always be grateful to Paul Lukacik, a gifted English teacher, for his work in preparing the book for publication while making solid suggestions that polished the final version.
But most of all, I want to acknowledge the never-ending assistance of my mentor Ross Miller. Ross, who is an Acquisition Editor himself, and has done everything he could to help me including suggesting the book’s title. For three years he has been my newest best friend, yet we have never met, though we often communicate via e-mail and the telephone. I don’t really know why Ross took an interest in me, or my manuscript, other than he was a friend of my wife’s friend. Maybe I do know. Ross is just a wonderful and kind person. I have found his advice and support a priceless resource. Without Ross, this project would never have been completed. I plan to meet him for personally for the first time when I give him the first copy of this novel.
I will also always to grateful to two prominent Dutch American scholars, Doctor Charles Gehring and Doctor David Voorhees for the recommendations they made to enhance the historical accuracy of my manuscript. Both of these men have been knighted by the Queen of Holland for their work in recording the history of New Netherland and other early Dutch contributions to America, and both well deserved that honor. During the past few months, Doctor Gehring has almost taken on the role of Historical Consultant, and we have had some extraordinary conversations about all things “Dutch.”
Most importantly, I want to thank Kim Richards, the CEO of Eternal Press, for championing the publication of my novel from the first time the manuscript hit her desk. Kim sacrificed her own valuable time to do the final edit. I can assure everyone that the book itself reaches the readers totally in-tact thanks to Kim.