Russell Shorto

Russel Shorto in 2010.

Russell Shorto (born February 8, 1959) is an American author, historian and journalist, best known for his book on the Dutch origins of New York City, The Island at the Center of the World. His most recent work, published in October 2008, is Descartes' Bones, which traces the wanderings of the literal skull and bones of René Descartes through three and a half centuries, and the metaphorical remains of the French philosopher in the modern world.

Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on February 8, 1959, Shorto is a 1981 graduate of George Washington University. He is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and is the Director of The John Adams Institute in Amsterdam, where he has lived since November 2007.

On September 8, 2009 Shorto received a Dutch knighthood in the Order of Orange-Nassau for strengthening the relationship between the Netherlands and the United States through his publications and as Director of the John Adams Institute.

Bibliography

Books

• Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reaon ISBN 978-0-385-51753-9 (New York, Random House, October 14, 2008). book's website
• The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America ISBN 0-385-50349-0 (New York, Doubleday, 2004). book's website
• Saints and Madmen: How Pioneering Psychiatrists Are Creating a New Science of the Soul ISBN 0-8050-5902-4 (New York, Henry Holt & Company, 1999).
• Gospel Truth: The New Image of Jesus Emerging from Science and History, and Why It Matters ISBN 1-57322-056-6 (New York, Riverhead Books, 1997).

Articles

• Going Dutch, The New York Times Magazine, New York, May 3, 2009.
• Descartes' Bones on the Huffington Post, October 31, 2008
• No Babies?, The New York Times Magazine (cover story), New York, June 29, 2008.
• Keeping the Faith, The New York Times Magazine, New York, April 8, 2007.
• Contra-Contraception, The New York Times Magazine, New York, May 7, 2006.
• This Very, Very Old House, New York Times Magazine, March 5, 2006.
• All Political Ideas Are Local, New York Times Magazine, October 2, 2005.
• What's Their Real Problem with Gay Marriage? (It's the Gay Part), New York Times Magazine, June 19, 2005.
• Shangri-La-Di-Da, GQ, May 2005.
• Faith at Work, New York Times Magazine, cover story, October 21, 2004.
• The Industry Standard, New York Times Magazine, October 3, 2004.
• The Future of the Past, The New York Times, September 12, 2004.
• My Life on Darts, GQ, March 2004.
• Al Franken, Seriously, New York Times Magazine, cover story, March 21, 2004.
• The Streets Where History Lives, The New York Times, Op-Ed, February 9, 2004.
• A Short-Order Revolutionary, New York Times Magazine, January 11, 2004.
• The Un-Pilgrims, The New York Times, Op-Ed, November 27, 2003.
• Genetic Family Values, The New York Times Magazine, New York, 12 December 2004, p. 73-74.
• Most Wanted, The New York Times Magazine, New York, August 25, 2002.
• McLaughlin? Is That a Jewish Name?, The New York Times Magazine, New York, March 24, 2002.

External links

Reviews

• "Relics of the Modern Mind", review of Descartes' Bones, by Lisa Jardine in Nature
• "Body of Knowledge", review of Descartes' Bones, by Gary Rosen in The New York Times, November 2, 2008

Interviews

• "Faith, Reason, and Descartes", on NPR
• "How Descartes Lost His Skull", on Bloomberg News
• "Descartes’ Bones", on the Leonard Lopate Show

Videos

• "Descartes' Bones", 4-minute intro about Descartes' Bones
• "Descartes' Bones", 40-min author talk at Authors@Google

Other

• Home Page
• Dutch Pronunciation guide to Island at the Center of the World