Reddit mentions of Short History Of The Netherlands

I picked up a book called "A Short History of the Netherlands" by Pjan Rietbergen the last time I was in the Netherlands. It gives an overview of Dutch history from prehistoric times up to the modern period. It provides an overview of the history of the Netherlands, discussing the general trends, important people, and events, but it doesn't go into great detail. It also has some nice pictures to make it visually interesting. It's a great way to familiarize yourself with the big picture and then choose topics to dive into if they interest you.

It doesn't appear to be available in the US/Canada (other than rather expensive used copies), but it may be worth picking up in a bookstore if you travel to the Netherlands. I got mine from the Broese Booksellers in Utrecht, which has a decent selection of English-language books, but I imagine it (and similar books) are available in other bookstores as well.

The other book by James Kennedy looks good as well, although I haven't read it.

By the way, if you are at all interested in learning Dutch, I recommend picking up a few Dutch children's books to read. I picked up some in the 8-14 age range, which fits my language abilities quite well.