First off, which cruise are you on? Rhine/Moselle or Rhine/Danube?
There used to be a list for all Tauck tours from Longitude Books but they recently went out of business. One of the recommended books from that list that I read before going on the Rhine/Moselle cruise was "Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City" by Russell Shorto. I highly recommend it as it gives both a historical and modern view of the city and the Dutch.
You could also try Rick Steves travel guides since they usually have a list of recommended books and movies. I used his pocket Amsterdam guide and found it very useful there. It's small, has useful info on the best sites to see, and general info on how to get around the city.
Of course there is always the public library or Amazon. I also frequently find used books at my local thrift stores. Even if they are a few years out of date wrt hotels and restaurants they still provide good info on sites to see, maps, general info on the country. If I want to rip out a page or map to take with me I don't feel bad since I paid so little. My favorites are the Eyewitness guides since they have wonderful photos, maps and lots of history/cultural info.
Comments
There used to be a list for all Tauck tours from Longitude Books but they recently went out of business. One of the recommended books from that list that I read before going on the Rhine/Moselle cruise was "Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City" by Russell Shorto. I highly recommend it as it gives both a historical and modern view of the city and the Dutch.
You could also try Rick Steves travel guides since they usually have a list of recommended books and movies. I used his pocket Amsterdam guide and found it very useful there. It's small, has useful info on the best sites to see, and general info on how to get around the city.
Of course there is always the public library or Amazon. I also frequently find used books at my local thrift stores. Even if they are a few years out of date wrt hotels and restaurants they still provide good info on sites to see, maps, general info on the country. If I want to rip out a page or map to take with me I don't feel bad since I paid so little. My favorites are the Eyewitness guides since they have wonderful photos, maps and lots of history/cultural info.
TTFN