ABSTRACT
Amsterdam skipper Adriaan Doorneveld (1924–2003) meticulously kept a diary for nearly sixty years. The thirty notebooks resemble a ship’s log with their concise, businesslike entries. Yet they provide a rare historical perspective on daily life in Amsterdam. Doorneveld lived and worked on the family barge until 1966, when he became a ferry skipper. His life revolved around the waters of Amsterdam, but he also developed a passion for exploring the city on foot and by bike. After his early retirement in 1986, he started visiting Amsterdam’s many museums multiple times a week. Doorneveld’s diary both served as an external memory aid and as a way to maintain control over his life, clearing life’s deck at the end of each day.
