Metropolis by Ben Wilson

Metropolis by Ben Wilson

In a captivating tour of cities famous and forgotten, acclaimed historian Ben Wilson tells the glorious, millennia-spanning story how urban living sparked humankind's greatest innovations.
 
"A towering achievement.... Reading this book is like visiting an exhilarating city for the first time--dazzling." --The Wall Street Journal

During the two hundred millennia of humanity's existence, nothing has shaped us more profoundly than the city. From their very beginnings, cities created such a flourishing of human endeavor--new professions, new forms of art, worship and trade--that they kick-started civilization. Guiding us through the centuries, Wilson reveals the innovations nurtured by the inimitable energy of human beings together: civics in the agora of Athens, global trade in ninth-century Baghdad, finance in the coffeehouses of London, domestic comforts in the heart of Amsterdam, peacocking in Belle Époque Paris. In the modern age, the skyscrapers of New York City inspired utopian visions of community design, while the trees of twenty-first-century Seattle and Shanghai point to a sustainable future in the age of climate change. Page-turning, irresistible, and rich with engrossing detail, Metropolis is a brilliant demonstration that the story of human civilization is the story of cities.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780525436331
ISBN 10	0525436332
Title	Metropolis
Author	Ben Wilson
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	2021-10-12
Number of pages	480
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.