Metropolis: A History of the City, Humankind's Greatest Invention (Unabridged)
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Step into the bustling streets of history with this fascinating look at city life throughout time. Starting with ancient archaeological sites like the six-million-year-old Uruk and continuing through to sprawling present-day Lagos, British historian Ben Wilson finds the consistent benefits and drawbacks to bringing together such a diverse crush of humanity in one spot. Wilson leaves no cobblestone unturned, drawing incredible comparisons like the unexpected similarity between 1700s London and ancient Baghdad (hint: it’s the street food). Of course, his findings aren’t all rosy—the tales of industrialized Manchester and Chicago include details so horrid that even Dickens and Sinclair left them out. Despite these ugly realities, Wilson makes a great case that cities have routinely driven society’s evolution, and English actor John Sackville’s polished narration certainly doesn’t hurt his argument. Metropolis has a lot going on, and all of it is fascinating.