The Infinite City - Utopian Dreams on the Streets of London

London is a city of dreamers. A city of possibility and experiment. A city of fervent imaginings and courageous aspirations. For centuries, it has been the capital of utopian thought. The Infinite City tells this history for the first time. In his soaring new book, Niall Kishtainy draws us into the imaginative worlds of Thomas More, the Diggers, William Morris and Extinction Rebellion protestors. He introduces us to thinkers like Thomas Spence who threw coins stamped with the words ''YOU FOOLS'' into the alleys of Holborn. To Ada Salter who was the first woman borough councillor in London and ignited the Bermondsey Revolution. To ninety-two-year-old Dolly Watson who became the queen of Claremont Road in Leytonstone during the Reclaim the Streets protests in the 1990s. These are inspiring tales of people who drew might from the city around them and fought for their ideologies in an increasingly transforming world. Beginning in the sixteenth century and stretching from the contemporary transformation of the East End docklands to the COVID lockdowns, The Infinite City shows how London''s spirit has been one of visionary imagination amid relentless change and innovation.

About the author

Niall Kishtainy started his working life in the British civil service, going on to work as a Middle East analyst and researcher, then as an economic adviser to development agencies in Ethiopia, Albania and the Palestinian Territories. After working as a journalist in Cairo, he studied economics as a graduate and began writing about the history of economic thinking and economic struggles of the past. He has given courses in economics and economic history at the London School of Economics and the University of Warwick. He is the author of A Little History of Economics, which has been sold in over twenty languages.

Product details

• Authors: Niall Kishtainy, Kishtainy Niall
• Publisher: William Collins
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2020
• EAN: 9780008325862
• ISBN: 978-0-00-832586-2
• Dimensions: 153 mm x 234 mm x 30 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Miscellaneous; London, Greater London, Political Ideologies, English, PHILOSOPHY / Social, PHILOSOPHY / Political, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Political Advocacy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / General, Philosophy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / European, Political activism, Social & political philosophy, c 1500 onwards to present day, social and political philosophy, Pressure groups, protest movements and non-violent action, Modern Period, C 1500 Onwards, Political ideologies and movements, Pressure groups & lobbying