Metropolis - A History of the City, Humankind's Greatest Invention

From Uruk to New York, how urban life shaped civilisation.

Across 7,000 years of history, historian Ben Wilson charts how cities have driven innovation, culture and progress. From Mesopotamia's first streets to the skyscrapers of today, Metropolis celebrates the creativity born from urban collision - while exploring the challenges of crowding, inequality and climate.

Rich in character and colour, it's both a sweeping history and a love letter to the bustle and brilliance of urban life. For readers of Sapiens and The Silk Roads, this is history at its most visionary and vivid.

'Brilliant... enchanting.' Evening Standard
'A towering achievement... exhilarating.' Wall Street Journal

About the author

Ben Wilson is the author of six critically acclaimed books, including What Price Liberty?, for which he received the Somerset Maugham Award; the Sunday Times bestseller Empire of the Deep; and, most recently, Metropolis. He has worked in television, broadcast on the radio in several countries, and writes for publications such as The Times, Daily Telegraph and Prospect. He lives in Suffolk.

Summary

From the Sunday Times bestselling author, a dazzling, globe-spanning history of humankind's greatest invention: the city. 'Brilliant...enchanting' Evening Standard 'Exhilarating' New York TimesThe story of the city is the story of civilisation.

Report

Brilliant... Enchanting... This is a history of the world told through its most buccaneering units... And it is full of quirky facts about London. Arjun Neil Alim Evening Standard

Product details

• Authors: Ben WIlson, Wilson Ben
• Publisher: Vintage UK
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 31.07.2021
• EAN: 9781784707521
• ISBN: 978-1-78470-752-1
• No. of pages: 448
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 198 mm x 30 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Society; Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); History of Ideas, HISTORY / World, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Urban, General & world history, Social and cultural history, History: specific events and topics, General and world history, Urban communities, Settlement, urban and rural geography