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

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 Times

The story of the city is the story of civilisation. From Uruk and Babylon to Baghdad and Venice, and on to London, New York, Shanghai and Lagos, Ben Wilson takes us through millennia on a thrilling global tour of the key urban centres of history.

Rich with individual characters, scenes and snapshots of daily life, Metropolis is at once the story of these extraordinary places and of the vital role they have played in making us who we are.

'Panoramic...entertaining and rich in wondrous detail' Tom Holland

'A towering achievement... Reading this book is like visiting an exhilarating city for the first time' 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