Metropolis: A History Of The City, Humankind'S Greatest Invention
During the two hundred millennia of humanityās existence, nothing has shaped us more profoundly than the city. From their very beginnings, cities created such a flourishing of human endeavorānew professions, new forms of art, worship and tradeāthat 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 Ćpoque 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.