Product Description

Peter Hall explores the history of cities and their role in the development of civilization, from the cultural crucibles of Athens in the sixth century BC and Florence in the fifteenth century through the industrial innovations of Manchester, cotton and steam, and Palo Alto, computing, to the city as freeway, Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #414635 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1184 pages

Customer Reviews

Doesn't do what it says on the tin
This 1000 pager is billed as answering such questions as "What makes a particular city, at a particular time, suddenly become immensely creative, exceptionally innovative?" Unfortunately it doesn't really answer this, and spends very little time attempting to do so.

This is not to say it's a bad book, just that you should know what to expect. The bulk of it is a series of histories of particular cities in particular times: Elizabethan London, Berlin 1918-33, Detroit 1890-1915, early Hollywood, Imperial Rome, etc. As such it is extremely interesting. Each 20-50 page chapter is a wonderful history of what made a place "happening," the emergence of whatever industry or culture made it the place to be. But any analysis of why this was is a brief section at the close of each chapter (and some summary chapters). While it's fair enough that these don't necessarily reach a concrete conclusion, the preceding history's depth often seems irrelevant. The analysis could be accompanied with a brief summary of a city's history, rather than a few dozen pages, and little would be lost to the main thesis.

However, if you expect a book with a collection of fascinating periods and places in history it really is worth a read.

Brilliant -- Key Work of the Twentieth Century
This book is extraordinary for its pure breadth of intellect coupled with a writing style that draws the reader in to make the hundreds of pages pass by like mileposts on an uncongested freeway.

As the trend to narrow, boring, specialization turns academia into a wasteland, Sir Peter has no qualms about weaving together his extraodinary knowledge of history, social science, literature, performing arts, technology -- you name it, he is able to show insight about it. All of this comes together in a natural way to reveal the nature of that special creativity that emerges from cities, and which has made cities special in our civilization.

The author is a keen observer, and there is something new, unexpected, and intriguing at every turn. Indeed, I have to blame Sir Peter for far too many sleepless nights as I lay in bed helpless to put down this magnetic book, which shows and imparts that very pleasure in learning that accompanied periods which have made cities great.

This is a book of a century, and should be read by everyone, but no student of cities, urban studies, geography, history, or social sciences should be without it.