City
A User's Guide To The Past, Present, And Future Of Urban Life
by P.D. Smith
Mem. Ed. $27.99
Pub. Ed. $40.00
You pay $1.00
City
For the first time in the history of our planet, more than half the population—3.3 billion people—is now living in cities. In City, P. D. Smith has written a guidebook to our urban centers—the signature unit of human civilization. With erudite prose and carefully chosen illustrations, this unique work explores what cities are and how they work. It covers history, customs and language, districts, transport, money, work, shops and markets, and tourist sites, creating a fantastically detailed portrait of the city through history and into the future.
The book covers myriad topics: downtowns, suburbs, shantytowns and favelas, graffiti, skylines, crime, the theater, street food, sport, eco-cities, and sacred sites, and features short, focused pieces on the Tower of Babel, flash mobs, ghettos, skateboarding, and ancient city walls. Smith explores what it was like to live in the first cities, how they have evolved, and why in the future, cities will play an even greater role in human life.
Extensively illustrated with full-color photographs, maps, and other images from across the world and throughout history, City is the ultimate guide to what Smith calls “humankind’s greatest achievement.”
Hardcover Book : 400 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc ( March 27, 2012 )
Item #: 13-579612
ISBN: 9781608196760
Product Dimensions: 7.0 x 9.25 inches
Product Weight: 42.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
disappointing 
June 28, 2012
Reviewer: Jo W
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