The Great Cities In History

Author : John Julius Norwich
Publisher : Thames & Hudson
ISBN 13 : 0500773599
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.98/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Great Cities in History written by John Julius Norwich and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 2016-08-02 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A portrait of world civilization told through the stories of the world's greatest cities from ancient times to the present. Today, for the first time in history, the majority of people in the world live in cities. The implications and challenges associated with this fact are enormous. But how did we get here? From the origins of urbanization in Mesopotamia to the global metropolises of today, great cities have marked the development of human civilization. The Great Cities in History tells their stories, starting with the earliest, from Uruk and Memphis to Jerusalem and Alexandria. Next come the fabulous cities of the first millennium: Damascus and Baghdad, Teotihuacan and Tikal, and Chang’an, capital of Tang Dynasty China. The medieval world saw the rise of powerful cities such as Palermo and Paris in Europe, Benin in Africa, and Angkor in southeast Asia. The last two sections bring us from the early modern world, with Isfahan, Agra, and Amsterdam, to the contemporary city: London and New York, Tokyo and Barcelona, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo. The distinguished contributors, including Jan Morris, Michael D. Coe, Simon Schama, Orlando Figes, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Misha Glenny, Susan Toby Evans, and A. N. Wilson, evoke the character of each place—people, art and architecture, government—and explain the reasons for its success.

Author : Andrew Lees
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199859523
Total Pages : 161 pages
Book Rating : 4.28/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The City written by Andrew Lees and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The City: A World History tells the story of the rise and development of urban centers from ancient times to the twenty-first century. It begins with the establishment of the first cities in the Near East in the fourth millennium BCE, and goes on to examine urban growth in the Indus River Valley in India, as well as Egypt and areas that bordered the Mediterranean Sea. Athens, Alexandria, and Rome stand out both politically and culturally. With the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, European cities entered into a long period of waning and deterioration. But elsewhere, great cities-among them, Constantinople, Baghdad, Chang'an, and Tenochtitlán-thrived. In the late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, urban growth resumed in Europe, giving rise to cities like Florence, Paris, and London. This urban growth also accelerated in parts of the world that came under European control, such as Philadelphia in the nascent United States. As the Industrial Revolution swept through in the nineteenth century, cities grew rapidly. Their expansion resulted in a slew of social problems and political disruptions, but it was accompanied by impressive measures designed to improve urban life. Meanwhile, colonial cities bore the imprint of European imperialism. Finally, the book turns to the years since 1914, guided by a few themes: the impact of war and revolution; urban reconstruction after 1945; migration out of many cities in the United States into growing suburbs; and the explosive growth of "megacities" in the developing world.

Author : Lyon Sprague De Camp
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 536 pages
Book Rating : 4.52/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Great Cities of the Ancient World written by Lyon Sprague De Camp and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A portrayal of fourteen ancient cities at their height.

Author : Anthony M. Tung
Publisher : Three Rivers Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 520 pages
Book Rating : 4.02/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Preserving the World's Great Cities written by Anthony M. Tung and published by Three Rivers Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both epic and intimate, this is the story of the fight to save the world’s architectural and cultural heritage as it is embodied in the extraordinary buildings and urban spaces of the great cities of Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Never before have the complexities and dramas of urban preservation been as keenly documented as inPreserving the World’s Great Cities. In researching this important work, Anthony Tung traveled throughout the world to visit remarkable buildings and districts in China, Italy, Greece, the U.S., Japan, and elsewhere. Everywhere he found both the devastating legacy of war, economics, and indifference and the accomplishments of people who have worked and sometimes risked their lives to preserve and renew the most meaningful urban expressions of the human spirit. From Singapore’s blind rush to become the most modern city of the East to Warsaw’s poignant and heroic effort to resurrect itself from the Nazis’ systematic campaign of physical and cultural obliteration, from New York and Rome to Kyoto and Cairo, we see the city as an expression of the best and worst within us. This is essential reading for fans of Jane Jacobs and Witold Rybczynski and everyone who is concerned about urban preservation.

Author : DK
Publisher : Dorling Kindersley Ltd
ISBN 13 : 0241546109
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.09/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Great Cities written by DK and published by Dorling Kindersley Ltd. This book was released on 2021-08-26 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Delve into the social and cultural history of 100 of the world's most important cities. From the first towns in Mesopotamia to today's global metropolises, cities have marked the progress of civilization. Written in the form of illustrated "biographies", Great Cities offers a rich historical overview of each featured city, brought to vivid life with paintings, photographs, timelines, maps, and artefacts. The latest title in the series style of Artists, Writers, Philosophers, and Composers, this lavish ebook goes under the skin of cities both ancient and modern - from Persepolis and Tikal, Paris and Vienna to Prague, Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Dubai. Which ancient civilization founded the precursor to Mexico City? Why was Venice the gateway to the East? What was the Belle Epoque? Which was the first city to build sewers? Great Cities takes you there, and tells you all this and more. Stunning images of city life and key moments in history are complemented by close-ups of revealing details and feature panels that provide additional context. An ebook not just about history but also about art, architecture, commerce, and politics, Great Cities provides a fascinating insight into what has shaped the places where we live. Perfect for history, geography, and arts enthusiasts and a stunning gift for armchair explorers of all ages, it is your window into the world's most fascinating cities.

Author : John Julius Norwich
Publisher : Thames & Hudson
ISBN 13 : 0500772398
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.93/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Cities That Shaped the Ancient World written by John Julius Norwich and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 2014-11-11 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An illuminating and evocatively illustrated tour of forty of the greatest cities that shaped the ancient world and its civilizations, from China and Mesoamerica to Europe and Ethiopia Today we take living in cities, with all their attractions and annoyances, for granted. But when did humans first come together to live in large groups, creating an urban landscape? What were these places like to inhabit? More than simply a history of ancient cities, this volume also reveals the art and architecture created by our ancestors, and provides a fascinating exploration of the origins of urbanism, politics, culture, and human interaction. Arranged geographically into five sections, Cities That Shaped the Ancient World takes a global view, beginning in the Near East with the earliest cities such as Ur and Babylon, Troy and Jerusalem. In Africa, the great cities of Ancient Egypt arose, such as Thebes and Amarna. Glorious European metropolises, including Athens and Rome, ringed the Mediterranean, but also stretched to Trier on the turbulent frontier of the Roman Empire. Asia had bustling commercial centers such as Mohenjodaro and Xianyang, while in the Americas the Mesoamerican and Peruvian cultures stamped their presence on the landscape, creating massive structures and extensive urban settlements in the deep jungles and high mountain ranges, including Caral and Teotihuacan. A team of expert historians and archaeologists with firsthand knowledge and deep appreciation of each site gives voices to these silent ruins, bringing them to life as the bustling state-of-the-art metropolises they once were.

Author : Chrisanne Beckner
Publisher : Sourcebooks Explore
ISBN 13 : 9780912517148
Total Pages : 116 pages
Book Rating : 4.4X/5 ( download)

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Download or read book 100 Great Cities of World History written by Chrisanne Beckner and published by Sourcebooks Explore. This book was released on 1995 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses a great variety of cities throughout the world and their impact on great events by great people.

Author : Peter Furtado
Publisher : Thames & Hudson
ISBN 13 : 0500774854
Total Pages : 531 pages
Book Rating : 4.54/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Great Cities Through Travelers' Eyes written by Peter Furtado and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 2019-09-03 with total page 531 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wide-ranging anthology of travelers’ accounts in thirty-eight of the world’s most fascinating cities, from ancient times through the twentieth century. This entertaining new anthology includes travelers’ tales from thirty-eight cities spread over six continents, ranging from Beijing to Berlin, Cairo to Chicago, and Rio to Rome. The volume features commentators across the millennia, including the great travelers of ancient times, such as Greek geographer Strabo; those who undertook extensive journeys in the medieval world, not least Marco Polo; courageous women such as Isabella Bird and Freya Stark; and enterprising writers and journalists, including Mark Twain. We see the work of famous travelers, but also stories by ordinary people who found themselves involved in remarkable situations, like the medieval Chinese abbot who was shown around the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris by the king of France. Some of the writers seek to provide a straightforward, accurate description of all they have seen, while others concentrate on their subjective experiences of the city and encounters with the inhabitants. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling historian Peter Furtado, each account provides both a vivid portrait of a distant place and time and an insight into those who journeyed there. The result is a book that delves into the splendors and stories that exist beyond conventional guidebooks and websites.

Author : Christopher Kennedy
Publisher : University of Toronto Press
ISBN 13 : 1442642734
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.37/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Evolution of Great World Cities written by Christopher Kennedy and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some cities seem destined to become major financial capitals, yet never do--Seville, for instance, was the centre of Spain's opulent New World Empire, but failed to become a financial metropolis. Others, like former colonial backwater Hong Kong, defy the odds by growing into major trading centres. What are the key factors distinguishing those cities that become wealthy from those that don't? Christopher Kennedy illuminates how geography, technology, and especially the infrastructure of urban economies allow cities to develop and thrive. The Evolution of Great World Cities unfolds through the tales of several urban centres--including Venice, Amsterdam, London, and New York City--at key junctures in their histories. Kennedy weaves together significant insights from urbanists such as Jane Jacobs and economists such as John Maynard Keynes, drawing striking parallels between the functioning of ecosystems and of wealthy capitals. The Evolution of Great World Cities offers an accessible introduction to urban economies that 'will change the way you think about cities.'

Author :
Publisher : Chartwell Books
ISBN 13 : 0785837949
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.47/5 ( download)

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Download or read book World's Greatest Cities written by and published by Chartwell Books. This book was released on 2020-06-30 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World's Greatest Cities is an illuminating visual guide to 30 incredible cities around the globe—with annotated 3-D reconstructions and cutaway models that allow you to journey right to the soul of each of them. For thousands of years, cities built by humans have reflected their beliefs, their power, their needs, and their desires. Palaces and prisons, churches and mosques, skyscrapers and suspension bridges are the tracks that history, sometimes glorious, often violent, imprints on these cities. But these cities are also the men and women who inhabit them and who stamp a unique character onto each of them. The spirit of each city is also etched in the daily coming and going of the streets, the hustle and bustle of the markets, and in the unhurried discussions of the cafés. Explore the cities of the world today that leave a lasting impression on those who visit them. These cities offer rich architectural heritage and spectacular natural environments. But above all, they have a vitality that makes them unique. They are cities that know how to grow, transform, and reinvent themselves without losing their essence. Feel the heartbeat of the most vibrant and exciting cities around the globe. Skyscrapers, alongside ancient marvels, are beautifully illustrated and perfectly complement the engaging text that describes the creation and history of these celebrated destinations. Cities dissected are Paris, San Francisco, New York; City, Toronto, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro , London, Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Vienna, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Athens, Moscow, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Dubai, Sydney, Auckland, Cairo, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo and all of their landmark sites.