The Great Cities in History

ISBN-13: 9780500251546 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 304 str.

John Julius Norwich

Opis

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.

Recenzje

'One couldn't really ask for better people to open windows of insight on this fascinating and urgent topic' - Condé Nast Traveller

Spis treści

URUK Margarete Van Ess * MOHENJO-DARO Robin Coningham * MEMPHIS Ian Shaw * THEBES Bill Manley * HATTUSA Trevor Bryce * BABYLON Joan Oates * NINEVEH Julian Reade * CARTHAGE Henry Hurst * ATHENS Bettany Hughes * LINZI W. J. F. Jenner * ALEXANDRIA Alan B. lloyd * MEROË Robert Morkot * JERUSALEM Martin Goodman * ROME Nigel Pollard * TEOTIHUACAN Susan Toby Evans * TIKAL Simon Martin * CONSTANTINOPLE John Julius Norwich * MECCA Doris Benrens-Abouseif * DAMASCUS Barnaby Rogerson * CHANG'AN Victor C. Xiong BAGHDAD Doris Benrens-Abouseif * CÓRDOBA Doris Benrens-Abouseif * ANGKOR Michael D. Coe * PALERMO John Julius Norwich * CAIRO Doris Benrens-Abouseif * SAMARKAND Colin Thubron * PARIS Chris Jones * LÜBECK William L. Urban * KRAKÓW Adam Zamoyski * VENICE John Julius Norwich * FLORENCE Charles Fitzroy * BENIN Patrick Darling * TIMBUKTU Barnaby Rogerson * CUZCO Brian S. Bauer * TENOCHTITLAN Susan Toby Evans LISBON Malyn Newitt * ROME Charles Fitzroy * ISTANBUL Jason Goodwin * AGRA Ebba Koch * ISFAHAN Stephen P. Blake * BEIJING Frances Wood * KYOTO Lesley Downer * PRAGUE Colin Amery * AMSTERDAM Simon Schama MEXICO CITY Felipe Fernandez-Armesto * LONDON A. N. Wilson * STOCKHOLM Charles Fitzroy * DUBLIN Thomas Pakenham * COPENHAGEN Colin Amery * ST PETERSBURG Colin Amery * VIENNA Misha Glenny * EDINBURGH Magnus Linklater * MOSCOW Orlando Figes * PARIS Philip Mansel * LONDON A. N. Wilson * BUDAPEST * Misha Glenny * MONTREAL Rory Maclean * WASHINGTON DC Simon Schama * BARCELONA Felipe Fernandez-Armesto NEW DELHI Jane Ridley * BERLIN Rory Maclean * CHICAGO James Cuno * LOS ANGELES Kevin Starr * BUENOS AIRES Felipe Fernandez-Armesto * SINGAPORE John Keay * NEW YORK Jan Morris & Alexander Bloom * SÃO PAULO Elizabeth Johnson * SYDNEY Elizabeth Farrelly * TOKYO Lesley Downer * SHANGHAI John Gittings

O autorze

John Julius Norwich is the author of magisterial histories of Norman Sicily, the republic of Venice and the Byzantine empire. He has also written widely on architecture and music, and has presented some 30 BBC television historical documentaries. He is Chairman of the Venice in Peril Fund and of the World Monuments Fund in Britain.