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Title: TheCity in History : Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects by Lewis Mumford ISBN: 0156180359 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: October, 1968 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4.25

Rating: 5
Summary: A comparative analysis of cities
Comment: Lewis Mumford deftly explores the formation and development of the city from its early Mesopotamian and Egyptian roots to its modern day manifestations. It is the logical extension of his earlier works on the subject, in particular "The Culture of Cities," which has been partially absorbed into this volume. Of particular interest to meis his analysis of the walled versus open cities, and the sharply opposing world views of the progenitors of these cities.

Mumford was particularly drawn to the early Hellenic and later medieval town planning ideals. He noted how the early cities knew their limits, and established satellite communities, rather than continually extend their boundaries. Loose-knit federations were formed, which were much more democratic than were the Roman and Baroque regimental cities.

He charts the evolution of modern city planning ideals, very critical of Le Corbusier's "Radiant City" and other megalomaniac ideas which arose in the 20th century. Mumford favored the "garden city" ideals of Ebeneezer Howard, which recognized the destructive impact of industrialization on urban centers; rather than those schemes which extolled the industrial city as the city of the future.

Mumford is careful not to over reach, or at least let you know when he is forming suppositions. His annotated bibliography is immense, and probably the single most compelling aspect of this book for those who want to read more on the subject. The new Harcourt paperback edition, which came when I ordered this volume, has a more handsome cover than that shown in this listing.

Rating: 5
Summary: Encyclopedic and Impressive
Comment: Lewis Mumford is an underappreciated intellectual monster (and I mean that in a good way). This book explains the development of the city as we in the Western World know it, including the paleolithic and neolithic mythologies that led to the current patriarchy, and its emphasis upon the overpowering of the feminine and the matriarchy. To dislike this book, I think, is to miss its point - it is not a feminist reading, but it may be a liberal reading of urban history. Personally, I found very few biases in his reasoning; he reasons clearly, and thoughtfully, and is not given to simple liberalities for the sake of it. He is not a knee-jerk liberal, and is not a cuddly-wuddly "let's all get along" liberal, either. Rather, he is a moderate, espousing a philosophy that takes frequent sojourns into liberalism.

At the very least, this book is very much worth reading. Mumford's work must come back into vogue, if we are to learn to evolve as a culture. His evolutionarily and ecologically-sound perspectives are, ironically, unheard of in an era that desperately needs workable ideas that embrace both such perspectives.

Rating: 2
Summary: Three quarters textbook, one quarter political rant
Comment: The first three-fourths of Mumford's "The City in History" is a lengthy treatise on the origins and growth of the city, from Babylon to Medieval times. While there is nothing factually incorrect about this portion of the book - it is a compendium of knowledge spanning dozens of civilizations and cultures, I did not find it particularly interesting. I would compare it to reading a textbook, but it was written with too much of an intellectual bent to be accurately compared to such.

The last quarter of the book, however, fell from a high-minded dicussion and description of the nature and purposes of cities into a standard neo-Luddite rant: Capitalism is bad. Cars are bad. Suburbs are bad. Things are getting worse, and someone (the government) must step in and enforce (my) order.

If such is your philosophy, you may very well enjoy this book. I did not.

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