... [an] excellent, thought-provoking, heady urban chronicle.

... Wilson’s fascinating history of cities, Metropolis, lacks a central thesis (its only significant flaw), but it’s not hard to supply one: cities intensify life.

... perhaps it’s not the ideal moment to publish Metropolis, an ode to cities and cosmopolitan life as 'humankind’s greatest invention,' according to its subtitle. In a hastily added few paragraphs in the introduction.

Reading Metropolis, Ben Wilson's ambitious history of the city writ large, is akin to confronting all this urban potential energy. Chapters are tied to specific times and places, but the scale of the undertaking and the interconnectedness of the globe mocks a truly linear approach.

Information rich and accessible. For history and public policy readers seeking a global vision of the impact of world cities..