From the Sunday Times bestselling author, a dazzling, globe-spanning history of humankind's greatest invention: the city.

''Brilliant...enchanting'' Evening Standard ''Exhilarating'' New York Times

The story of the city is the story of civilisation. From Uruk and Babylon to Baghdad and Venice, and on to London, New York, Shanghai and Lagos, Ben Wilson takes us through millennia on a thrilling global tour of the key urban centres of history.

Rich with individual characters, scenes and snapshots of daily life, Metropolis is at once the story of these extraordinary places and of the vital role they have played in making us who we are.

''Panoramic...entertaining and rich in wondrous detail'' Tom Holland

''A towering achievement... Reading this book is like visiting an exhilarating city for the first time'' Wall Street Journal