Victorian Cities - (Classics in Urban History) by Asa Briggs (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A comparative study in urban history, Victorian Cities examines the 19th-century history of four developing cities in England in a period of rapid growth, with chapters on London and Melbourne and references to Los Angeles and Chicago as well.

From the Back Cover

The cities of this book are the cities of the railway and tramway age, of the age of steam and of gas, of a society sometimes restless, sometimes complacent, moving, often fumbling and faltering, towards greater democracy. The building of the cities was a characteristic Victorian Achievement, impressive in scale but limited in vision, creating new opportunities but also providing massive new problems.

Review Quotes

"The 19th century is the first age in human history in which it became normal for most citizens to live in cities. . . . Professor Briggs's book reminds us of our own failings, and this is among its great merits. Though he has selected only a few urban themes for full discussion, he incidentally illuminates many more."--E. J. Hobsbawm, "New Statesman

About the Author

Asa Briggs, former provost of Worcester College, Oxford, is the author of many works on 19th-century British history.