From a clever young historian, a colorful journey through 7,000 years and 26 cities of the world, showcasing how urban living has been the motivation and cradle for humanity's greatest innovations.

In the two hundred millennia of our existence, nothing has shaped us more profoundly than the city. Historian Ben Wilson, author of award-winning bestsellers, narrates the grand, glorious story of how city life allowed for the development of human civilization.

Starting with Uruk, the first city in the world, dating back to 4,000 BC and depicted in the Epic of Gilgamesh, he shows us that cities were never a necessity, but when they were created, their proximity led to a flourishing of human achievements, creating new professions, new forms of art, worship, and trade – all of which compose culture.

Guiding readers through famous cities over a period spanning more than 7,000 years, Wilson reveals the innovations of each: civic engagement in the Athenian Agora, global trade in 9th-century Baghdad, economics in the cafés of London, domestic comforts at the heart of Amsterdam.