In this erudite and enjoyable Los Angeles Times best-seller, Joel Kotkin explores the history of cities around the globe. He argues that urban areas must be places where there is a shared feeling of sacredness, civic identity, and moral order. These exciting concentrations of ideas and energy have long been and should continue to be meaningful in our daily lives.

Featuring 12 panoramic illustrations, this book tracks the history of a city, beginning with the birth of a fictional Greek colony and tracing its evolution over 2,500 years into a vast metropolis. Full color.

"LIFE LAST SEEN. When you've already died, there should be nothing left to fear... When Adam Ramsdell pulls Elle's half-frozen body from the surf on a lonely California beach, she has no memory of what her full name is and how she got those bruises ringing her throat. GIRL LAST SEEN. Elle finds refuge in Adam's home on the edge of Gothic, a remote village located between the steep lonely mountains and the raging Pacific Ocean. As flashes of her memory...