Overview

‘Glorious’ Guardian 'Vigorous, rigorous and eminently readable’ SPECTATOR In his soaring new book, Niall Kishtainy draws us into the imaginative worlds of Thomas More, the Diggers, William Morris and Extinction Rebellion protestors. He introduces us to thinkers like Thomas Spence who threw coins stamped with the words ‘YOU FOOLS’ into the alleys of Holborn. To Ada Salter who was the first woman borough councillor in London and ignited the Bermondsey Revolution. To ninety-two-year-old Dolly Watson who became the queen of Claremont Road in Leytonstone during the Reclaim the Streets protests in the 1990s. These are inspiring tales of people who drew might from the city around them and fought for their ideologies in an increasingly transforming world. Beginning in the sixteenth century and stretching from the contemporary transformation of the East End docklands to the COVID lockdowns, The Infinite City shows how London’s spirit has been one of visionary imagination amid relentless change and innovation.

Full Product Details

9780008325862

Table of Contents

Reviews

PRAISE FOR NIALL KISHTAINY’S A LITTLE HISTORY OF ECONOMICS ‘An intellectual treasure trove for anyone interested in history, big ideas, and the role that economic thinking has played in both for more than 2,000 years’ Charles Wheelan, author of Naked Economics ‘Economic theories count among the principal ideas that defined the modern world, yet the origins of the market forces that govern our lives can all too often seem distant and opaque. Enter Niall Kishtainy, who in A Little History of Economics has condensed 2000 years of thought down to 250 highly readable pages. . . . A whistle-stop introduction to the great works and thinkers of each age, this is a clear and accessible primer’ Financial Times ‘A deft, highly readable history of economics, full of humanity. You'll learn a lot – I did.’ Tim Harford, author The Undercover Economist and How to Make the World Add Up ‘This book is punchy and fun, and yet thorough in explaining what economists have contributed to our understanding of the world.’ Robert J. Shiller, Nobel Laureate in Economics

EARLY PRAISE FOR THE INFINITE CITY ‘Engaging… The Infinite City bravely challenges those who view London merely “as an infernal maze, as a centre of wealth, power and empire” and highlights instead those who have imagined it as a place of “possibility and experiment”’ TELEGRAPH, 4/5 stars ‘In a series of vivid depictions of London spanning centuries, Kishtainy brings back to life some of London’s utopian dreamers, including the Diggers, Thomas Spence and the socialist mystic James Pierrepont Greaves, founder of the Ham Common Concordium, an austere utopian spiritual co-operative’ LITERARY REVIEW ‘I was fascinated by every page, every anecdote and every detail’ BEN JUDAH, author of This is London ‘From More’s Utopia to the forlorn hopes for a more equitable post-pandemic society, this is a fresh and fascinating look at utopias in theory and practice, artfully framed as a history of London. Conscientiously researched, yet brimful of memorable anecdotes about man-eating sheep and medieval churches made out of pudding, it impresses upon us the importance of daring to dream — and dream big — for yesterday’s impossibility can be tomorrow’s reality’ MATHEW GREEN, author of Shadowlands ‘Reconstructing some of the many utopian fantasies that London has inspired since the sixteenth century, Niall Kishtainy has written a richly informative, elegantly argued book that introduces us to a series of dreamers who, far from appearing eccentric, seem all too relevant in the twenty-first century. The Infinite City will prompt us to rethink the value of utopia as well as to reconsider our understanding of the metropolis’ MATHEW BEAUMONT, author of Nightwalking: A Nocturnal History of London

PRAISE FOR NIALL KISHTAINY'S A LITTLE HISTORY OF ECONOMICS 'An intellectual treasure trove for anyone interested in history, big ideas, and the role that economic thinking has played in both for more than 2,000 years' Charles Wheelan, author of Naked Economics 'Economic theories count among the principal ideas that defined the modern world, yet the origins of the market forces that govern our lives can all too often seem distant and opaque. Enter Niall Kishtainy, who in A Little History of Economics has condensed 2000 years of thought down to 250 highly readable pages. . . . A whistle-stop introduction to the great works and thinkers of each age, this is a clear and accessible primer' Financial Times 'A deft, highly readable history of economics, full of humanity. You'll learn a lot - I did.' Tim Harford, author The Undercover Economist and How to Make the World Add Up 'This book is punchy and fun, and yet thorough in explaining what economists have contributed to our understanding of the world.' Robert J. Shiller, Nobel Laureate in Economics

EARLY PRAISE FOR THE INFINITE CITY ‘I was fascinated by every page, every anecdote and every detail’ Ben Judah, author of This is London ‘From More’s Utopia to the forlorn hopes for a more equitable post-pandemic society, this is a fresh and fascinating look at utopias in theory and practice, artfully framed as a history of London. Conscientiously researched, yet brimful of memorable anecdotes about man-eating sheep and medieval churches made out of pudding, it impresses upon us the importance of daring to dream — and dream big — for yesterday’s impossibility can be tomorrow’s reality’ Matthew Green, author of Shadowlands PRAISE FOR A LITTLE HISTORY OF ECONOMICS ‘An intellectual treasure trove for anyone interested in history, big ideas, and the role that economic thinking has played in both for more than 2,000 years’ Charles Wheelan, author of Naked Economics ‘Economic theories count among the principal ideas that defined the modern world, yet the origins of the market forces that govern our lives can all too often seem distant and opaque. Enter Niall Kishtainy, who in A Little History of Economics has condensed 2000 years of thought down to 250 highly readable pages. . . . A whistle-stop introduction to the great works and thinkers of each age, this is a clear and accessible primer’ Financial Times ‘A deft, highly readable history of economics, full of humanity. You'll learn a lot – I did.’ Tim Harford, author The Undercover Economist and How to Make the World Add Up ‘This book is punchy and fun, and yet thorough in explaining what economists have contributed to our understanding of the world.’ Robert J. Shiller, Nobel Laureate in Economics

Author Information

Niall Kishtainy started his working life in the British civil service, going on to work as a Middle East analyst and researcher, then as an economic adviser to development agencies in Ethiopia, Albania and the Palestinian Territories. After working as a journalist in Cairo, he studied economics as a graduate and began writing about the history of economic thinking and economic struggles of the past. He has given courses in economics and economic history at the London School of Economics and the University of Warwick. He is the author of A Little History of Economics, which has been sold in over twenty languages.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available