Brilliant... Enchanting... This is a history of the world told through its most buccaneering units... And it is full of quirky facts about London.

Compendious and fascinating... Metropolis is crammed with local colour; and what gives the historical schema its real flavour is the deviations it allows... It makes you understand why we opted for cities in the first place, and why, despite the doom and gloom, I doubt we will be quitting them any time soon.

Wilson [is] an erudite, creative guide to the history of civilization through its great urban areas... He broadens the book's focus beyond the usual Western suspects... An excellent account.

Wilson sets out to match Mumford's sweep in Metropolis, and he brilliantly synthesises the forces that make cities hum.

Capacious, entertaining and rich in wondrous detail, this is a work of history that pulls off the startling feat of measuring up to the immensity of its subject matter.

[A] fascinating history of cities.

[An] omnivorous, adventurous and generous history of the city... Studded with fascinating facts handled with dexterity.

Bryson-esque levels of fascination and intrigue... An informative and riveting piece of work.

Ben Wilson takes us on an exhilarating tour of more than two dozen cities and thousands of years... Metropolis is a bold undertaking that makes for gripping reading.

[A] towering achievement... Reading this book is like visiting an exhilarating city for the first time-dazzling, frazzling, sometimes both simultaneously. Metropolis teems with information and observations.

A fascinating look at the highs and lows of inner-city living, from skyscrapers to slums.

A supremely wide-ranging study of the world's great cities.

[A] towering achievement . . . Reading this book is like visiting an exhilarating city for the first time-dazzling, frazzling, sometimes both simultaneously. Metropolis teems with information and observations.

Ben Wilson takes us on an exhilarating tour of more than two dozen cities and thousands of years ... Metropolis is a bold undertaking that makes for gripping reading.

Buford has an inexhaustible zest for life; the book is a tour de force.

Pure pleasure. Masterfully written. If you care at all about food, about writing, about obsessive people with a sense of adventure, you have to read this book. It is, in a word, wonderful.

A book to drool for. Magnifique!

Fluidly readable... exhaustive and enlightening.

As reportage, it's as immersive as you could wish for. It's also hilarious and humbling