Biographies of Cities

Who says that biographies have to be limited to people? Why not the biography of a city?

Some might say that the word "history" is more appropriate for a city — but history and biography have a different connotations, and if the author's prose brings the city to life, who's to say he or she didn't write a biography?

Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898

by Mike Wallace, Edwin G. Burrows

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Seven Ages of Paris

by Alistair Horne

You will learn more about Paris from this book than a year in France; the author compares the city to a beautiful woman, and every inch is explored.

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Berlin Rising: Biography of a City

by David Fisher, Anthony Read

Berliners have always had the reputation of being a little different than their fellow countrymen, and that quirk is reflected in this easy-reading history of the great city.

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London: The Biography

by Peter Ackroyd

Michelle Martinez from Houston, Texas says:

This is truly an amazing work of non-fiction in which Peter Ackroyd brings London to life. London becomes a breathing, bleeding thing. You learn the secrets of place names and peer down the dark avenues of history, traveling the less-traveled roads and getting an in-depth guide to London. All you ever wanted to know, what you didn't realize you did, and more!

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London: The Novel

by Edward Rutherfurd

Flashlight Worthy says:
While technically fiction and therefore breaking the mold of this list, we've heard too many good things about this book to leave it off the list.

Click through to Amazon to read the reviews of a lot of satisfied readers.

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