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The Scar
by China Miéville • 2002
Pirates capture a linguist and take her to a floating city chasing a tear in reality.
4.19
35k+
The Scar Summary
The Scar 87%
Pirates capture a linguist and take her to a floating city chasing a tear in reality.
by China Miéville 2002
4.19
35k+ ratings
Ninety Percent of Everything
by Rose George • 2013
Behind everything you own: an invisible, lawless ocean industry that makes globalization possible.
3.79
4k+
Ninety Percent of Everything Summary
Ninety Percent of Everything 87%
Behind everything you own: an invisible, lawless ocean industry that makes globalization possible.
by Rose George 2013
3.79
4k+ ratings
Venice
by Jan Morris • 1960
Once its fortress, the lagoon now threatens Venice: the life of history's most improbable city.
4.03
2k+
Venice Summary
Venice 86%
Once its fortress, the lagoon now threatens Venice: the life of history's most improbable city.
by Jan Morris 1960
4.03
2k+ ratings
Adriatic
by Robert D. Kaplan • 2022
Where empires and religions mixed for centuries, Europe's post-national future is already written.
3.61
888
Adriatic Summary
Adriatic 86%
Where empires and religions mixed for centuries, Europe's post-national future is already written.
by Robert D. Kaplan 2022
3.61
888 ratings
We, the Drowned
by Carsten Jensen • 2006
Generations of Danish sailors vanish into the sea, leaving widows to steer the town.
4.24
13k+
We, the Drowned Summary
We, the Drowned 86%
Generations of Danish sailors vanish into the sea, leaving widows to steer the town.
by Carsten Jensen 2006
4.24
13k+ ratings
The City & the City
by China Miéville • 2009
A detective's murder case forces him to see the city his people must ignore.
3.90
80k+
The City & the City Summary
The City & the City 86%
A detective's murder case forces him to see the city his people must ignore.
by China Miéville 2009
3.90
80k+ ratings
Urban Acupuncture
by Jaime Lerner • 2003
Fast, precise interventions where a city hurts trigger chain reactions no master plan ever could.
3.66
490
Urban Acupuncture Summary
Urban Acupuncture 86%
Fast, precise interventions where a city hurts trigger chain reactions no master plan ever could.
by Jaime Lerner 2003
3.66
490 ratings
The Last Legacy
by Adrienne Young • 2021
An orphan must survive her crime family's brutal games, where the silversmith is her sharpest rival.
3.91
13k+
The Last Legacy Summary
The Last Legacy 86%
An orphan must survive her crime family's brutal games, where the silversmith is her sharpest rival.
by Adrienne Young 2021
3.91
13k+ ratings
Bangkok Days
by Lawrence Osborne • 2009
Bangkok is where failed Western men go to disappear. One of them reports what he found.
3.41
1k+
Bangkok Days Summary
Bangkok Days 86%
Bangkok is where failed Western men go to disappear. One of them reports what he found.
by Lawrence Osborne 2009
3.41
1k+ ratings
Radical Cities
by Justin McGuirk • 2014
The slums and squatter towers of Latin America are the world's most daring urban experiments.
4.27
434
Radical Cities Summary
Radical Cities 86%
The slums and squatter towers of Latin America are the world's most daring urban experiments.
by Justin McGuirk 2014
4.27
434 ratings
The Rise of the Creative Class
by Richard Florida • 2004
Jobs once followed factories. Now a class of creatives clusters in the most tolerant cities.
3.68
3k+
The Rise of the Creative Class Summary
The Rise of the Creative Class 86%
Jobs once followed factories. Now a class of creatives clusters in the most tolerant cities.
by Richard Florida 2004
3.68
3k+ ratings
On Power
by Robert A. Caro • 2017
How one man built a financial empire inside the government and became untouchable.
3.95
1k+
On Power Summary
On Power 86%
How one man built a financial empire inside the government and became untouchable.
by Robert A. Caro 2017
3.95
1k+ ratings
The Great Reset
by Richard Florida • 2010
Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.
3.59
656
The Great Reset Summary
The Great Reset 86%
Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.
by Richard Florida 2010
3.59
656 ratings
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
by William H. Whyte • 1980
A decade of time-lapse footage on New York plazas upended every assumption about what draws a crowd.
4.33
927
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces Summary
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces 85%
A decade of time-lapse footage on New York plazas upended every assumption about what draws a crowd.
by William H. Whyte 1980
4.33
927 ratings
The Republic of Pirates
by Colin Woodard • 2007
Sailors broken by the navy built their own republic: democratic, armed, and flying the black flag.
3.89
12k+
The Republic of Pirates Summary
The Republic of Pirates 85%
Sailors broken by the navy built their own republic: democratic, armed, and flying the black flag.
by Colin Woodard 2007
3.89
12k+ ratings
Triumph of the City
by Edward L. Glaeser • 2011
Poverty flocks to cities because cities are the escape route. The economic case for density.
3.91
6k+
Triumph of the City Summary
Triumph of the City 85%
Poverty flocks to cities because cities are the escape route. The economic case for density.
by Edward L. Glaeser 2011
3.91
6k+ ratings
Tides & Drift
by Adrienne Young • 2024
The heir to a harbor crime family falls for the trader who should be his enemy.
3.86
764
Tides & Drift Summary
Tides & Drift 85%
The heir to a harbor crime family falls for the trader who should be his enemy.
by Adrienne Young 2024
3.86
764 ratings
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
by Jane Jacobs • 1961
Slums with low crime and safe sidewalks: the invisible logic cities follow when planners look away.
4.29
20k+
The Death and Life of Great American Cities Summary
The Death and Life of Great American Cities 85%
Slums with low crime and safe sidewalks: the invisible logic cities follow when planners look away.
by Jane Jacobs 1961
4.29
20k+ ratings
Against the smart city
by Adam Greenfield • 2013
Smart cities sell efficiency but deliver surveillance. The real operating system is people.
3.96
132
Against the smart city Summary
Against the smart city 85%
Smart cities sell efficiency but deliver surveillance. The real operating system is people.
by Adam Greenfield 2013
3.96
132 ratings
Curbing Traffic
by Melissa Bruntlett • 2021
Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.
4.38
633
Curbing Traffic Summary
Curbing Traffic 85%
Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.
by Melissa Bruntlett 2021
4.38
633 ratings
The Pirates of Somalia
by Jay Bahadur • 2011
On a rattling Soviet plane, a journalist lands in Somalia to find the pirates everyone fears.
3.56
1k+
The Pirates of Somalia Summary
The Pirates of Somalia 85%
On a rattling Soviet plane, a journalist lands in Somalia to find the pirates everyone fears.
by Jay Bahadur 2011
3.56
1k+ ratings
Tactical Urbanism
by Mike Lydon • 2014
How to hack your city with paint, planters, and pop-up parks, and prove change is possible now.
3.99
315
Tactical Urbanism Summary
Tactical Urbanism 85%
How to hack your city with paint, planters, and pop-up parks, and prove change is possible now.
by Mike Lydon 2014
3.99
315 ratings
The Night Always Comes
by Willy Vlautin • 2021
A Portland waitress has one night to make a down payment or her family loses everything.
3.83
7k+
The Night Always Comes Summary
The Night Always Comes 85%
A Portland waitress has one night to make a down payment or her family loses everything.
by Willy Vlautin 2021
3.83
7k+ ratings
The Smart Enough City
by Ben Green • 2019
Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.
4.12
208
The Smart Enough City Summary
The Smart Enough City 85%
Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.
by Ben Green 2019
4.12
208 ratings
Vital Little Plans
by Jane Jacobs • 2016
Top-down planning kills cities. The sidewalk sees what the drafting table never will.
4.21
186
Vital Little Plans Summary
Vital Little Plans 85%
Top-down planning kills cities. The sidewalk sees what the drafting table never will.
by Jane Jacobs 2016
4.21
186 ratings
The Golden Age of Piracy
by Benerson Little • 2016
No parrots, no plank, no buried treasure. The real pirates were slave-trading democrats.
3.40
366
The Golden Age of Piracy Summary
The Golden Age of Piracy 85%
No parrots, no plank, no buried treasure. The real pirates were slave-trading democrats.
by Benerson Little 2016
3.40
366 ratings
The Option of Urbanism
by Christopher B. Leinberger • 2007
America's car suburbs were built by policy, not consumer choice. The market now wants the opposite.
3.89
185
The Option of Urbanism Summary
The Option of Urbanism 85%
America's car suburbs were built by policy, not consumer choice. The market now wants the opposite.
by Christopher B. Leinberger 2007
3.89
185 ratings
Road to Nowhere
by Paris Marx • 2022
The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.
4.16
643
Road to Nowhere Summary
Road to Nowhere 85%
The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.
by Paris Marx 2022
4.16
643 ratings
Senlin Ascends
by Josiah Bancroft • 2013
When his wife vanishes at the Tower of Babel, a schoolmaster must brave its perilous ringdoms.
4.11
34k+
Senlin Ascends Summary
Senlin Ascends 85%
When his wife vanishes at the Tower of Babel, a schoolmaster must brave its perilous ringdoms.
by Josiah Bancroft 2013
4.11
34k+ ratings
Why We Love Pirates
by Rebecca Simon • 2020
How the execution of one privateer turned pirate created the outlaw myth we still sail with.
3.67
340
Why We Love Pirates Summary
Why We Love Pirates 85%
How the execution of one privateer turned pirate created the outlaw myth we still sail with.
by Rebecca Simon 2020
3.67
340 ratings
Bloodhound
by Tamora Pierce • 2009
A guard and her scent hound pursue counterfeiters through a port ruled by a crime queen.
4.28
40k+
Bloodhound Summary
Bloodhound 85%
A guard and her scent hound pursue counterfeiters through a port ruled by a crime queen.
by Tamora Pierce 2009
4.28
40k+ ratings
A Drop of Corruption
by Robert Jackson Bennett • 2025
A memory-augmented sleuth pursues an impossible locked-room killer in a city of leviathans and lies.
4.47
50k+
A Drop of Corruption Summary
A Drop of Corruption 85%
A memory-augmented sleuth pursues an impossible locked-room killer in a city of leviathans and lies.
by Robert Jackson Bennett 2025
4.47
50k+ ratings
Moby-Duck
by Donovan Hohn • 2011
One man chased 28,800 lost bath toys into ocean gyres, Chinese factories, and the melting ice.
3.31
3k+
Moby-Duck Summary
Moby-Duck 85%
One man chased 28,800 lost bath toys into ocean gyres, Chinese factories, and the melting ice.
by Donovan Hohn 2011
3.31
3k+ ratings
The Mad Ship
by Robin Hobb • 2008
An outcast crew sails a mad sentient ship into pirate waters to rescue a captive vessel.
4.35
89k+
The Mad Ship Summary
The Mad Ship 85%
An outcast crew sails a mad sentient ship into pirate waters to rescue a captive vessel.
by Robin Hobb 2008
4.35
89k+ ratings
The Just City
by Susan S. Fainstein • 2010
Stop asking if a city is growing. Start asking who it's growing for.
3.75
174
The Just City Summary
The Just City 85%
Stop asking if a city is growing. Start asking who it's growing for.
by Susan S. Fainstein 2010
3.75
174 ratings
Uses of Disorder
by Richard Sennett • 1970
The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.
3.88
258
Uses of Disorder Summary
Uses of Disorder 85%
The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.
by Richard Sennett 1970
3.88
258 ratings
Of Sea and Shadow
by Will Wight • 2014
A sea captain's hunt for an immortality artifact draws assassins and stirs an ancient sleeping god.
4.13
6k+
Of Sea and Shadow Summary
Of Sea and Shadow 85%
A sea captain's hunt for an immortality artifact draws assassins and stirs an ancient sleeping god.
by Will Wight 2014
4.13
6k+ ratings
Civilization and Capitalism 15th–18th Century, Vol. 3
by Fernand Braudel • 1979
Capitalism thrives by avoiding the market. How monopolies, not competition, built the modern world.
4.44
498
Civilization and Capitalism 15th–18th Century, Vol. 3 Summary
Civilization and Capitalism 15th–18th Century, Vol. 3 85%
Capitalism thrives by avoiding the market. How monopolies, not competition, built the modern world.
by Fernand Braudel 1979
4.44
498 ratings
The Power Broker
by Robert A. Caro • 1974
How one unelected man built New York, bulldozed entire communities, and answered to no one.
4.53
30k+
The Power Broker Summary
The Power Broker 85%
How one unelected man built New York, bulldozed entire communities, and answered to no one.
by Robert A. Caro 1974
4.53
30k+ ratings
Extrastatecraft
by Keller Easterling • 2014
Free zones and broadband cables don't just move goods. They rewrite who governs the world.
3.68
410
Extrastatecraft Summary
Extrastatecraft 85%
Free zones and broadband cables don't just move goods. They rewrite who governs the world.
by Keller Easterling 2014
3.68
410 ratings
Imagine a City
by Mark Vanhoenacker • 2022
A pilot's repeated city layovers trace one hidden route: back to the small hometown he fled.
3.65
422
Imagine a City Summary
Imagine a City 85%
A pilot's repeated city layovers trace one hidden route: back to the small hometown he fled.
by Mark Vanhoenacker 2022
3.65
422 ratings
Istanbul
by Orhan Pamuk • 2003
An artist's soul forged in a city of ruins: Pamuk's Istanbul memoir of black-and-white melancholy.
3.82
22k+
Istanbul Summary
Istanbul 85%
An artist's soul forged in a city of ruins: Pamuk's Istanbul memoir of black-and-white melancholy.
by Orhan Pamuk 2003
3.82
22k+ ratings
Smart Cities
by Anthony M. Townsend • 2013
Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.
3.61
817
Smart Cities Summary
Smart Cities 85%
Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.
by Anthony M. Townsend 2013
3.61
817 ratings
The Spirit of London
by Boris Johnson • 2011
Fire and plague forged London's unbreakable commercial soul: a history told through its survivors.
3.85
881
The Spirit of London Summary
The Spirit of London 85%
Fire and plague forged London's unbreakable commercial soul: a history told through its survivors.
by Boris Johnson 2011
3.85
881 ratings
Building and Dwelling
by Richard Sennett • 2018
A city is two things: physical form and lived experience. Ethical design puts the second first.
4.02
983
Building and Dwelling Summary
Building and Dwelling 85%
A city is two things: physical form and lived experience. Ethical design puts the second first.
by Richard Sennett 2018
4.02
983 ratings
A Splendid Exchange
by William J. Bernstein • 2008
Commerce, not conquest, built the modern world: the history of trade from obsidian to oil.
4.16
3k+
A Splendid Exchange Summary
A Splendid Exchange 85%
Commerce, not conquest, built the modern world: the history of trade from obsidian to oil.
by William J. Bernstein 2008
4.16
3k+ ratings
Capital City
by Samuel Stein • 2019
Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.
3.92
2k+
Capital City Summary
Capital City 85%
Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.
by Samuel Stein 2019
3.92
2k+ ratings
Les marins ne savent pas nager
by Dominique Scali • 2022
An orphan who can swim defies a rigged citizenship lottery on the walled island of Ys.
3.73
1k+
Les marins ne savent pas nager Summary
Les marins ne savent pas nager 85%
An orphan who can swim defies a rigged citizenship lottery on the walled island of Ys.
by Dominique Scali 2022
3.73
1k+ ratings
Streetfight
by Janette Sadik-Khan • 2016
Paint, data, and political nerve: beating the car-first status quo.
4.26
2k+
Streetfight Summary
Streetfight 85%
Paint, data, and political nerve: beating the car-first status quo.
by Janette Sadik-Khan 2016
4.26
2k+ ratings
The Sea and Civilization
by Lincoln Paine • 2013
Before trains, the sea was the fastest highway. World history from the deck of a ship.
3.89
700
The Sea and Civilization Summary
The Sea and Civilization 85%
Before trains, the sea was the fastest highway. World history from the deck of a ship.
by Lincoln Paine 2013
3.89
700 ratings
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