About the Author

Asa Briggs, former provost of Worcester College, Oxford, is the author of many works on 19th-century British history.

Reviews

"The 19th century is the first age in human history in which it became normal for most citizens to live in cities. . . . Professor Briggs's book reminds us of our own failings, and this is among its great merits. Though he has selected only a few urban themes for full discussion, he incidentally illuminates many more."--E. J. Hobsbawm, "New Statesman