Nathaniel Popkin

Urban Library

The city, as the basic form of civilization, is the subject of so much literature—from the early Greeks to the contemporary Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk. Starting with the books on my shelf, the Urban Library will be a continuously updated and expanded descriptive list of work on or about cities, planning, sociology, anthropology, fiction, poetry, architecture, place, and, of course, Philadelphia.

Each entry will have a link to one Internet site related (a review, official site, interesting essay, etc.). Note that because I see so much of the literature—cross-disciplines—as related, the Urban Library will refrain from using categories; instead the works will be listed alphabetically by title. I see the Urban Library as a continuously growing body—so I’ll need readers who come to this site to contribute books and appropriate exegeses. I welcome descriptions of anything related to cities, including anthologies, and most certainly, portraits of specific places. Don’t forget literature!

Please follow format, include a link if you can and send me the urban entries. I’ll reserve the right to edit.