The Private City: Philadelphia in Three Periods of Its Growth

by Sam Bass Warner, Jr. and SAM BASS WARNER JR.-

Book Overview

This award-winning book charts the unfolding, from the Revolutionary War to the Great Depression, of the American tradition of city building and city living, using Philadelphia as a resonant example.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812212436
• ISBN13: 9780812212433
• Release Date: June 1987
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

I read this book. It is pretty good.

This book was required reading for a class I took on Urban History. It spoke of three phrases of development of Philadelphia. Bass referred to privatism as driving the city. The section I liked most was the middle section because he spoke of the philanthropic nature of many of the city's leaders. The final section was depressing simply because it pointed out the failures of the city and explained that people seemed to lose cite of community.