Lewis offers a great deal that is original and often provocative.
-Carl Abbott, Buildings & Landscapes Impressive and fascinating. . . . Lewis treats us to not only a multifaceted history of the ideal city from fifteenth-century Italy to nineteenth century America, but has fashioned a thoroughly enjoyable and often-entertaining journey along the way. The book is exceptionally well ... Read morewritten, and sumptuously illustrated. . . [A]n important contribution to our understanding of the evolution of the modern landscape, City of Refuge should be of interest to scholars of the history of architecture and city planning, as well those involved in religious, cultural, and intellectual studies.
-Kenneth A. Breisch, Rennaissance Quarterly A timely contribution. . . . Lewis demonstrates convincingly how inspired groups linked urban form and community ideals in practice. . . . Elegantly composed and lavishly illustrated.
-Christopher Silver, Indiana Journal of History Lewis's elegantly composed and lavishly illustrated work helps us to understand more clearly the how and why of these early modern utopian experiments, and . . . offers a reminder of historic communal values that seem to have little influence in contemporary culture.
-Christopher Silver, Indiana Magazine of History Few architectural historians today have Michael Lewis's skill and fluency in the language of built stuff. Precise, elegant descriptions of buildings and their elements, grounded in rigorous scholarship and motivated by the author's obvious passion for his subject, make City of Refuge a pleasure to read. . . . This is a beautifully made book.
-Kathy Edwards, ARLIS With exceptionally good writing, City of Refuge looks at the interaction between two traditions of utopian settlements, those of the Utopian Socialists and those of distinctly religious communities like the Moravians, that have usually been treated separately. This original and compelling book examines the exchange of ideas between the near simultaneous experiments taking place on both sides of the Atlantic, and the intricacies and difficulties of each settlement's history.
Joseph Siry, Wesleyan University In City of Refuge, Lewis is remarkably skilled
thorough, insightful, and even witty
in his ability to read carefully and creatively the surviving plans and architectural drawings of various devotional and religious communities in Europe and America. This fascinating narrative will significantly revise our ideas about nineteenth-century America.
Robert Fishman, Taubman College of Architecture and Planning, University of Michigan Masterful in its breadth and insights, City of Refuge takes a phenomenon in architecture and community development
the utopian city
and puts it into new perspective. Lucid and engaging, the book's exploration of the shaping of cities is as imaginative as it is rigorous, and it will become an essential text in urban history. A stunning achievement and an irresistible read.
Richard Longstreth, George Washington University Show Less