The Conscience of the Eye

by Richard Sennett

A fascinating study of the search for shelter and the fear of exposure to strangers and new experiences in Western culture and how these two concerns have shaped the physical fabric of the city. Sennett's exploration of the development of urban society and structure jumps back and forth from the ancient world to the present: from the assembly hall of Athens to the Palladium Club; from Augustine's City of God to the Turkish baths of the Lower East Side.