Birmingham, Britain's second city and still the national centre for manufacturing and engineering, has incredibly until now never had a full-scale academic study of its evolution, function and structure. This yawning gap is now filled by an authoritative and distinguished treatise by the acknowledged doyen of Birmingham's urban studies, Professor Gordon Cherry, author of many books and articles on planning and urban history and Emeritus Professor of Planning and Geography at Birmingham University.

In this masterly survey, he explores the origins and selling of the city, its rise to industrial pre-eminence, its achievement in civic government, enlightened planning, housing and transport and their results in urban form and land use. He then considers the impact of the Second World War, change and decline in the industrial base, the restructuring of the city centre and Birmingham's role as an international 'Fair' city in a post-industrial world.

Profusely illustrated with maps, diagrams and photographs, and written with lightness, skill and authority, this will become a classic portrait of an important world city and an essential addition to the bibliography of urban Britain.