Skip to content
Home/ Story of Utopias
Story of Utopias
Save Ask us
Published
Dec 12, 2025
ISBN-13
9781025240305

Story of Utopias

No customer reviews yet ISBN 9781025240305

Lewis Mumford's "The Story of Utopias" offers an essential exploration into humanity's timeless pursuit of ideal societies. This foundational work by the acclaimed historian and critic delves into the rich tapestry of utopian thought, tracing its evolution from ancient philosophical visions to the more complex blueprints for social improvement.

Mumford meticulously examines a diverse array of imagined worlds, analyzing their underlying political philosophies, social theories, and architectural designs. From Plato's Republic to the communal experiments of later eras, he uncovers the hopes, fears, and intellectual currents that shaped these aspirational blueprints. The book provides a panoramic history of ideas, revealing how various cultures and thinkers grappled with the challenges of creating perfect communities, often reflecting the societal anxieties and innovations of their time.

"The Story of Utopias" is not merely a catalog of dreams; it is a profound commentary on the human spirit's persistent drive to conceive and construct better ways of living. Mumford's insights remain invaluable for anyone interested in the enduring power of idealism and the complex interplay between vision and reality in the ongoing quest for a more perfect world.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Product details

Pub dateDec 12, 2025
ISBN-101025240308
ISBN-139781025240305
LanguageEnglish
Last updated 2026-07-26 00:10
$37.22 $39.95 6% off
You save $2.73 · list price $39.95
In stock — ships in 24 hours with free tracking
Delivery by Monday, November 2, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from Utopias
See all
Hope and the Longing for Utopia: Futures and Illusions in Theology and Narrative
<b>Interdisciplinary essays examining religious and secular visions of utopia, offering a way past ideological certainty to a mature hope for future betterment.</b> <p/>At present the battle over who defines our future is being waged most publicly by secular and religious fundamentalists. 'Hope and the Longing for Utopia' offers an alternative position, disclosing a conceptual path toward potential worlds that resist a limited view of human potential and the gift of religion. In addition to outlining the value of embracing unknown potentialities, these twelve interdisciplinary essays explore why it has become crucial that we commit to hoping for values that resist traditional ideological commitments. Contextualized by contemporary writing on utopia, and drawing from a wealth of times and cultures ranging from Calvin's Geneva to early twentieth-century Japanese children's stories to Hollywood cinema, these essays cumulatively disclose the fundamental importance of resisting tantalizing certainties while considering the importance of the unknown and unknowable. <br>Beginning with a set of four essays outlining the importance of hope and utopia as diagnostic concepts, and following with four concrete examples, the collection ends with a set of essays that provide theological speculations on the need to embrace finitude and limitations in a world increasingly enframed by secularizing impulses. Overall, this book discloses how hope and utopia illuminate ways to think past simplified wishes for the future.
$40.85