The Death and Life of Great American Cities by JACOBS, Jane (1916-2006) - 1961

New York: Random House, 1961. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. A fine First Printing (so stated) of the civic activist's best-known and most influential work, a critique of urban renewal, as influenced by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier's concept of the "Radiant City," which Jacobs blamed for the decline of many American city neighborhoods. Thick demy 8vo (229 x 148mm): [12],458,[2]pp. Publisher's black and red brick-pattern cloth-covered boards, black cloth spine stamped in gold and red, top edge stained pink, saffron end paper; tan dust jacket printed in red and black and priced $5.95. A superior copy, very lightly read (if at all); pink top stain and red on jacket's spine panel lightened, else exceptionally fine. Jacobs was a critic of "rationalist" planners of the 1950s and 1960s, especially Robert Moses, as well as the earlier work of Le Corbusier. She argued that modernist urban planning overlooked and oversimplified the complexity of human lives in diverse communities. She opposed large-scale urban renewal programs that affected entire neighborhoods and built freeways through inner cities, instead advocating for dense mixed use development and walkable streets, with the "eyes on the street" of passersby helping to maintain public order. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).