Vienna

“What makes Cockett’s book compelling, however, are stories of the lesser-known, equally spirited Viennese that moulded the contours of the consumer-capitalist world order.” —Sam Jones, Financial Times  “[An] erudite and masterful telling… For anyone interested in how we got here and how ideas shape our minds and our world, for good and for ill, Vienna is essential reading.” —Ian Hughes, Irish Times   “In its widely variegated forms, inspired by the cultural milieu of their native city, [lies] the objective of all the remarkable people discussed in this fine book.” —Benedict King, The Oldie   “A kaleidoscopic journey through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In Richard Cockett’s hands, Vienna is the origin of the contemporary world.”—Janek Wasserman, author of The Marginal Revolutionaries   “A rich and fascinating book. Pre-war Vienna was a cauldron of ideas – ideas that were mostly extinguished in Austria, but exported to the Anglo-American world. Richard Cockett makes a compelling case for how they continue to shape our lives.”—David Edmonds, author of The Murder of Professor Schlick “Richard Cockett allows us to savour the heady days of Viennese cafe culture, which, as he vividly demonstrates, brewed the richness and boldness of the modern era. From art and music to economics and science, he reveals the city's extraordinary and pivotal contributions to contemporary life.”—Paul Halpern, author of Flashes of Creation