History · Similar reads

Books like Delirious New York

The best books like Delirious New York are The Death and Life of Great American Cities, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, and Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution. Delirious New York by Rem Koolhaas is about urbanism, architecture, metropolitan culture. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.

  1. The Death and Life of Great American Cities
    The Death and Life of Great American Cities

    01

    The Death and Life of Great American Cities

    Jane Jacobs · Economics

    The Death and Life of Great American Cities is Jane Jacobs's 1961 argument against the dominant urban planning orthodoxy of her era, and one of the most influential works of urban theory ever written.

    A kindred history read.

    Read the summary →
  2. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
    The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

    02

    The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

    Robert A. Caro · Biography

    Robert A.

    A kindred history read.

    Read the summary →
  3. Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution
    Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution

    03

    Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution

    Simon Schama · History

    Simon Schama's Citizens was published to mark the bicentennial of the French Revolution in 1989 and immediately became one of the most controversial histories of the event in decades.

    Both dig into modernity.

    Read the summary →
  1. The Devil in the White City
    The Devil in the White City

    04

    The Devil in the White City

    Erik Larson · History

    The Devil in the White City tells two stories that unfolded simultaneously in Chicago in 1893.

    Both dig into architecture.

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  2. A Pattern Language
    A Pattern Language

    05

    A Pattern Language

    Christopher Alexander · Science

    A Pattern Language is an extraordinary attempt to describe, in systematic form, the conditions that make human habitats feel alive.

    Both dig into architecture.

    Read the summary →
  3. Experiencing Architecture
    Experiencing Architecture

    06

    Experiencing Architecture

    Steen Eiler Rasmussen · Philosophy

    Experiencing Architecture is the Danish architect and town planner Steen Eiler Rasmussen's attempt to teach non-architects how to see and feel buildings.

    Both dig into architecture.

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  4. How Buildings Learn
    How Buildings Learn

    07

    How Buildings Learn

    Stewart Brand · Science

    How Buildings Learn is Stewart Brand's argument that buildings are not finished products but ongoing processes — and that the buildings most valued over time are those designed to change gracefully rather than resist change defensively.

    Both dig into architecture.

    Read the summary →
  5. No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
    No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

    08

    No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

    Reza Aslan · Religion & Spirituality

    No God but God is Reza Aslan's account of Islam from its pre-Islamic Arabian origins through the life of Muhammad, the early caliphates, the development of Islamic law and mysticism, and into the contemporary reform movements that Aslan argues are the religion's defining struggle.

    Both dig into modernity.

    Read the summary →
  6. The Architecture of Happiness
    The Architecture of Happiness

    09

    The Architecture of Happiness

    Alain de Botton · Philosophy

    The Architecture of Happiness is Alain de Botton's investigation into why certain buildings make us feel more alive and others leave us deflated.

    Both dig into architecture.

    Read the summary →
  7. The Battle for God
    The Battle for God

    10

    The Battle for God

    Karen Armstrong · Religion & Spirituality

    The Battle for God is Karen Armstrong's history of religious fundamentalism across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from the early modern period to the late twentieth century.

    Both dig into modernity.

    Read the summary →
  8. The Timeless Way of Building
    The Timeless Way of Building

    11

    The Timeless Way of Building

    Christopher Alexander · Philosophy

    Christopher Alexander's The Timeless Way of Building is a strange and ambitious book.

    Both dig into architecture.

    Read the summary →
  9. Towards a New Architecture
    Towards a New Architecture

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    Towards a New Architecture

    Le Corbusier · Philosophy

    Published in French in 1923 as Vers une architecture, this is one of the most influential and most contested manifestos in the history of design.

    Both dig into urbanism.

    Read the summary →

Books like Delirious New York: quick answers

What are the best books like Delirious New York?

The best books like Delirious New York by Rem Koolhaas are The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution by Simon Schama, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Delirious New York, such as urbanism, architecture, metropolitan culture.

What should I read after Delirious New York?

A natural next read after Delirious New York is The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. A kindred history read. Other strong choices are The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution by Simon Schama, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.

What books are similar to Delirious New York by Rem Koolhaas?

Delirious New York centers on urbanism, architecture, metropolitan culture. Books with a similar feel include The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution by Simon Schama, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, Experiencing Architecture by Steen Eiler Rasmussen — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.

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