Nature's metropolis
by William Cronon, Cronon · first published 1991
5mentions
5recommended by
5HN commenters
2013–2024first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Well-written, information-dense history of how Chicago became the key link in the railroad and trade system of the American West; valued by readers interested in economics, standardization, and the midwest.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Argues that the American frontier and city developed together by focusing on Chicago and tracing its roots from Native American habitation to its transformation by white settlement and development.
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By the way, only tangentially related, but my favorite book on standardization is Nature’s Metropolis by William Cronon. It’s inspired a lot of my interest in the intersection of economics, tech, and nature and how we impose standards upon the world.
on “Ask HN: Why is hiring so dehumanized, and what can be done?” ↗…the exorbitant costs of railroad shipping, often double the price of the lumber itself, prompted manufacturers to find innovative solutions. There was a book recommended here on HN a few months ago - Nature's Metropolis - that devotes an entire chapter to why and how, in the second half of the 1800s, shipping green lumber to Chicago lumber yards came to dominate the entire industry. Yet that changed very suddenly as…
on “2×4 Lumber Sizes – The History Behind the Mystery” ↗…at slavery plantations [1] I can recommend the following books on the history of capitalism (which is closely linked to the exploitation of labor aka management): - Empire of Cotton (Sven Beckert) - Nature’s Metropolis (Cronon) [1] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slav...
on “The Evolution of Management (2019)” ↗People interested in economics, history, Chicago, or the midwest in general should definitely check out "Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West" by William Cronon.
on “The Raising of Chicago” ↗I'm looking for inspiration for the Christmas holidays. Mine were: – Helen DeWitt, The Last Samurai (2000) – William Cronon, Nature's Metropolis (1991) – John Ma, Polis (2024) – John Julius Norwich, A History of Venice (1982) (Apologies if someone has posted something similar recently. I did a quick search and couldn't find anything.)
on “Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?” ↗