An illustrated history of a perennially powerful idea the quest for the ideal society from classical times to the present day. Aspirations for a better—even a perfect—society have existed throughout history. Utopias have been imagined in intricate detail by, among others, philosophers, poets, social reformers, architects, and artists. Gregory Claeys, a leading scholar in the field, surveys the influence of the idea of utopia on history, literature, art, architecture, and religious and political thought. Central to his exploration of ideal worlds are creation myths archetypes of heaven and the afterlife new worlds and voyages of discovery ages of revolution and technological progress model communities and kibbutzim political and ecological dystopias space travel and science fiction.
