ABSTRACT
WHEN I was writing The Government and Misgovernment of London, I I was struck by the remarkable dearth of books dealing with the government of great cities in foreign countries or within the Commonwealth. 'There is a tendency,' I wrote in the preface to that book, 'for the government of the principal metropolitan cities to be either ignored by social scientists, or else treated as part of the general subject oflocal government. It is obvious, however, that giant conurbations such as London are in a category by themselves and demand separate and individual treatment. Such treatment has so far been lacking or else inadequate in depth and extent, in view of the magnitude and complexity of the subject. I have not so far discovered any satisfactory studies of Paris, New York or Berlin.'
