An unorthodox historian known and respected for his work on the grand conflicts of nations and civilizations, John Lukacs has peopled a smaller canvas in this volume, with seven colourful figures who flourished in Philadelphia before 1950

1 Philadelphia, 1900 2 Boies Penrose Or The Conservative as Gargantua 3 Agnes Repplier Or The Writer in Solitude 4 Edward W. Bok Or Franklin Reincarnate 5 William Christian Bullitt Or The Rebel Philadelphian 6 George Wharton Pepper Or The Patrician as Pharisee 7 Owen Wister Or The Decline of the West 8 Albert Coombs Barnes Or The Methodist as Aesthete 9 Philadelphia, 1950 Bibliographical Notes Index