"In this remarkable analysis of 300 years of urbanization in Manchester, Isaac Rose articulates how capitalism is always switching gears to siphon value from the city at the expense of working class lives. An important and hopeful book, written in the spirit of resistance against the wreckage of rentier extraction, and an indispensable contribution to our understanding of neoliberal urbanism.” 

Tom Slater, Professor of Urban Studies, Columbia University

"As a born and bred Mancunian I’ve been waiting for a book like this for some time! A wonderful, rich, yet accessible, account of the rise, fall and neoliberal resurrection of rentierism in Manchester over the longue durée. A must read for anyone interested in the past, and concerned about the present and future of this paradigmatic city."

 Loretta Lees, international urbanist and scholar-activist, co-author of Gentrification and Planetary Gentrification

"A detailed, eye-opening investigation and analysis of the state of Manchester's housing, economy, and everyday experience, with a refreshing focus on the grassroots, providing a welcome dose of reality to relentless Manchester boosterism."

Dave Haslam, author of Manchester, England: The Story of the Pop Cult City

"This is a gripping, un-put-down-able story of the UK’s most shocking city. Stripping bare the relationship between capital, property and the organisation of space, it never loses its focus on the power of resistance as well as the pain of defeat."

Vron Ware, author of Return of a Native

“Finally, here’s the antidote to the decades of Mad Fer It Urban Boosterism that have beset Greater Manchester. This book deserves a place in the pockets of all those in the northern metropolis who refuse to participate in the self-congratulatory rituals of Manctopia.”

Owen Hatherley, author of Red Metropolis: Socialism and the Government of London