New York: Random House, (2004) dj. Hardcover first edition - The final rather pessimistic and unfortunately prescient book by this author and thinker whose 1961 book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" remains one of the most influential books on urban affairs. In this book, she "argues convincingly that we face the coming of our own dark age. Now we stand at another monumental crossroads, as agrarianism gives way to a technology-based future. . First we must concede that things are awry. Jacobs identifies five central pillars of our society that show serious signs of decay: community and family; higher education; science and technology; governmental representation; and self-regulation of the learned professions. [but] the downward movement can be reversed.. . if only we recognize the signs of decline in time." Extensive notes and comments, index. 241 pp. ISBN: 1-400062322.