The Last Best Place on the Internet
A Human History of Wikipedia
13 October 2026
Territory Rights — Worldwide including Canada, Singapore and Malaysia, but excluding the British Commonwealth.
Description
A playful and provocative exploration of mighty Wikipedia: how it was built, why it thrived, and what we lose as its ideals disintegrate.
One of the keystone inventions of the twenty-first century, Wikipedia is the largest repository of human knowledge ever made, with editions in 343 languages, read by millions of people every day. Yet, its rightful status as a “digital wonder of the world” is coupled with an odd complacency. We all use Wikipedia (often without realizing it) but seldom think about what it is and where it came from. In this entertaining book, Richard Cooke offers a fresh and definitive account of this era-defining phenomenon.
The Last Best Place on the Internet reveals the personality clashes, philosophical disputes, private obsessions, pioneering innovations, and unexpected ideas behind Wikipedia’s fabled creation, extraordinary growth, and unparalleled success. Cooke examines the profound effect of an “encyclopedia anyone can edit” on politics, business, literature, and society at large. He explores the site’s shifting role in establishing fact amid deep uncertainty about truth and authority, the often hilariously fierce debates between “Inclusionists” and “Deletionists” about what matters, and the great perils Wikipedia faces today from bots, political division, and artificial intelligence.
Meticulously researched and eye-opening, The Last Best Place on the Internet is a fascinating journey into the hidden world of one of the most vital—and most endangered—cultural achievements of our time.
Reviews
"Drawing on extensive research and interviews, Cooke explores Wikipedia’s origins and evolution, its profound cultural impact, an interesting cast of characters (from passionate volunteers to pedants, hoaxers, and cranks), and its sheer profusion of information.…Cooke leaves no stone unturned, and the result is a wide-ranging, eye-opening, and entertaining survey of the weird and wonderful world of Wikipedia." — Library Journal (starred review)
"This smart appraisal of Wikipedia’s first quarter-century offers insightful commentary on its scope, significance, and inner workings, but it may prove most useful as a warning about the forces threatening it. . . . [Cooke] is cleareyed . . . Judicious . . . A winning work of cultural criticism." — Kirkus Reviews
"Expertly reported, alive with fascinating details, and written with remarkable narrative flair." — Mark O'Connell, author of To Be a Machine
"If you questioned why ordinary people turned out to be the best experts to write humanity’s last great encyclopaedia—read on. A wonderful book about a wonderful invention." — Danny Dorling, author of Slowdown
"Most people who rely on Wikipedia today know little of its beginnings. This book recovers those origin stories with fresh detail and narrative flair, and shows why they still matter in the age of AI." — Joseph Reagle, author of Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia
"An invaluable peek into the history of the modern world at a crucial time in our information landscape. Richard Cooke navigates the politics, the prose, and the philosophy of knowledge with wit and candor, giving me a cautiously optimistic feeling about the future." — Aleks Krotoski