Vaclav Smil
Energy and Civilization
A History
MIT Press, 2017
Was ist drin?
Renowned scholar Vaclav Smil explains how energy use – whether from fire or fusion – shaped civilization and national power.
Recommendation
Canadian university professor Vaclav Smil’s legendary work on energy, particularly in the United States, has garnered worldwide honor. Yet Smil writes for experts, not the layperson. His energy overview covers 441 dense pages and oddly-sequenced chapters – plus addenda – relaying statistics, facts and expert opinion, but little softening storytelling. He describes the role of energy in societal issues, slavery, war, economic growth and environmental ruin. This brilliant work best serves determined readers pursuing encyclopedic knowledge of the history and role of energy from fire to fusion.
Summary
About the Author
Vaclav Smil’s other books include Should We Eat Meat; Global Catastrophes and Trends; Energy Myths and Realities; and Power Density.
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