Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail Or SucceedIn his runaway bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapseexposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future. “Diamond’s most influential gift may be his ability to write about geopolitical and environmental systems in ways that don’t just educate and provoke, but entertain.” —The Seattle Times “Extremely persuasive . . . replete with fascinating stories, a treasure trove of historical anecdotes [and] haunting statistics.” —The Boston Globe “Extraordinary in erudition and originality, compelling in [its] ability to relate the digitized pandemonium of the present to the hushed agrarian sunrises of the far past.” —The New York Times Book Review |
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How can such bad news be so entertaining
User Review - marsattacks28 - Overstock.comThe choices we have made as a people have led man down a precarious path now more than ever. Dwindling resources overcrowded cities and a shortview perspective have put man on the precipice of fate. A must read. Read full review
Eye-opening to say the least
User Review - Freedom1 - BordersPrepare for the worst; but expect the best. Diamond places little to no judgement upon the correlations he sees between past failed societies and our post-industrial societies. He is an exceptional writer. His writing rivals Dawkins. Read full review
Contents
I | 1 |
II | 25 |
III | 27 |
IV | 77 |
V | 79 |
VI | 120 |
VII | 136 |
VIII | 157 |
XII | 277 |
XIII | 309 |
XIV | 311 |
XV | 329 |
XVI | 358 |
XVII | 378 |
XVIII | 417 |
XIX | 419 |
Other editions - View all
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition Jared Diamond Limited preview - 2011 |
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition Jared Diamond Limited preview - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
agriculture already American animals arrival Australia became become bones building carried cause century Chapter China cities climate collapse companies consumers costs countries crops damage decades decline deforestation developed discussed Dominican Easter Easter Island economic effects environment environmental erosion European example export factors farmers farms fields fire fish forest Greenland groups growing growth Hence human hunting impact important increase individual industry interests Inuit involved island killed land largest less living logging major Maya miles mining Montana native natural Norse North numbers operations past plant Plate population problems production rates reasons recent remains result River salinization Settlement sheep ships societies soil sources South species statues stone Third timber tion trade trees turn Valley values Vikings Western wood World
Bibliographic information
| Title | Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail Or Succeed Business book summary |
| Author | Jared M. Diamond |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Penguin, 2005 |
| ISBN | 0143036556, 9780143036555 |
| Length | 575 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / Civilization History / Historical Geography History / World Political Science / Public Policy / Environmental Policy Social Science / Anthropology / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |