Books

Today’s reading: continuing on with Vaclav Smil’s Energy and Civilisation. Reading about comps of traditional farming productivity in China, Mesoamerica, Europe, and Southeast Asia and the rise of agriculture in North America, plus a survey of prime movers (musculature, water, wind) and fuels.

Today’s reading: continuing on with Vaclav Smil’s Energy and Civilisation. Reading about comps of traditional farming productivity in China, Mesoamerica, Europe, and Southeast Asia and the rise of agriculture in North America, plus a survey of prime movers (musculature, water, wind) and fuels.
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262536165/energy-and-civilization/

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Enjoying it so far. It’s an expansive, detailed survey of energy and its link to societal development. Very droll and literal (which I think most Smil books AFAIK) in style and it doesn’t attempt any sweeping generalisations or big history narratives.

Would characterise it as a mashup of a textbook, a meta analysis and a historical analysis.

What do you think? Haven't read it, but interested.

Is it more a science book than popular science?