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Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities Paperback – 8 December 2020

by Vaclav Smil (Author)

351 ratings

in Environmentalism

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A systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.

Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. It governs the lives of microorganisms and galaxies; it shapes the capabilities of our extraordinarily large brains and the fortunes of our economies. Growth is manifested in annual increments of continental crust, a rising gross domestic product, a child's growth chart, the spread of cancerous cells. In this magisterial book, Vaclav Smil offers systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.

Smil takes readers from bacterial invasions through animal metabolisms to megacities and the global economy. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple crops, and human growth from infancy to adulthood. He examines the growth of energy conversions and man-made objects that enable economic activities—developments that have been essential to civilization. Finally, he looks at growth in complex systems, beginning with the growth of human populations and proceeding to the growth of cities. He considers the challenges of tracing the growth of empires and civilizations, explaining that we can chart the growth of organisms across individual and evolutionary time, but that the progress of societies and economies, not so linear, encompasses both decline and renewal. The trajectory of modern civilization, driven by competing imperatives of material growth and biospheric limits, Smil tells us, remains uncertain.

Print length

664 pages
Language

English
Publication date

8 December 2020
ISBN-10

0262539683
ISBN-13

978-0262539685
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Product description

Review

"Vaclav Smil does for the history of energy what Thomas Piketty did for the history of inequality. And his findings are just as uncomfortable." – Rutger Bregman, historian and author of Utopia for Realists (2017) and Humankind (2020)

About the Author

Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of forty books, including Energy and Civilization, published by the MIT Press. In 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. In 2013 Bill Gates wrote on his website that “there is no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav Smil."

Product details

Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 664 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0262539683
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0262539685

Best Sellers Rank: 1,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1 in Environmentalism
- 2 in Botany & Plant Ecology
- 3 in Environmental Economics

Customer reviews:
351 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

351 global ratings

5 star		74%
4 star		12%
3 star		10%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Jonathan D.

Facts first, tentative opinion later

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 10 January 2021

Verified Purchase

I wrongly assumed this book would describe a general, overarching pattern to growth in all areas. But Vaclav Smil doesn't do simple, he does facts.
The enormous scope of this book is matched by its wealth of detail. So I recommend you sit in a comfy chair with a hot beverage and your favourite scientific calculator (optional), whilst reading this.
And there's no shame in pausing every now and then, to stare into space with your mouth open.

One person found this helpful

Kate

Don’t buy unless you want to be bored to death

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 2 April 2021

Verified Purchase

One of the worst books I’ve ever tried to read. Vaclav is no doubt incredibly knowledgeable on the topic of growth, but the book is appalling. It’s neither detailed enough to act as a reference guide nor general enough to give the reader a clear overview of growth. The language in which it is written makes it almost impenetrable and the pictures that have been included do absolutely nothing to aid understanding. Whoever edited it (or didn’t edit it as the case may be) needs to find another job. Only good for a doorstop or as a replacement for a sleeping pill.

One person found this helpful

Peter - Denmark

I gave up after 100 pages...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 25 January 2020

Verified Purchase

I had high hopes for the book, based on the strong track record of book recommendation from Bill Gates.
But I must admit, I found it boring - and I gave up on it after some 100+ pages. And I very rarely give up on books.
If I find the energy to finish it, I will update my review.
I will give Smil another chance with some of the other books he has written on energy, based on recommendations by Bill Gates.

One person found this helpful

Pat

Compelling

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 16 February 2020

Verified Purchase

One of the best books I have ever read... explains many, many important things - and Slim’s knowledge, data and research is truly impressive.

Pouria B.

Ocean of Knowledge

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 21 October 2019

Verified Purchase

Smil discusses in painstaking detail many forms of growth. Anyone is likely to find something they are interested in within the 600 pages of this book.

I wish Smil would invest in a good editor. The book is difficult to read not only because of its complexity but also due to poor editing. Maybe he’s used to his books not being read by many so he doesn’t bother to have them edited but that’s quite unfortunate.

Nevertheless, there’s a gem to be found in almost every page of this book and that makes it well worth the pain of slow reading.

6 people found this helpful

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