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Let It Shine

The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy

by John Perlin ...

The definitive history of solar power and technologyEven as concern over climate change and energy security fuels a boom in solar technology, many still think of solar as a twentieth-century wonder. Few realize that the first photovoltaic array appeared on a New York City rooftop in 1884, or that brilliant engineers in France were using solar power in the 1860s to run steam engines, or that in ... Read more

$13.09 USD

Also available as: Audiobook

The definitive history of solar power and technologyEven as concern over climate change and energy security fuels a boom in solar technology, many still think of solar as a twentieth-century wonder. Few realize that the first photovoltaic array appeared on a New York City rooftop in 1884, or that brilliant engineers in France were using solar power in the 1860s to run steam engines, or that in
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
Audiobook

A Forest Journey

The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization

by John Perlin ...

Narrated by Sean Runnette ...

Series series Patagonia
Unabridged

15 hours 2 min

A Foundational Conservation Story Revived.Ancient writers observed that forests always recede as civilizations develop and grow. The great Roman poet Ovid wrote that before civilization began, “even the pine tree stood on its own very hills” but when civilization took over, “the mountain oak, the pine were felled.”This happened for a simple reason: trees have been the principal fuel and building ... Read more

$25.00 USD

A Foundational Conservation Story Revived.Ancient writers observed that forests always recede as civilizations develop and grow. The great Roman poet Ovid wrote that before civilization began, “even the pine tree stood on its own very hills” but when civilization took over, “the mountain oak, the pine were felled.”This happened for a simple reason: trees have been the principal fuel and building
... Read more
Audiobook

Let It Shine

The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy

by John Perlin ...

Narrated by Walter Dixon ...

Unabridged

11 hours 22 min

Even as concern over climate change and energy security fuel a boom in solar technology, many still think of solar as a twentieth-century wonder. Few realize that the first photovoltaic array appeared on a New York City rooftop in 1884, or that brilliant engineers in France were using solar power in the 1860s to run steam engines, or that in 1901 an ostrich farmer in Southern California used a ... Read more

$29.99 USD

Also available as: eBook

Even as concern over climate change and energy security fuel a boom in solar technology, many still think of solar as a twentieth-century wonder. Few realize that the first photovoltaic array appeared on a New York City rooftop in 1884, or that brilliant engineers in France were using solar power in the 1860s to run steam engines, or that in 1901 an ostrich farmer in Southern California used a
... Read more

Also available as: eBook

Energy and Civilization

A History

by Vaclav Smil ...

**A BILL GATES “BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR”A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped 10,000 years of human history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today’s fossil fuel–driven civilization.**Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive ... Read more

$17.99 USD

Also available as: Audiobook

**A BILL GATES “BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR”A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped 10,000 years of human history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today’s fossil fuel–driven civilization.**Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
The Substance of Civilization

Materials and Human History from the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon

by Stephen L. Sass ...

The story of human civilization can be read most deeply in the materials we have found or created, used or abused. They have dictated how we build, eat, communicate, wage war, create art, travel, and worship. Some, such as stone, iron, and bronze, lend their names to the ages. Others, such as gold, silver, and diamond, contributed to the rise and fall of great empires. How would history have ... Read more

$10.99 USD

The story of human civilization can be read most deeply in the materials we have found or created, used or abused. They have dictated how we build, eat, communicate, wage war, create art, travel, and worship. Some, such as stone, iron, and bronze, lend their names to the ages. Others, such as gold, silver, and diamond, contributed to the rise and fall of great empires. How would history have
... Read more
The Fabric of Civilization

How Textiles Made the World

by Virginia Postrel ...

“A journey as epic, and varying, as the Silk Road itself...[The Fabric of Civilization is] like a swatch of a Florentine Renaissance brocade: carefully woven, the technique precise, the colors a mix of shade and shine and an accurate representation of the whole cloth” (The New York Times)The story of humanity is the story of textiles―as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, ... Read more

$14.99 USD

Also available as: Audiobook

“A journey as epic, and varying, as the Silk Road itself...[The Fabric of Civilization is] like a swatch of a Florentine Renaissance brocade: carefully woven, the technique precise, the colors a mix of shade and shine and an accurate representation of the whole cloth” (The New York Times)The story of humanity is the story of textiles―as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun,
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
Sustainable Energy - without the hot air

by David JC MacKay ...

Series series without the hot air
The enlightening, best-selling book on understanding sustainable energy and how we can make energy plans that add up.If you've ever wondered how much energy we use, and where it comes from – and where it could come from – but are fed up with all the hot air and 'greenwash', this is the book for you. Renewable resources are 'huge', but our energy consumption is also 'huge'. To compare 'huge' things ... Read more

$40.49 USD

The enlightening, best-selling book on understanding sustainable energy and how we can make energy plans that add up.If you've ever wondered how much energy we use, and where it comes from – and where it could come from – but are fed up with all the hot air and 'greenwash', this is the book for you. Renewable resources are 'huge', but our energy consumption is also 'huge'. To compare 'huge' things
... Read more
Making the Modern World

Materials and Dematerialization

by Vaclav Smil ...

How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization.Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most ... Read more

$38.00 USD

How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization.Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most
... Read more
Energy

A Human History

by Richard Rhodes ...

A “meticulously researched” (The New York Times Book Review) examination of energy transitions over time and an exploration of the current challenges presented by global warming, a surging world population, and renewable energy—from Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author Richard Rhodes.People have lived and died, businesses have prospered and failed, and nations have risen to world ... Read more

$16.99 USD

Also available as: Audiobook

A “meticulously researched” (The New York Times Book Review) examination of energy transitions over time and an exploration of the current challenges presented by global warming, a surging world population, and renewable energy—from Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author Richard Rhodes.People have lived and died, businesses have prospered and failed, and nations have risen to world
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
The Things We Make

The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans

by Bill Hammack ...

Discover the secret method used to build the world…For millennia, humans have used one simple method to solve problems. Whether it's planting crops, building skyscrapers, developing photographs, or designing the first microchip, all creators follow the same steps to engineer progress. But this powerful method, the "engineering method", is an all but hidden process that few of us have heard of—let ... Read more

$13.99 USD

Also available as: Audiobook

Discover the secret method used to build the world…For millennia, humans have used one simple method to solve problems. Whether it's planting crops, building skyscrapers, developing photographs, or designing the first microchip, all creators follow the same steps to engineer progress. But this powerful method, the "engineering method", is an all but hidden process that few of us have heard of—let
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
Material World

The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization

by Ed Conway ...

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE • AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. These fundamental materials have created empires, razed civilizations, and fed our ingenuity and greed for thousands of years. Without them, our modern world would not exist, and the battle to control them will determine our future. • Finalist for the Financial Times ... Read more

$4.99 USD

Also available as: Audiobook

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE • AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. These fundamental materials have created empires, razed civilizations, and fed our ingenuity and greed for thousands of years. Without them, our modern world would not exist, and the battle to control them will determine our future. • Finalist for the Financial Times
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
No Immediate Danger

Volume One of Carbon Ideologies

by William T. Vollmann ...

**“The most honest book about climate change yet.” —The Atlantic“The Infinite Jest of climate books.” —The BafflerA timely, eye-opening book about climate change and energy generation that focuses on the consequences of nuclear power production, from award-winning author William T. Vollmann**In his nonfiction, William T. Vollmann has won acclaim as a singular voice tackling some of the most ... Read more

Was $9.99 USD Now $7.99 USD

Also available as: Audiobook

**“The most honest book about climate change yet.” —The Atlantic“The Infinite Jest of climate books.” —The BafflerA timely, eye-opening book about climate change and energy generation that focuses on the consequences of nuclear power production, from award-winning author William T. Vollmann**In his nonfiction, William T. Vollmann has won acclaim as a singular voice tackling some of the most
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook

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Let It Shine

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Let It Shine

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Energy and Civilization

The Substance of Civilization

The Fabric of Civilization

Sustainable Energy - without the hot air

Making the Modern World

Energy

The Things We Make

Material World

No Immediate Danger

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