Items related to Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed:...
Synopsis
In Jared Diamond’s follow-up to the Pulitzer-Prize winning Guns, Germs and Steel, the author explores how climate change, the population explosion and political discord create the conditions for the collapse of civilization. Diamond is also the author of Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis
Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of societies around the world, but some found solutions and persisted. As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe, and weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Collapse moves from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society’s apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana.
Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed is the glass-half-empty follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel. While Guns, Germs, and Steel explained the geographic and environmental reasons why some human populations have flourished, Collapse uses the same factors to examine why ancient societies, including the Anasazi of the American Southwest and the Viking colonies of Greenland, as well as modern ones such as Rwanda, have fallen apart. Not every collapse has an environmental origin, but an eco-meltdown is often the main catalyst, he argues, particularly when combined with society's response to (or disregard for) the coming disaster. Still, right from the outset of Collapse, the author makes clear that this is not a mere environmentalist's diatribe. He begins by setting the book's main question in the small communities of present-day Montana as they face a decline in living standards and a depletion of natural resources. Once-vital mines now leak toxins into the soil, while prion diseases infect some deer and elk and older hydroelectric dams have become decrepit. On all these issues, and particularly with the hot-button topic of logging and wildfires, Diamond writes with equanimity.
Because he's addressing such significant issues within a vast span of time, Diamond can occasionally speak too briefly and assume too much, and at times his shorthand remarks may cause careful readers to raise an eyebrow. But in general, Diamond provides fine and well-reasoned historical examples, making the case that many times, economic and environmental concerns are one and the same. With Collapse, Diamond hopes to jog our collective memory to keep us from falling for false analogies or forgetting prior experiences, and thereby save us from potential devastations to come. While it might seem a stretch to use medieval Greenland and the Maya to convince a skeptic about the seriousness of global warming, it's exactly this type of cross-referencing that makes Collapse so compelling. --Jennifer Buckendorff
From the Back Cover
"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
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherPenguin Books
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 0143117009
- ISBN 13 9780143117001
- BindingPaperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Number of pages608
- Rating
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed:...
Seller Image
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
Seller: Zoom Books Company, Lynden, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Seller Inventory # ZBV.0143117009.G
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE T
Seller: KuleliBooks, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Acceptable. The item is fairly worn but still readable. The book may have some cosmetic wear (i.e. creased spine/cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, sunburn, stains, water damage, bent, torn, damaged binding, dent). - The dust jacket if present, may be marked, and have considerable heavy wear. - The book might be ex-library copy, and may have the markings and stickers associated from the library - The book may have considerable highlights/notes/underlined pages but the text is legible - Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included - Safe and Secure Mailer - No Hassle Return. Seller Inventory # 521PY6002CCN
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
Seller: Goodwill of Colorado, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
paperback. Condition: Good. This item is in overall good condition. Covers and dust jackets are intact but may have minor wear including slight curls or bends to corners as well as cosmetic blemishes including stickers. Pages are intact but may have minor highlighting/ writing. Binding is intact; however, spine may have slight wear overall. Digital codes may not be included and have not been tested to be redeemable and/or active. Minor shelf wear overall. Please note that all items are donated goods and are in used condition. Orders shipped Monday through Friday! Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Orders shipped Monday through Friday. Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Thank you! Seller Inventory # 466XBX001DE7
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
Seller: Goodwill of Colorado, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Acceptable. This item is in overall acceptable condition. Covers and dust jackets are intact but may have heavy wear including creases, bends, edge wear, curled corners or minor tears as well as stickers or sticker-residue. Pages are intact but may have minor curls, bends or moderate to considerable highlighting/ writing. Binding is intact; however, spine may have heavy wear. Digital codes may not be included and have not been tested to be redeemable and/or active. A well-read copy overall. Please note that all items are donated goods and are in used condition. Orders shipped Monday through Friday! Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Orders shipped Monday through Friday. Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Thank you! Seller Inventory # 466OE300409B
Quantity: 2 available
Seller Image
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
Seller: Zoom Books East, Glendale Heights, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Seller Inventory # ZEV.0143117009.G
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
Seller: Aspen Book Co., Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. A well-loved companion. Corners and cover might show a little wear, and you could find some notes or highlights. The dust jacket might be MIA, it might have been a library book and extras arenât guaranteedâ"but the storyâs all there! Seller Inventory # PKV.0143117009.G
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
Seller: -OnTimeBooks-, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: acceptable. Reading copy. May have signs of wear and previous use scuffs, library copy, highlighting, writing, and underlining . Dust jacket may be missing. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if youâre not satisfied with purchase.Ships USPS Media Mail. Seller Inventory # OTV.0143117009.A
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Collapse: How Societies Choose
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00085582425
Quantity: 7 available
Stock Image
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
Seller: Goodwill Books, Hillsboro, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Acceptable. Fairly worn, but readable and intact. If applicable: Dust jacket, disc or access code may not be included. Seller Inventory # 3IIK1000442P
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition
Seller: Goodwill Books, Hillsboro, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Signs of wear and consistent use. Seller Inventory # 3IIT03002637_ns
Quantity: 3 available