Promotional Information

"A thought-provoking and enjoyable piece of work." Wolfgang Rueckner, Harvard University From the deluge of photons out of the sovereign sun to the astonishing increase of computer power and chip compaction, this book uses energy to measure and order change from the heavens to the Internet. On a simple but quantitative basis it assembles a treasure of diagrams, graphs, maps, drawings and photos to deepen its cogency and to pleasure its readers. It is surely a reference work for the thoughtful, and a page-turning delight for whoever would grasp how we all came this way: a map of the world monsoon, animal fats compared, the linkage that lets horses sleep standing, giant gas and oil flows and a couple of hundred other images! -- Philip Morrison, Institute Professor Emeritus, MIT

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."

Reviews

"A thought-provoking and enjoyable piece of work." Wolfgang Rueckner, Harvard University