false 1994 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1159411092m/1994.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1159411092s/1994.jpg 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

]]> 475 23 1041106 book 2004 Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed total:5891|5:1576|4:2526|3:1419|2:292|1:77| 5891 22905 10855 1012 256 3.94 25102 3733 3159675 197436 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5630 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 3 11 false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Jul 17 01:16:36 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 17 00:51:38 -0800 2009
The real problem with Collapse is...more...]]> 2246132 146491 869572 0140279512 9780140279511 8 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179053695m/869572.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179053695s/869572.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/869572.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Survive 3.98 54 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

]]> 2004 5 8 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 22 06:12:09 -0700 2007 Wed Dec 16 22:19:40 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2521467 31945 869574 0670033375 9780670033379 30 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179053697m/869574.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179053697s/869574.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/869574.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 4.00 154 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

]]> 2004 5 7 false Fri Jun 29 05:19:43 -0700 2007 Wed Dec 16 23:05:33 -0800 2009 Guns, Germs and Steel occasionally felt like monday morning quarterbacking, but Collapse is superb. In GG&S, Diamond tried to explain how technologies that evolved in some places did not in others, how some communities thrived due to excess food and more advanced agriculture, while others, perpetual...more...]]> 2507785 148121 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 1 3 false Thu Jun 28 16:39:28 -0700 2007 Wed Dec 16 23:03:16 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3016611 183639 869572 0140279512 9780140279511 8 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179053695m/869572.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179053695s/869572.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/869572.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Survive 3.89 5891 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

]]> 2004 5 2 false Sat Oct 04 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 13 01:39:40 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 17 00:28:18 -0800 2009
On the side, I found the book very informative about the history of the societies. I particularly enjoy those about the Greenla...more...]]> 42825018 365226 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 4 2 false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 14:55:59 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 31 21:04:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 17633583 983888 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 5 1 false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Mar 12 18:10:23 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 12 18:10:54 -0700 2008 more...]]> 16797086 127208 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 4 1 false Mon May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 01 17:19:29 -0800 2008 Mon May 26 07:44:40 -0700 2008
I'm finally done! I know, nine weeks later...

For a specific rating, I would say the content is 4.5, readability is 3. This book is definitely worth reading, even if you don't plan on putting in the effort to thoroughly read each sectio...more...]]> 9064999 43599 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 3 1 false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Nov 13 12:57:38 -0800 2007 Tue Nov 13 12:57:38 -0800 2007
Four or five stars for the first two-thirds. I loved learning about the resourceful, entertaining, and possibly suspect ways some archaeologists use to try to figure out how people lived a long long ...more...]]> 3771788 235151 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 5 1 false Sun Jul 29 21:02:58 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 20 19:55:12 -0700 2007
Climate change,
Environmental preservation or degradation,
The presence of friendly external trade partners,
The presence of external enemies, and finally,
That society's ability a...more...]]> 41690448 1476554 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 5 1 false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 02 22:49:31 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 23:01:10 -0800 2009 40900787 1725642 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 4 1 false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 25 17:57:44 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 25 17:59:04 -0800 2008 98694 10707 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 5 1 false Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Sun Feb 25 16:28:20 -0800 2007 Sun Feb 25 16:49:20 -0800 2007 more...]]> 47788359 938364 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 3 0 false Sat Feb 28 09:00:34 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 28 09:09:20 -0800 2009 more...]]> 45460016 1008236 869574 0670033375 9780670033379 30 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179053697m/869574.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179053697s/869574.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/869574.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 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

]]> 2004 0 1 false Thu Feb 05 09:30:21 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:30:21 -0800 2009 Are we doomed, or can the next generation save us from ecological suicide? UCLA geography professor Diamond's provocative, interdisciplinary picture of social decline paints a bleak vision of our future. He writes well, has done impressive research, and tells fascinating stories. Yet, his thesis fai...

more...]]> 43650999 1405118 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 4 0 false Mon Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 19:21:52 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 19:30:28 -0800 2009 more...]]> 41490155 543974 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 4 0 false Thu Jan 01 09:22:17 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 01 09:46:46 -0800 2009
First, on a more superficial level, it could have used another round or two of editing. There are multiple occasions where he hammers home the same point multiple times for the same culture, particularly in Chapters...more...]]> 81852315 565673 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 5 0 false Wed Dec 23 08:09:46 -0800 2009 Thu Dec 24 02:39:36 -0800 2009 http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1344006.html[return][return]A totally fascinating book looking at how the human impact on the environment can cause societies to collapse or disappear. The particularly memorable chapters are on Easter Island and the Viking settlements on Greenland, both cases whe...more...]]> 81291826 3043992 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 4 0 false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Dec 17 08:26:32 -0800 2009 Thu Dec 17 08:29:28 -0800 2009
Defining collapse as "extreme decline," the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), which posed questions about Western civilization's domination of much of the world, now examines the reverse side of that coin. ...more...]]> 80200503 3019056 475 0143036556 9780143036555 964 <![CDATA[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664m/475.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156921664s/475.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/475.Collapse_How_Societies_Choose_to_Fail_or_Succeed 3.89 5891 Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.]]> 2004 4 0 false Mon Dec 07 13:36:21 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 07 13:38:14 -0800 2009 more...]]> 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1994