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349th out of 594 books
—
1,304 voters
The Future Eaters: An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People
by
Tim Flannery
Humans first settled the islands of Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and New Guinea some sixty millennia ago, and as they had elsewhere across the globe, immediately began altering the environment by hunting and trapping animals and gathering fruits and vegetables. In this illustrated iconoclastic ecological history, acclaimed scientist and historian Tim Flannery fol...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
October 16th 2002
by Grove Press
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Phenomenal book. Hands down the best Anthropology book I've ever read. It has opened by understanding much further than before on a wide array of concepts such as: sustainability, evolution, war, famine, species diversity etc.
It covers 50,000 years + of evolution; primarily in the south-pacific, but he does go into European evolution and Asian evolution of humans because of their influence on the region.
From megafauna to mountain formations, retracting ice ages, case-by-case analysis of patterns...more
It covers 50,000 years + of evolution; primarily in the south-pacific, but he does go into European evolution and Asian evolution of humans because of their influence on the region.
From megafauna to mountain formations, retracting ice ages, case-by-case analysis of patterns...more
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Nonfiction. Flannery is clearly a kindred spirit of Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs and Steel). While Diamond tends to go global, Flannery, a paleontologist, recounts Australia's unique evolution, the many varieties of marsupials, and the aborigines, whom he identifies as the first future eaters. Their culture, with its origins some 40,000 years ago, first destroyed much of their future sustenance--the flora and fauna they found--then managed to create a new balance in the drastically changed landsca...more
This is a wonderful book about the natural history of Australia and its neighbors; New Zealand, New Caledonia, and New Guinea. The book is never boring, and is quite accessible to the layman. Tim Flannery describes why the ecology of Australia is so fragile; much of the land is not fertile, compounded by a dry climate. When the ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) ensues at irregular intervals, the climate worsens yet further. In between these episodes, wet periods cause the flora to flourish, en...more
Wow, this is an incredible book. It's very much in the vein of Jared Diamond, but Australia-specific. I can't recommend it highly enough.
My dad assigned it to his class seven years ago when he took them (and me) on a tour of Aboriginal Australia. I read the other two books but didn't get to the this one. I'm glad I suggested reading it for book club, which forced me to sit down and finally read it.
60,000 years ago man arrived in Australia and wiped out the megafauna. Then they had to deal with t...more
My dad assigned it to his class seven years ago when he took them (and me) on a tour of Aboriginal Australia. I read the other two books but didn't get to the this one. I'm glad I suggested reading it for book club, which forced me to sit down and finally read it.
60,000 years ago man arrived in Australia and wiped out the megafauna. Then they had to deal with t...more
I have just begun to read this book which I've had on my to read shelf for several years. I've always held this one up there as a kind of dessert or reward for reading because I just knew it would be good and so far I am not disappointed.
Two Weeks Later: I've just finished reading 'The Future Eaters'. What an amazing book. I had to put it aside a few times to absorb this complex and comprehensive history (several hundred thousand years of it) of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, New Caledonia,...more
Two Weeks Later: I've just finished reading 'The Future Eaters'. What an amazing book. I had to put it aside a few times to absorb this complex and comprehensive history (several hundred thousand years of it) of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, New Caledonia,...more
A remarkable and fascinating book. I thought that Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" had created the gold standard for ecological history, but Flannery gives him a run for his money and, in some respects, surpasses him. While Diamond's scope and goals are more grandiose (to explain from first principles why Europeans ended up ruling the world, if only for a while), Flannery's analysis of the ecological history of Australasia is more detailed and left me with a much better understanding of...more
Fascinating take on Australia. First People kill big Game - many species become extinct. The New People kill first People - Aboriginal culture becomes extinct, most of the species is threatend or extinct.
I remember what Green's leader Bob Brown said about technologically advanced civilization - they also go extinct. This is one reason why we do not hear from alien creatures. They collapsed before sending out UFO-s.
I remember what Green's leader Bob Brown said about technologically advanced civilization - they also go extinct. This is one reason why we do not hear from alien creatures. They collapsed before sending out UFO-s.
What an interesting book! Tim Flannery takes us back to the first human settlements on the Australian continent, and compares the extinction of the megafauna with the New Zealand experience. A huge wealth of fascinating information about the ecosystems in these beautiful and unique countries. I loved this book!
I learned that the British learned trench warfare from the Maori. And a bunch of things about the Ecology of this region too. The best thing about the book was the limited time it spent talking about people (very much just the second half) and the extended treatment it gave of all the islands in Australasia.
Feb 05, 2013
Isaac Bishara
added it
His chapter on New Zealand ecological history lacked quality of evidential substance - shame as the rest of his focus on his own country was excellent... Overall great story telling
Fantastic - well researched and written. The tale about the story of the St Stevens Is wren and the lighthouse keepers cat stays with me always.
Though Flannery's general thesis is pretty apparent by the end of the first chapter, this book is worth reading for its intriguing line of argumentation and the wealth of research that was obviously put into it. At times, it becomes arduous to wade through the volume of information provided, but it is worth the effort. At the end of the day, Tim Flannery has managed to convince me that humanity is generally pretty stupid and Australia is kind of a dump. Now if that isn't insightful, I don't know...more
Typical Flannery. He moves forward with confidence, even when the argument is more fancy than fact.
Interesting perspective of how Australians flora and fauna were shaped over time.
its interesting history, only read it if you live there. or are travelling there.
looking at past behaviour gives insights into humans current disregard for the planet
Fantastic study of anthropomorphism of Australian environments.
Jan 26, 2013
Christopher Cucco
added it
Must read!
Mar 29, 2008
Peter Macinnis
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
every grandparent who worries about the future
I worked with Tim at the Australian Museum, and when I read this, I kept slapping myself on the forehead, saying "I knew that". It was only later that I realised we had been sitting on the same exhibition design committee, and I had been quietly absorbing his ideas.
If he had not written this, I might have done, which would have been scurvy on two counts -- first, he would have been ripped off, and second, the public would have been ripped off, because Tim is a better writer.
If he had not written this, I might have done, which would have been scurvy on two counts -- first, he would have been ripped off, and second, the public would have been ripped off, because Tim is a better writer.
May 25, 2009
Kelsey
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
environment,
sociologytypes
wow. intense. important. spanning from the early evolutionary history of 'australasia' to the impact and lifestyle of the aborigines to the effects of european settlement on aborigines and the australian landscape... i think my brain doubled in size while reading this book!
An excellent journey through the history of the spread of human civilization and its impact on the environment, flora and fauna. How the envoronment also shaped the migration patterns, particularly of Australasia.
Oct 24, 2007
Barry
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Shelves:
non-fiction
Fascinating, humbling, and sobering ecological history of Australasia (i.e. Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea).
May 12, 2013
Doc99
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Shane Dougall
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
Layla
marked it as to-read
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Tim Flannery is one of Australia's leading thinkers and writers.
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for B...more
More about Tim Flannery...
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for B...more
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