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Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization
Far more than oil, the control of water wealth throughout history has been pivotal to the rise and fall of great powers, the achievements of civilization, the transformations of society's vital habitats, and the quality of ordinary daily lives. In Water, Steven Solomon offers the first-ever narrative portrait of the power struggles, personalities, and breakthroughs that h
...moreHardcover, 596 pages
Published
January 1st 2010
by Harper
(first published December 16th 2009)
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"Water" really has three trains of thought: water for irrigation of crops, water for sanitation, and water for transportation/war. The three aren't necessarily that closely related, involving different questions of geography, engineering, cleanliness, etc. Trying to handle each separately would have resulted in a more streamlined and readable narrative, although who knows if I would have picked up "Irrigation" or "Plumbing." At any rate, after reading a few hundred ...more
Very well written, comprehensive book covering the role of water and hydrological developments in human history. Text covers the role of irrigation and maritime commerce on early civilizations, as well as how the abundance or scarcity of water affected the development of different cultures, and finally, the role of steam power, dams, and water transfer between different hydrological regions. The author strives to maintain an air of objectivity - unlike some texts on the subject, the book does no...more
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Far more than oil, the control of water wealth throughout history has been pivotal to the rise and fall of great powers, the achievements of civilization, the transformations of society’s vital habitats, and the quality of ordinary daily lives. In Water, Steven Solomon offers the first-ever narrative portrait of the power struggles, personalities, and breakthroughs that have shaped humanity from antiquity’s earliest civilizations, the Roman Empire, medieval China, and Islam’s golden age to Europ...more
I read this book and thought it was an interesting theory on world history. It's sort of a Jared Diamond-type analysis of how a certain geographic characteristic had important implications on the course of history.
"Water" focuses on different regions throughout different phases in history from ancient times to the present. I did not find the earlier chapters as interesting as the later chapters in which some of the puzzling economics of world water distribution are discus...more
"Water" focuses on different regions throughout different phases in history from ancient times to the present. I did not find the earlier chapters as interesting as the later chapters in which some of the puzzling economics of world water distribution are discus...more
A very interesting book. Part world history as relating to water use; part description of the current state of water usage in the world; and part prediction of the growing conflicts revolving around water rights.
The majority of the book considers water a food-growing resource, with some irrigation canals serving a secondary purpose of transportation link. I felt the sections about water as a military obstacle (George Washington crossed the Delaware!) and world commerce path (boat...more
The majority of the book considers water a food-growing resource, with some irrigation canals serving a secondary purpose of transportation link. I felt the sections about water as a military obstacle (George Washington crossed the Delaware!) and world commerce path (boat...more
Jennifer
added it
A really fascinating survey of water use throughout history -- and how civilization is closely tied to the ability to manage water resources. A good two-thirds of this book is devoted to really old history -- lots about the Egyptians, Babylonians, ancient Chinese, for example -- but it makes a fairly powerful case that civilizations that can provide adequate, non-polluted (or non-salinized, in the case of earlier civilizations) to their people flourish and those that neglect to do so break down...more
Margaret Sankey
added it
Although this is a big sweeping book based entirely on secondary works, I am always happy to see my World History generalizations affirmed--the connection between god-kings and irrigation systems, Mayan slash and burn agriculture, China's isolationism and the Grand Canal, control of the Black Sea, Islamic visions of oasis paradise, water frames and the industrial revolution and so on.
Watch Bethanne Patrick interview Steven Solomon about his new book Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization on <a href=” http://www.thebookstudio.com/blog/bethanne/conversation-steve-solomon-world-water-day-special”>The Book Studio</a>
Read this book if you are interested in the water theory of the rise and fall of civilizations and what could happen in the future as the water supplies diminish/population growth. Overview of a complicated problem with enough details to make it fascinating.
There were some interesting parts to this book, but I thought the author was trying way too hard to join things that really have absolutely nothing to do with each other. I got a lot out of the parts where the author showed how civilizations have lived and died by their management of their water resources, but his trying to somehow marry this with naval warfare and the steam engine? Huh? He might as well have said "people have water in them, therefore everything people have done is really d...more
This book was a pretty dry (pun intended) account of how water has shaped history. There were parts that were interesting, and I suppose if I was more inclined to skim the slow parts, I could have finished this book and given a more thorough review. However, there just wasn't enough to keep me engaged.
Jane
is currently reading it
insights into human civilization, engineering, history-great read
Cimuchowski
marked it as to-read
Thanks Economist.com
I really enjoyed this book, and reference it often in daily life. The discussions around water and "virtual" water are really eye opening.
clear and insightful. Unlike a lot of this type of book I think he does a very good job of presenting the upsides of water use and industrialization, even if he is squarely on the environmental side. The first half was a bit slow describing ancient sea battles and boating developments, but overall an enjoyable well researched book
Should be on every natural resource security reading list.
I wasn't motivated enough to finish this book. I learned while I was reading, but it was a bit dry. I keep skimming through parts and decided to just put it down. It's good to know this book is at the library just in case, but I don't feel a need to read all of it at this time.
Intriguing topic - shows how civilizations that spent time and money on water improvements or technologies were successful but when they spent less they were already in decline. Takes a while to read but worth the effort.
Tom
is currently reading it
Christina
marked it as to-read
Persephone
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Christina Zimmerman
marked it as to-read
Liz
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Shannon
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