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How the World Really Works

The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going

by Vaclav Smil ...

**INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“Provocative but perceptive . . . You can agree or disagree with Smil—accept or doubt his ‘just the facts’ posture—but you probably shouldn’t ignore him.”—The Washington PostAn essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible—a scientist's investigation into what science really does, and does not, ... Read more

$15.99 CAD

Also available as: Audiobook

**INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“Provocative but perceptive . . . You can agree or disagree with Smil—accept or doubt his ‘just the facts’ posture—but you probably shouldn’t ignore him.”—The Washington PostAn essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible—a scientist's investigation into what science really does, and does not,
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
Speed

How It Explains the World

by Vaclav Smil ...

A data-driven, scientific account of our need for speed—exploring a wide range of topics including evolution, transportation, and technologyIn a world obsessed with efficiency, perhaps nothing is valued as highly as being fast. Some of our greatest achievements include building planes that break the sound barrier and creating computers that process data at the touch of a button. With signature ... Read more

$14.99 CAD

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A data-driven, scientific account of our need for speed—exploring a wide range of topics including evolution, transportation, and technologyIn a world obsessed with efficiency, perhaps nothing is valued as highly as being fast. Some of our greatest achievements include building planes that break the sound barrier and creating computers that process data at the touch of a button. With signature
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
Energy and Civilization

A History

by Vaclav Smil ...

**A BILL GATES “BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR”A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped 10,000 years of human history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today’s fossil fuel–driven civilization.**Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive ... Read more

$27.99 CAD

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**A BILL GATES “BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR”A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped 10,000 years of human history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today’s fossil fuel–driven civilization.**Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
Size

How It Explains the World

by Vaclav Smil ...

From the New York Times bestselling author of How the World Really Works, a wide-ranging look at the most fundamental governing principle of our world: size, whose laws, limits, and peculiarities offer the key to understanding health, wealth, and even happiness“No one writes about the great issues of our time with more rigor or erudition than Vaclav Smil.” — Elizabeth KolbertTo answer the most ... Read more

$11.99 CAD

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From the New York Times bestselling author of How the World Really Works, a wide-ranging look at the most fundamental governing principle of our world: size, whose laws, limits, and peculiarities offer the key to understanding health, wealth, and even happiness“No one writes about the great issues of our time with more rigor or erudition than Vaclav Smil.” — Elizabeth KolbertTo answer the most
... Read more

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Oil

A Short History

by Vaclav Smil ...

Oil. Without it there are no planes, no plastics, no petrol.It has started and ended wars. It is the lifeblood of the modern world – and the leading cause of climate change.As humanity faces a reckoning with its dependence upon oil, Vaclav Smil explores the contentious history – and future – of the ‘black stuff’, from ancient origins to the political and economic shockwaves it has triggered. ... Read more

$15.99 CAD

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Oil. Without it there are no planes, no plastics, no petrol.It has started and ended wars. It is the lifeblood of the modern world – and the leading cause of climate change.As humanity faces a reckoning with its dependence upon oil, Vaclav Smil explores the contentious history – and future – of the ‘black stuff’, from ancient origins to the political and economic shockwaves it has triggered.
... Read more
Numbers Don't Lie

71 Stories to Help Us Understand the Modern World

by Vaclav Smil ...

**"Vaclav Smil is my favorite author… Numbers Don't Lie takes everything that makes his writing great and boils it down into an easy-to-read format. I unabashedly recommend this book to anyone who loves learning."—Bill Gates, GatesNotesFrom the author of How the World Really Works, an essential guide to understanding how numbers reveal the true state of our world—exploring a wide range of topics ... Read more

Was $17.99 CAD Now $15.99 CAD

Also available as: Audiobook

**"Vaclav Smil is my favorite author… Numbers Don't Lie takes everything that makes his writing great and boils it down into an easy-to-read format. I unabashedly recommend this book to anyone who loves learning."—Bill Gates, GatesNotesFrom the author of How the World Really Works, an essential guide to understanding how numbers reveal the true state of our world—exploring a wide range of topics
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
Numbers Tell Stories

How Data Can Reveal the Surprising Truths about Our World from the Bestselling Author

by Vaclav Smil ...

From the internationally bestselling author, a revealing look at the surprising numbers that uncover the hidden forces shaping our world‘There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil’ GuardianWhat do marriage, milk and the black market tell us about the state of humanity? Most people would say, not much at all. But the numbers reveal startling truths about who we ... Read more

$17.99 CAD

Also available as: Audiobook

From the internationally bestselling author, a revealing look at the surprising numbers that uncover the hidden forces shaping our world‘There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil’ GuardianWhat do marriage, milk and the black market tell us about the state of humanity? Most people would say, not much at all. But the numbers reveal startling truths about who we
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
How to Feed the World

The History and Future of Food

by Vaclav Smil ...

An indispensable analysis of how the world really produces and consumes its food—and a scientist's exploration of how we can successfully feed a growing population without killing the planetWe have never had to feed as many people as we do today. And yet, we misunderstand the essentials of where our food really comes from, how our dietary requirements shape us, and why this impacts our planet in ... Read more

$16.99 CAD

Also available as: Audiobook

An indispensable analysis of how the world really produces and consumes its food—and a scientist's exploration of how we can successfully feed a growing population without killing the planetWe have never had to feed as many people as we do today. And yet, we misunderstand the essentials of where our food really comes from, how our dietary requirements shape us, and why this impacts our planet in
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
Energy Transitions

Global and National Perspectives

by Vaclav Smil ...

This book provides a detailed, global examination of energy transitions, supplying a long-term historical perspective, an up-to-date assessment of recent and near-term advances in energy production technology and implementation, and an explanation of why efforts to limit global warming and to shift away from fossil fuels have been gradual.Based on the best international and national statistical ... Read more

$84.99 CAD

This book provides a detailed, global examination of energy transitions, supplying a long-term historical perspective, an up-to-date assessment of recent and near-term advances in energy production technology and implementation, and an explanation of why efforts to limit global warming and to shift away from fossil fuels have been gradual.Based on the best international and national statistical
... Read more
Making the Modern World

Materials and Dematerialization

by Vaclav Smil ...

How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization.Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most ... Read more

$46.99 CAD

How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization.Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most
... Read more
Global Catastrophes and Trends

The Next Fifty Years

by Vaclav Smil ...

A wide-ranging, interdisciplinary look at global changes that may occur over the next fifty years—whether sudden and cataclysmic world-changing events or gradually unfolding trends.Fundamental change occurs most often in one of two ways: as a “fatal discontinuity,” a sudden catastrophic event that is potentially world changing, or as a persistent, gradual trend. Global catastrophes include ... Read more

$27.99 CAD

A wide-ranging, interdisciplinary look at global changes that may occur over the next fifty years—whether sudden and cataclysmic world-changing events or gradually unfolding trends.Fundamental change occurs most often in one of two ways: as a “fatal discontinuity,” a sudden catastrophic event that is potentially world changing, or as a persistent, gradual trend. Global catastrophes include
... Read more
Energy at the Crossroads

Global Perspectives and Uncertainties

by Vaclav Smil ...

An objective, comprehensive, and accessible examination of today's most crucial problem: preserving the environment in the face of society's insatiable demand for energy.In Energy at the Crossroads, Vaclav Smil considers the twenty-first century's crucial question: how to reconcile the modern world's unceasing demand for energy with the absolute necessity to preserve the integrity of the biosphere ... Read more

$27.99 CAD

An objective, comprehensive, and accessible examination of today's most crucial problem: preserving the environment in the face of society's insatiable demand for energy.In Energy at the Crossroads, Vaclav Smil considers the twenty-first century's crucial question: how to reconcile the modern world's unceasing demand for energy with the absolute necessity to preserve the integrity of the biosphere
... Read more

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How the World Really Works

Speed

Energy and Civilization

Size

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Numbers Don't Lie

Numbers Tell Stories

How to Feed the World

Energy Transitions

Making the Modern World

Global Catastrophes and Trends

Energy at the Crossroads

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Food, Health, and the Environment

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