Energy and Civilization: A History (Mit Press)

The best text for an undergrad history of energy that I could find in 1990s was 'In the Servitude of Power: Energy through the Ages' by three French, Marxist-influenced academics -- Deleage, Debeir, Hemery. At the time, as I pursued a Ph.D in Interdisciplinary Humanities at FSU with the goal of teaching STS (Science-Tech-Society) at a American Engineering or Architecture school, the Marxist slant was (and is) a taboo point-of-view. Smil does not punctuate his narrative with Marxist critiques at each stage of energy development, concluding that an Era of Renewable energy would require Marxist transformation of society. Certainly a transition from fossil fuels-based to renewable 'Green' tech-based energy has been slow in progressing in the 25 years that have passed (also I was never able to teach history of energy in history depts. as specialized intellectual history nor as STS coursework. I sincerely hope that Smil's less ideologically-driven narrative will be accepted at engineering schools as a much-needed antidote to the conservative view that the costs of transforming fossil-fuel techs is too great to bear. So instead, govt. policy impedes this transition by subsidizing coal & oil so long as these big political donors support politicians who do as they are told. Marxist or liberal bias aside, Europe has progressed toward renewables while the U S govt policy has staggered from pro-renewable to anti-green depending on the what PAC spends most on political ads.Energy and Civiization reads more like a science text than intellectual history but this is ideal for STEM students.For those who might wish a more historical approach to history of tech, check out Boorstin's The Americans: The Democratic Experience ( last of his trilogy). The title is misleading; this is history of U S tech from post- Civil War to 1970s. Wonderfully blends tech history with entertaining narrative, i.e. , oil wild-catting, rise of a statistically-measured society and insurers, etc.With its broad sweep of energy development within world history, Smil could be specialized secondary text for a traditional World Civilization requirement. Also,for those who enjoyed this I'd recommend Diamond's Germs, Guns, and Steel from late 1990s -- it is an extraordinary synthesis of various scientific fields that explains the present-day dominance of science-based Western culture based on environmental circumstances and climate without depending upon racial biases which argue that caucasians are more intelligent than other races.

The author accomplished excellent work on the history of technological means of energy “production” (or rather “transformation” as energy cannot be produced but only transformed). The book covers period going from Stone Age and first societies of hunters and collectors to high ancient civilization (like a Greeks, Romans, Arabic, Chinese…) to European Medieval and of course modern times.The first chapter of the book is dedicated to introduction of energy measurement and measures used throughout the book, chapters 2 to 5 contain actual story of energy transformation in human history. Inventions ranging from more effective animal harnessing to water wheels to electricity generation are described in detail. The author discussed development of household equipment, metal processing and even weapons.Sixth chapter very clearly shows how, in author words, “high-energy civilization” reached the current state of development and how rapid this development has been among other things thanks to using fossil fuels and later a nuclear energy. Negative externalities, like an environment degradation, caused by the high energy consumption are discussed as well.The last chapter concludes and from my point of view it is more philosophical and sociological than historical. The author is thinking about strength of link between energy consumption and state of civilization development. However, I appreciated that this discussion was included since the link certainly exists and it is important to bear it in mind mainly in light of current ongoing changes in world energy mix.As already mentioned in other reviews, I would also point out that the book is rather text book than “easy educational material for everybody”. It is full of figures, graphs and technical words. However, I enjoyed reading the book very much as it enriched my knowledge of history of engineering. I would recommend the book to everybody with at least small technical background and interested in history at the same time.

I used to think history – as in the subject – was straightforward. Here are the facts and here are when and how everything happened. But as I have gotten older, and somewhat wiser, I realize now that history is a collection of perceptions. History can be viewed from various angles. Each angle provides a unique and valuable piece to the historical record.There are countless ways to articulate the history of civilization. I think the most popular method is political: Who had power? Who fought who in which war? Another popular method economical: Who had the wealth? Who built what and when?This book is very interesting because it measures history solely through the use of energy. How much energy did it take to plow a field? How much energy does it take to fetch clean water? How much energy does a modern urban city consume on a given day?Now, this is a very interesting book, but it is very long and very dry. I found the subject fascinating but even I had a difficult time staying focused.But just think about all the energy that goes into reading this book. Some tree was cut down, transported to the factory, milled into paper, formed into a book, and then sent to a warehouse. I ordered the book online and a truck delivered it. I then sat under a lightbulb in a climate-controlled house, reading the book while I sipped on some ice-cold water. What is the untold amount of energy consumed here? It really makes you rethink your world?

This is a smart man who can provide valuable insight if you can struggle through the text. From large words and DENSE sections of technical text dont be ashamed to feel tired after a chapter or less. The book is worth drudging through for the key concepts. I see why Bill Gates recommends all of this authors books!