Rivers of Power: How a Natural Force Raised Kingdoms, Destroyed Civilizations, and Shapes Our World
Autor Laurence C. Smithen Limba Engleză Paperback – 28 apr 2021
Rivers, more than any road, technology or political event, have shaped the course of civilization.
Rivers have opened frontiers, defined borders, supported trade, generated energy and fed billions. Most of our greatest cities stand on river banks or deltas, and our quest for mastery has spurred staggering advances in engineering, science and law. Rivers and their topographic divides have shaped the territories of nations and the migration of peoples, and yet - as their resources become ever more precious - can foster cooperation even among enemy states. And though they become increasingly domesticated, they remain a formidable global force: these vast arterial powers promote life but are capable of destroying everything in their path.
From ancient Egypt to our growing contemporary metropolises,Rivers of Powerreveals why rivers matter so profoundly to human civilization, and how they continue to be indispensable to our societies and wellbeing.
'Takes readers on a tour of the world's great rivers - past, present and future. The result isfascinating, eye-opening, sometimes alarming, and ultimately inspiring'Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author ofThe Sixth Extinction
'A tour de force ...From Herodotus musing on the Nile to the dam makers of modern China, this is their story'Fred Pearce, author ofWhen the Rivers Run Dry
'Instructive and entertaining'The Times
Preț: 68.84 lei
Preț vechi: 82.54 lei
-17% Nou
Puncte Express: 103
Preț estimativ în valută:
13.17€ • 13.82$ • 10.99£
13.17€ • 13.82$ • 10.99£
Carte disponibilă
Livrare economică 20-31 decembrie
Livrare express 03-07 decembrie pentru 35.38 lei
Preluare comenzi: 021 569.72.76
Specificații
ISBN-13: 9780141987231
ISBN-10: 0141987235
Pagini: 368
Dimensiuni: 129 x 198 x 21 mm
Greutate: 0.28 kg
Editura: Penguin Books
Colecția Penguin
Locul publicării:London, United Kingdom
ISBN-10: 0141987235
Pagini: 368
Dimensiuni: 129 x 198 x 21 mm
Greutate: 0.28 kg
Editura: Penguin Books
Colecția Penguin
Locul publicării:London, United Kingdom
Notă biografică
Laurence
C.
Smithis
the
John
Atwater
and
Diana
Nelson
University
Professor
of
Environmental
Studies
and
Professor
of
Earth,
Environmental
and
Planetary
Sciences
at
Brown
University.
Previously,
he
was
Professor
and
Chair
of
Geography
at
UCLA.
His
research
interests
include
the
Arctic,
water
resources
and
satellite
remote
sensing
technologies.
He
has
published
extensively
in
journals
includingScienceandNature,
as
well
as
in
theFinancial
Times,New
York
Times,Wall
Street
Journal,Economist,Washington
Post,Discoverand
on
the
BBC.
In
2012
his
bookThe
World
in
2050won
the
Walter
P.
Kistler
Book
Award
and
was
aNatureEditor's
Pick.
He
has
worked
on
issues
from
climate
change
to
Arctic
development
with
the
National
Science
Foundation,
NASA,
the
United
Nations
and
the
World
Economic
Forum,
where
he
was
an
invited
speaker.
Recenzii
Smith
takes
readers
on
a
tour
of
the
world's
great
rivers.
The
result
isfascinating,
eye-opening,
sometimes
alarming,
and
ultimately
inspiring.
Atour de force-a narrative as powerful as the rivers he documents.He is up there with Jared Diamond- a storyteller with real craft. From Herodotus musing on the Nile to the dam makers of modern China, this is their story.
This book about rivers isas fascinating as it is beautifully written
Passionate... andinfectiously enthusiastic... an eclectic journey through several millennia.
Instructive and entertaining. Smith's prose is clear and he explains scientific concepts well.
Ahymn to hydrologyancient and modern.
With scholarship, literary flair, and a personal touch, Smith takes the reader ona fascinating and surprising voyage of discovery. He also sounds a clarion call for all of us to invest in protecting our rivers as a means of improving our own lives.
How can one write a world history of rivers?Laurence C. Smith triumphantly meets the challenge, fluently comparing the role of rivers in wartime, in trade, in water management, in floods and droughts, and, looking to the future, in a world of rising temperatures.
Engaging, informative, magisterialin its coverage, intimidating in the scope of its command of the material, there's no end to the good things to be said about this book.
Absorbing. Smith is not only an excellent storyteller, he is also perhaps the world's leading scientist using satellites to unlock the secrets of the planet's rivers.His deep understanding will inspire readers to see rivers in wholly new and surprising ways.
Smith demonstratescompellingly and engaginglythat rivers have played a key role in the development of nations and, indeed, of humankind itself.
Atour de force-a narrative as powerful as the rivers he documents.He is up there with Jared Diamond- a storyteller with real craft. From Herodotus musing on the Nile to the dam makers of modern China, this is their story.
This book about rivers isas fascinating as it is beautifully written
Passionate... andinfectiously enthusiastic... an eclectic journey through several millennia.
Instructive and entertaining. Smith's prose is clear and he explains scientific concepts well.
Ahymn to hydrologyancient and modern.
With scholarship, literary flair, and a personal touch, Smith takes the reader ona fascinating and surprising voyage of discovery. He also sounds a clarion call for all of us to invest in protecting our rivers as a means of improving our own lives.
How can one write a world history of rivers?Laurence C. Smith triumphantly meets the challenge, fluently comparing the role of rivers in wartime, in trade, in water management, in floods and droughts, and, looking to the future, in a world of rising temperatures.
Engaging, informative, magisterialin its coverage, intimidating in the scope of its command of the material, there's no end to the good things to be said about this book.
Absorbing. Smith is not only an excellent storyteller, he is also perhaps the world's leading scientist using satellites to unlock the secrets of the planet's rivers.His deep understanding will inspire readers to see rivers in wholly new and surprising ways.
Smith demonstratescompellingly and engaginglythat rivers have played a key role in the development of nations and, indeed, of humankind itself.