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Salt
by Mark Kurlansky • 2002
Salt was the oil of the ancient world, and the battle for it built empires.
3.75
77k+
Salt Summary
Salt 93%
Salt was the oil of the ancient world, and the battle for it built empires.
by Mark Kurlansky 2002
3.75
77k+ ratings
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
by Tom Standage • 2005
Civilization's biggest leaps came in a glass. The story of humanity told through six drinks.
3.81
34k+
A History of the World in 6 Glasses Summary
A History of the World in 6 Glasses 93%
Civilization's biggest leaps came in a glass. The story of humanity told through six drinks.
by Tom Standage 2005
3.81
34k+ ratings
Last Harvest
by Dan Saladino • 2021
Three grains now supply half the world's calories. What happens when the backup crops are gone?
4.31
3k+
Last Harvest Summary
Last Harvest 93%
Three grains now supply half the world's calories. What happens when the backup crops are gone?
by Dan Saladino 2021
4.31
3k+ ratings
1493
by Charles C. Mann • 2011
Potatoes east, mosquitoes west: the biological upheaval set off by 1492 that still runs the world.
4.12
21k+
1493 Summary
1493 92%
Potatoes east, mosquitoes west: the biological upheaval set off by 1492 that still runs the world.
by Charles C. Mann 2011
4.12
21k+ ratings
Rewilding the Sea
by Charles Clover • 2022
Marine reserves bring rapid recovery, while trawling emits aviation-level carbon.
4.23
492
Rewilding the Sea Summary
Rewilding the Sea 92%
Marine reserves bring rapid recovery, while trawling emits aviation-level carbon.
by Charles Clover 2022
4.23
492 ratings
Should We Eat Meat?
by Vaclav Smil • 2013
Meat grew our brains. Its modern scale now threatens the planet. A quantified middle path.
3.52
644
Should We Eat Meat? Summary
Should We Eat Meat? 92%
Meat grew our brains. Its modern scale now threatens the planet. A quantified middle path.
by Vaclav Smil 2013
3.52
644 ratings
Buddhism
by Damien Keown • 1996
Buddhism has no god, no bible, no pope. What holds its many traditions together?
3.74
3k+
Buddhism Summary
Buddhism 92%
Buddhism has no god, no bible, no pope. What holds its many traditions together?
by Damien Keown 1996
3.74
3k+ ratings
Energy and Civilization
by Vaclav Smil • 2017
A week of American energy use matches a year of Nigerian. The history behind that gap.
4.09
4k+
Energy and Civilization Summary
Energy and Civilization 92%
A week of American energy use matches a year of Nigerian. The history behind that gap.
by Vaclav Smil 2017
4.09
4k+ ratings
100 Million Years of Food
by Stephen Le • 2016
Our bodies evolved for a diet we no longer eat: the mismatch is making us sick.
3.62
616
100 Million Years of Food Summary
100 Million Years of Food 92%
Our bodies evolved for a diet we no longer eat: the mismatch is making us sick.
by Stephen Le 2016
3.62
616 ratings
Animal, Vegetable, Junk
by Mark Bittman • 2021
Farming gave us civilization, slavery, famine, and junk food. A provocative history of what we eat.
3.90
4k+
Animal, Vegetable, Junk Summary
Animal, Vegetable, Junk 92%
Farming gave us civilization, slavery, famine, and junk food. A provocative history of what we eat.
by Mark Bittman 2021
3.90
4k+ ratings
Moveable Feasts
by Sarah Murray • 2007
Rome needed grain ships. Cities need container ports. How moving food built the modern world.
3.55
205
Moveable Feasts Summary
Moveable Feasts 92%
Rome needed grain ships. Cities need container ports. How moving food built the modern world.
by Sarah Murray 2007
3.55
205 ratings
How the World Really Works
by Vaclav Smil • 2022
Both doomers and utopians skip the same thing: modern civilization's staggering material scale.
3.94
14k+
How the World Really Works Summary
How the World Really Works 92%
Both doomers and utopians skip the same thing: modern civilization's staggering material scale.
by Vaclav Smil 2022
3.94
14k+ ratings
A Splendid Exchange
by William J. Bernstein • 2008
Commerce, not conquest, built the modern world: the history of trade from obsidian to oil.
4.16
3k+
A Splendid Exchange Summary
A Splendid Exchange 92%
Commerce, not conquest, built the modern world: the history of trade from obsidian to oil.
by William J. Bernstein 2008
4.16
3k+ ratings
The Sixth Extinction
by Elizabeth Kolbert • 2014
The planet's fifth mass extinction killed the dinosaurs. We are the cause of the sixth.
4.15
80k+
The Sixth Extinction Summary
The Sixth Extinction 92%
The planet's fifth mass extinction killed the dinosaurs. We are the cause of the sixth.
by Elizabeth Kolbert 2014
4.15
80k+ ratings
The Sea and Civilization
by Lincoln Paine • 2013
Before trains, the sea was the fastest highway. World history from the deck of a ship.
3.89
700
The Sea and Civilization Summary
The Sea and Civilization 91%
Before trains, the sea was the fastest highway. World history from the deck of a ship.
by Lincoln Paine 2013
3.89
700 ratings
The Third Plate
by Dan Barber • 2014
Forget farm-to-table. A chef's plan for a cuisine that restores the land it comes from.
4.28
7k+
The Third Plate Summary
The Third Plate 91%
Forget farm-to-table. A chef's plan for a cuisine that restores the land it comes from.
by Dan Barber 2014
4.28
7k+ ratings
The Wager
by David Grann • 2023
A warship wrecks. Two survivor stories collide. The empire buries the truth to protect its myth.
4.17
219k+
The Wager Summary
The Wager 91%
A warship wrecks. Two survivor stories collide. The empire buries the truth to protect its myth.
by David Grann 2023
4.17
219k+ ratings
Ravenous
by Henry Dimbleby • 2023
The food system feeds 8 billion while fueling obesity, chronic disease, and a third of emissions.
4.35
2k+
Ravenous Summary
Ravenous 91%
The food system feeds 8 billion while fueling obesity, chronic disease, and a third of emissions.
by Henry Dimbleby 2023
4.35
2k+ ratings
Cooked
by Michael Pollan • 2013
Cooking made us human, then we stopped. What starting over from scratch reveals.
4.08
26k+
Cooked Summary
Cooked 91%
Cooking made us human, then we stopped. What starting over from scratch reveals.
by Michael Pollan 2013
4.08
26k+ ratings
Work
by James Suzman • 2020
Work predates paychecks by billions of years. A history of how energy became employment.
3.83
3k+
Work Summary
Work 91%
Work predates paychecks by billions of years. A history of how energy became employment.
by James Suzman 2020
3.83
3k+ ratings
Numbers Don't Lie
by Vaclav Smil • 2020
Your smartphone costs the planet as much as a car. 71 data points that rewrite modern life.
3.82
11k+
Numbers Don't Lie Summary
Numbers Don't Lie 91%
Your smartphone costs the planet as much as a car. 71 data points that rewrite modern life.
by Vaclav Smil 2020
3.82
11k+ ratings
The Secret Life of Groceries
by Benjamin Lorr • 2020
Supermarket abundance rests on debt-bonded truckers, enslaved fishermen, and the illusion of choice.
3.94
15k+
The Secret Life of Groceries Summary
The Secret Life of Groceries 91%
Supermarket abundance rests on debt-bonded truckers, enslaved fishermen, and the illusion of choice.
by Benjamin Lorr 2020
3.94
15k+ ratings
Ninety Percent of Everything
by Rose George • 2013
Behind everything you own: an invisible, lawless ocean industry that makes globalization possible.
3.79
4k+
Ninety Percent of Everything Summary
Ninety Percent of Everything 91%
Behind everything you own: an invisible, lawless ocean industry that makes globalization possible.
by Rose George 2013
3.79
4k+ ratings
Not the End of the World
by Hannah Ritchie • 2024
The environmental doom story is wrong. The data is turning, and the fixes are within reach.
4.22
7k+
Not the End of the World Summary
Not the End of the World 91%
The environmental doom story is wrong. The data is turning, and the fixes are within reach.
by Hannah Ritchie 2024
4.22
7k+ ratings
The Dorito Effect
by Mark Schatzker • 2015
We bred flavor out of food and sprayed imitation back on. Your body noticed.
4.01
9k+
The Dorito Effect Summary
The Dorito Effect 91%
We bred flavor out of food and sprayed imitation back on. Your body noticed.
by Mark Schatzker 2015
4.01
9k+ ratings
Shark Life
by Peter Benchley • 2002
Sharks kill fewer than 10 people a year. The author of Jaws explains why.
4.01
845
Shark Life Summary
Shark Life 91%
Sharks kill fewer than 10 people a year. The author of Jaws explains why.
by Peter Benchley 2002
4.01
845 ratings
The Square and the Tower
by Niall Ferguson • 2017
The real shapers of history were not kings but the networks connecting everyone else.
3.65
4k+
The Square and the Tower Summary
The Square and the Tower 91%
The real shapers of history were not kings but the networks connecting everyone else.
by Niall Ferguson 2017
3.65
4k+ ratings
We Are the Weather
by Jonathan Safran Foer • 2019
Sixty percent of mammals are livestock. Two plant-based meals a day saves 1.3 metric tons of carbon.
3.69
17k+
We Are the Weather Summary
We Are the Weather 91%
Sixty percent of mammals are livestock. Two plant-based meals a day saves 1.3 metric tons of carbon.
by Jonathan Safran Foer 2019
3.69
17k+ ratings
Origin Story
by David Christian • 2008
How energy and information built the universe, life, and us. What they mean for our future.
4.06
8k+
Origin Story Summary
Origin Story 91%
How energy and information built the universe, life, and us. What they mean for our future.
by David Christian 2008
4.06
8k+ ratings
Eating on the Wild Side
by Jo Robinson • 2013
We spent millennia breeding nutrients out of our food. The rules for getting them back.
4.19
4k+
Eating on the Wild Side Summary
Eating on the Wild Side 91%
We spent millennia breeding nutrients out of our food. The rules for getting them back.
by Jo Robinson 2013
4.19
4k+ ratings
The Omnivore's Dilemma
by Richie Chevat • 2015
Most of what you eat begins as corn, and the price tag hides the real cost.
4.03
4k+
The Omnivore's Dilemma Summary
The Omnivore's Dilemma 91%
Most of what you eat begins as corn, and the price tag hides the real cost.
by Richie Chevat 2015
4.03
4k+ ratings
The Omnivore's Dilemma
by Michael Pollan • 2006
From McDonald's to a hunted wild pig: four meals that expose what you're really eating.
4.19
211k+
The Omnivore's Dilemma Summary
The Omnivore's Dilemma 91%
From McDonald's to a hunted wild pig: four meals that expose what you're really eating.
by Michael Pollan 2006
4.19
211k+ ratings
The Prize
by Daniel Yergin • 1991
How a dark liquid wrote the rules of power, decided wars, and built the greatest fortunes.
4.44
13k+
The Prize Summary
The Prize 91%
How a dark liquid wrote the rules of power, decided wars, and built the greatest fortunes.
by Daniel Yergin 1991
4.44
13k+ ratings
The World Without Us
by Alan Weisman • 2007
What happens to every city, every nuclear plant, and every plastic bag the moment humans disappear.
3.81
44k+
The World Without Us Summary
The World Without Us 91%
What happens to every city, every nuclear plant, and every plastic bag the moment humans disappear.
by Alan Weisman 2007
3.81
44k+ ratings
The Hidden Life of Trees
by Peter Wohlleben • 2015
A forester reveals trees are social, caring parents that communicate through an underground network.
4.06
90k+
The Hidden Life of Trees Summary
The Hidden Life of Trees 91%
A forester reveals trees are social, caring parents that communicate through an underground network.
by Peter Wohlleben 2015
4.06
90k+ ratings
Origins
by Lewis Dartnell • 2019
Tectonic shifts, ice ages, and ancient oceans didn't set the stage. They wrote human history.
4.17
4k+
Origins Summary
Origins 91%
Tectonic shifts, ice ages, and ancient oceans didn't set the stage. They wrote human history.
by Lewis Dartnell 2019
4.17
4k+ ratings
The Empathic Civilization
by Jeremy Rifkin • 2009
Every energy revolution expanded human empathy. Now that same engine threatens to undo us all.
4.03
937
The Empathic Civilization Summary
The Empathic Civilization 91%
Every energy revolution expanded human empathy. Now that same engine threatens to undo us all.
by Jeremy Rifkin 2009
4.03
937 ratings
The Next Species
by Michael Tennesen • 2015
Five mass extinctions cleared the board. The sixth is us, and evolution is picking the survivors.
3.71
310
The Next Species Summary
The Next Species 91%
Five mass extinctions cleared the board. The sixth is us, and evolution is picking the survivors.
by Michael Tennesen 2015
3.71
310 ratings
Plastic
by Susan Freinkel • 2011
Modern life is built on a material that never goes away, and it's accumulating inside us.
3.97
2k+
Plastic Summary
Plastic 91%
Modern life is built on a material that never goes away, and it's accumulating inside us.
by Susan Freinkel 2011
3.97
2k+ ratings
Clean Meat
by Paul Shapiro • 2018
Meat can now be grown from cells, no animal required. The final hurdle is cost.
4.04
923
Clean Meat Summary
Clean Meat 91%
Meat can now be grown from cells, no animal required. The final hurdle is cost.
by Paul Shapiro 2018
4.04
923 ratings
Under a White Sky
by Elizabeth Kolbert • 2021
Every environmental solution spawns a new problem. The next ones alter genes and block the sun.
4.10
13k+
Under a White Sky Summary
Under a White Sky 91%
Every environmental solution spawns a new problem. The next ones alter genes and block the sun.
by Elizabeth Kolbert 2021
4.10
13k+ ratings
The Fate of Rome
by Kyle Harper • 2017
The Roman Empire wasn't just conquered. It was overwhelmed by climate chaos and pandemic disease.
4.19
2k+
The Fate of Rome Summary
The Fate of Rome 91%
The Roman Empire wasn't just conquered. It was overwhelmed by climate chaos and pandemic disease.
by Kyle Harper 2017
4.19
2k+ ratings
Project Animal Farm
by Sonia Faruqi • 2015
One dairy farm visit sent a banker undercover worldwide to expose factory farming's hidden reality.
4.21
405
Project Animal Farm Summary
Project Animal Farm 91%
One dairy farm visit sent a banker undercover worldwide to expose factory farming's hidden reality.
by Sonia Faruqi 2015
4.21
405 ratings
Moby-Duck
by Donovan Hohn • 2011
One man chased 28,800 lost bath toys into ocean gyres, Chinese factories, and the melting ice.
3.31
3k+
Moby-Duck Summary
Moby-Duck 91%
One man chased 28,800 lost bath toys into ocean gyres, Chinese factories, and the melting ice.
by Donovan Hohn 2011
3.31
3k+ ratings
Shipwrecked!
by Martin W. Sandler • 2023
Seven shipwrecks froze time. How marine archaeologists learned to unlock them.
3.87
218
Shipwrecked! Summary
Shipwrecked! 91%
Seven shipwrecks froze time. How marine archaeologists learned to unlock them.
by Martin W. Sandler 2023
3.87
218 ratings
Mosquito
by Andrew Spielman • 2001
Smaller than a fingernail, deadlier than all wars combined: the insect that decided empires.
3.89
436
Mosquito Summary
Mosquito 91%
Smaller than a fingernail, deadlier than all wars combined: the insect that decided empires.
by Andrew Spielman 2001
3.89
436 ratings
1177 B.C.
by Eric H. Cline • 2014
The Bronze Age had trade routes and diplomacy. A cascade of disasters brought it down.
3.74
13k+
1177 B.C. Summary
1177 B.C. 91%
The Bronze Age had trade routes and diplomacy. A cascade of disasters brought it down.
by Eric H. Cline 2014
3.74
13k+ ratings
The Story of Stuff
by Annie Leonard • 2010
A five-stage global machine grinds resources into toxic waste. The owners call it the economy.
4.08
4k+
The Story of Stuff Summary
The Story of Stuff 91%
A five-stage global machine grinds resources into toxic waste. The owners call it the economy.
by Annie Leonard 2010
4.08
4k+ ratings
Now or Never
by Tim Flannery • 2009
Climate change is outrunning every worst-case model. The solutions work; the timeline doesn't.
3.49
193
Now or Never Summary
Now or Never 91%
Climate change is outrunning every worst-case model. The solutions work; the timeline doesn't.
by Tim Flannery 2009
3.49
193 ratings
Where the Water Goes
by David Owen • 2017
The Colorado River keeps 36 million alive. Legal claims on its water outnumber the actual gallons.
3.93
3k+
Where the Water Goes Summary
Where the Water Goes 90%
The Colorado River keeps 36 million alive. Legal claims on its water outnumber the actual gallons.
by David Owen 2017
3.93
3k+ ratings
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