"Diamond has written a book of remarkable scope ... one of the most important and readable works on the human past published in recent years."
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a national bestseller: the global account of the rise of civilization that is also a stunning refutation of ideas of human development based on race.
In this "artful, informative, and delightful" (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Societies that had a head start in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage, and then developed writing, technology, government, and organized religion—as well as nasty germs and potent weapons of war—and adventured on sea and land to conquer and decimate preliterate cultures. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, the Rhone-Poulenc Prize, and the Commonwealth Club of California's Gold Medal Views: 4 035
Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?
In his million-copy bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond examined how and why Western civilizations developed the technologies and immunities that allowed them to dominate much of the world. Now in this brilliant companion volume, Diamond probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to collapse into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates?
As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Moving from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe. Environmental damage, climate change, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of these societies, but other societies found solutions and persisted. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society's apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana.
Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide? Views: 3 602
To us humans the sex lives of many animals seem weird. In fact, by comparison with all the other animals, we are the ones with the weird sex lives. How did that come to be?Just count our bizarre ways. We are the only social species to insist on carrying out sex privately. Stranger yet, we have sex at any time, even when the female can't be fertilized (for example, because she is already pregnant, post-menopausal, or between fertile cycles). A human female doesn't know her precise time of fertility and certainly doesn't advertise it to human males by the striking color changes, smells, and sounds used by other female mammals.Why do we differ so radically in these and other important aspects of our sexuality from our closest ancestor, the apes? Why does the human female, virtually alone among mammals go through menopause? Why does the human male stand out as one of the few mammals to stay (often or usually) with the female he impregnates, to help raise the children that he sired? Why is the human penis so unnecessarily large?There is no one better qualified than Jared Diamond--renowned expert in the fields of physiology and evolutionary biology and award-winning author--to explain the evolutionary forces that operated on our ancestors to make us sexually different. With wit and a wealth of fascinating examples, he explains how our sexuality has been as crucial as our large brains and upright posture in our rise to human status. Views: 805
As the last Keeper of the vile Crone's Stone, 17 year-old Winsome Light has inherited a terrible legacy - for Satan's mistress does not take kindly to thieves. She wants her powerful stone back and the only one left to hide it is Winnie. The problem is: no one told her!The Crone is coming to take back what's hers and Winnie had better be ready... This is no fairy tale.As the last Keeper of the vile Crone's Stone, 17 year-old Winsome Light has inherited a terrible legacy - for Satan's mistress does not take kindly to thieves. She wants her powerful stone back and the only one left to hide it is Winnie. The problem is: no one told her!The Crone is coming to take back what's hers and Winnie had better be ready... This is no fairy tale.The first in the Sacred Trinity series, this story is now free to celebrate the release of book 2 'The Hidden Key.' Views: 752
Each Other: A Novel is the story of Annie Cunningham, a Union spy during the (American) Civil War and the complications created against the backdrop of her love affair with Warren Dodd, a Confederate Captain. Beginning and ending in 1891, the novel wraps around a story of Annie and Warren through the events of 1862 in northern Virginia.Each Other: A Novel is the story of Annie Cunningham, a Union spy during the (American) Civil War and the complications created against the backdrop of her love affair with Warren Dodd, a Confederate Captain.Beginning and ending in 1891, the novel wraps around a story of Annie and Warren through the events of 1862 in northern Virginia. Historical events are woven through the story and fictionalized for the novel. As the story unravels, we learn that Annie and her sister Sarah, encouraged by the Abolitionist movement in their native Massachusetts take great risks to join the spying effort after the death of their youngest brother, one of the war's early casualties. An herbalist and healer, Annie works in extreme conditions as a nurse in a nearby hospital, mainly as an attempt to work her way into the adjacent prison to arrange an escape fo the Union captives there. Set in a slower time, Each Other and the historical events that create a backdrop for this work of fiction, remind us that we are who we are because of one another. The themes in Each Other still ring true todayas the characters and events of the book express the themes of life during war, personal freedom and conviction, empowerment and connection across Time. Views: 739
Nimbus and Celestial are the first divine on the Ethereal Realm since time unremembered. When all the Gods and Archangels abruptly disappear, the inexperienced fledgling angels are the only ones left to thwart a sinister plan to tip the cosmic balance to chaos.Nimbus and Celestial are the first divine on the Ethereal Realm since time unremembered. Still, even fledgling angels must prove themselves to earn a place in Seraph training with the revered Archangels. And so far, Nimbus is an unmitigated disaster: his arrows go awry, he's addicted to human food and the Nymphs run if there's the vaguest hint he'll attempt a spell. When all the Gods and Archangels on the Ethereal Realm abruptly disappear, it's up to Celestial, their irresponsible Ambrosia-swilling tutor Bacchus, and Nimbus to put things right. With his confidence lower than an orc's backside and his skills even worse, how can one little fledgling angel hope to prevail against the vicious Fallen and their evil master Azazel? If Nimbus fails this time, the consequences for the Three Realms are far more dire than his punishment for torching Zeus' eyebrows.) Views: 728
The Development of an Extraordinary Species
We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet -- having founded civilizations and religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and created breathtaking works of art -- while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic necessities of survival. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created such a divergence between evolutionary cousins? In this fascinating, provocative, passionate, funny, endlessly entertaining work, renowned Pulitzer Prizewinning author and scientist Jared Diamond explores how the extraordinary human animal, in a remarkably short time, developed the capacity to rule the world . . . and the means to irrevocably destroy it. Views: 712
She travels through time, unraveling knots and fixing mistakes before an anomaly can destroy a timeline. Her only partner is Darien, her soulmate. Without him, unraveling Time would be unbearable. Maddening. When Darien falls victim to an anomaly like no other, can she save him, or will she go mad trying?She travels through time, unraveling knots and fixing mistakes before an anomaly can destroy a timeline. Her only partner is Darien, her soulmate. Without him, unraveling Time would be unbearable. Maddening. Then, he falls victim to an anomaly like no other. As loneliness seeps in, so does madness. Objects appear at random, in timelines where they should not exist. Is it madness, or Darien trying to tell her something?Short story PLUS the first three chapters of Dark Consort, a dark fantasy novel, AND A Year of You, a new adult romance! Views: 688
In The Single's Girl Life Handbook I will tell you the benefits and perks of being “single and ready to mingle” and the best of all is so that you along the way learn to discovered that you are so much more than you could ever think possible. That love is loving yourself first just as you are.Being single is the best time a girl can have for if she can and the best is that there is a brighter side to the joyful life of a single life. Having to be this age and being single for this wonderful time of a girl life, is when I get how much it meant that I can do so many just all by myself and not feel guilty for being a single girl. When they say 30’s is the new 20’s they don't get it wrong, I learn that being single and as they say ready to mingle is one of the best experience I have come to discovered. Views: 672
At seventeen, Nic Lawson's life is on track. Until he discovers a mysterious girl hiding in the family barn wearing an ankle tracker. Soon, her toxic, sinister family infiltrate his town and start to mess with his life. Nic risks everything to get rid of them. But they belong to the powerful, dangerous Bast cult ‘The Felid’, who always get what they want. And what they want, is Nic. (Novella)When seventeen-year-old over-achiever, Nic Lawson, discovers a mysterious girl with a tracker-bracelet on her ankle hiding in his barn, he has no inkling of the trouble about to invade his ordered existence. Until her toxic family infiltrate his town and begin to interfere in every aspect of his life. Stalked by the persistent Arkady clan: murderous cousin, persuasive father, calculating mother and captivating Mira, the girl in the hay, Nic risks everything to get rid of them. But they belong to the powerful, dangerous Bast cult ‘The Felid’, who always get what they want. And they know far more about Nic than he knows about himself, determined to reveal the truth no matter the wreckage. (Novella) Views: 589
Most of us take for granted the features of our modern society, from air travel and telecommunications to literacy and obesity. Yet for nearly all of its six million years of existence, human society had none of these things. While the gulf that divides us from our primitive ancestors may seem unbridgeably wide, we can glimpse much of our former lifestyle in those largely traditional societies still or recently in existence. Societies like those of the New Guinea Highlanders remind us that it was only yesterday--in evolutionary time--when everything changed and that we moderns still possess bodies and social practices often better adapted to traditional than to modern conditions.
The World Until Yesterday provides a mesmerizing firsthand picture of the human past as it had been for millions of years--a past that has mostly vanished--and considers what the differences between that past and our present mean for our lives today.
This is Jared Diamond's most personal book to date, as he draws extensively from his decades of field work in the Pacific islands, as well as evidence from Inuit, Amazonian Indians, Kalahari San people, and others. Diamond doesn't romanticize traditional societies--after all, we are shocked by some of their practices--but he finds that their solutions to universal human problems such as child rearing, elder care, dispute resolution, risk, and physical fitness have much to teach us. A characteristically provocative, enlightening, and entertaining book, The World Until Yesterday will be essential and delightful reading. Views: 412
Jace has one last week of work with elder twin brothers, paroled thieves, both total jerks. On arrival at the eerie locale of their final contract, a crippled young girl warns him off Grey Manor. But a cameo is lost inside and it's two million reasons too tempting for his greedy brothers. Jace must keep them out or face the malevolent Lady Grey who never permits a guest to leave.After three trying months, Jace must get through one last week of work with elder twin brothers, both on parole for burglary, both total jerks. And then he's free of the family who've held him down for seventeen years. On arrival at the eerie locale of their final contract, a young girl with a crippled body warns him off Grey Manor, insisting no-one enter the abandoned mansion. But a lost cameo worth two million dollars is hidden inside and Jace faces the impossible task of keeping his greedy brothers out. When he witnesses a grisly death at the hands of the supposedly missing Lady Grey, Jace learns the girl's words are not easily dismissed, forced to unravel the mystery before it unravels him. Leaving has never been harder and the only one with answers is a comatose girl trapped by an entity whose vengeance knows no bounds. (Short Story) Views: 404
A "riveting and illuminating" (Yuval Noah Harari) new theory of how and why some nations recover from trauma and others don't, by the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of the landmark bestsellers Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse.
In his international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse , Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, in his third book in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crises while adopting selective changes -- a coping mechanism more commonly associated with individuals recovering from personal crises.
Diamond compares how six countries have survived recent upheavals -- ranging from the forced opening of Japan by U.S. Commodore Perry's fleet, to the Soviet Union's attack on Finland, to a murderous coup or countercoup in Chile and Indonesia, to the transformations of Germany and Austria after World War Two. Because Diamond has lived and spoken the language in five of these six countries, he can present gut-wrenching histories experienced firsthand. These nations coped, to varying degrees, through mechanisms such as acknowledgment of responsibility, painfully honest self-appraisal, and learning from models of other nations. Looking to the future, Diamond examines whether the United States, Japan, and the whole world are successfully coping with the grave crises they currently face. Can we learn from lessons of the past?
Adding a psychological dimension to the in-depth history, geography, biology, and anthropology that mark all of Diamond's books, Upheaval reveals factors influencing how both whole nations and individual people can respond to big challenges. The result is a book epic in scope, but also his most personal book yet. Views: 391
This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work, maintaining the same format as the original work. While some publishers have opted to apply OCR (optical character recognition) technology to the process, we believe this leads to sub-optimal results (frequent typographical errors, strange characters and confusing formatting) and does not adequately preserve the historical character of the original artifact. We believe this work is culturally important in its original archival form. While we strive to adequately clean and digitally enhance the original work, there are occasionally instances where imperfections such as blurred or missing pages, poor pictures or errant marks may have been introduced due to either the quality of the original work or the scanning process itself. Despite these occasional imperfections, we have brought it back into print as part of our ongoing global book preservation commitment, providing customers with access to the best possible historical reprints. We appreciate your understanding of these occasional imperfections, and sincerely hope you enjoy seeing the book in a format as close as possible to that intended by the original publisher. Views: 311
More than 98 percent of human genes are shared with two species of chimpanzee. The 'third' chimpanzee is man. Jared Diamond surveys out life-cycle, culture, sexuality and destructive urges both towards ourselves and the planet to explore the ways in which we are uniquely human yet still influenced by our animal origins. Views: 242
