Manfred Weissenbacher
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Sources of Power: How Energy Forges Human History
"Highly Recommended"
"Highly Recommended" - Prof. J. Tavakoli for the American Library Association
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Though numerous books discuss the technical, economic, and even social
aspects of energy, those exploring the role that energy has played in
shaping human history are rare. Weissenbacher brilliantly explains the
connection between the availability and use of energy sources and social
infrastructure development at different stages in history. At times,
...
"Admirable for its clarity, depth, and informed synthesis"
"Admirable for its clarity, depth, and informed synthesis" - SciTech Book News
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"Weissenbacher’s interests and areas of expertise are impressively wide,
and deep. … Furthermore, he’s intensely curious about how civilization
has evolved, and he’s an engaging, enthusiastic writer. In this
two-volume work he begins by identifying...
"A brilliantly written, amazingly informative and timely addition to the literature."
"A brilliantly written, amazingly informative and timely addition to the literature." - Reader's comment
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I have just finished reading your fantastic book. It took me a little
over two weeks to read both volumes, which is a testament to both the
fascinating topic and excellent style in which they are written. Fred
Cottrell and Earl Cook would be very proud of the continuing legacy in
this field. ...
"... combining formidable powers of synthesis with a specialist's deep understanding of energy systems and technologies." - Editorial Review
"Those who liked (or disliked) Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" will especially enjoy reading "Sources of Power", as it removes a major flaw of Diamond's thesis by integrating it into a larger energy theory of history that holds good beyond the 16th century..." - Editorial Review
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... Manfred Weissenbacher tests this sweeping theory against the
panorama of world history, combining formidable powers of synthesis with
a specialist's deep understanding of energy systems and technologies.
After proving the operation of his law through history and into the
present, Weissenbacher applies it to global geopolitical trends. He
assesses the prospects of the various candidate technologies to succeed
oil and charts future scenarios based on the distribution of energy
reserves. Finally, he forecasts the fates of the American and Chinese
empires in the twilight of the oil age:...
