Elixir: A History of Water and Humankind - Tapa dura

Fagan, Brian

 
9781608190034: Elixir: A History of Water and Humankind
Tapa dura
ISBN 10: 160819003X ISBN 13: 9781608190034
Editorial: BLOOMSBURY, 2011

Sinopsis

Elixir spans five millennia, from ancient Mesopotamia to the parched present of the Sun Belt. As Brian Fagan shows, every human society has been shaped by its relationship toour most essential resource. Fagan's sweeping narrative moves across the world, from ancient Greece and Rome, whose mighty aqueducts still supply modern cities, to China, where emperors marshaled armies of laborers in a centuries-long struggle to tame powerful rivers. He sets out three ages of water: In the first age, lasting thousands of years, water was scarce or at best unpredictable-so precious that it became sacred in almost every culture.
By the time of the Industrial Revolution, human ingenuity had made water flow even in the most arid landscapes.This was the second age: water was no longer a mystical force to be worshipped and husbanded, but a commodity to be exploited. The American desert glittered with swimming pools- with little regard for sustainability. Today, we are entering a third age of water: As the earth's population approaches nine billion and ancient aquifers run dry,we will have to learn once again to show humility, even reverence, for this vital liquid. To solve the water crises of the future, we may need to adapt the water ethos of our ancestors.

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Acerca del autor

Brian Fagan was born in England and spent several years doing
fieldwork in Africa. He is emeritus professor of anthropology at the
University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of
Cro-Magnon, the New York
Times bestseller The Great
Warming, and many other books, including Fish on
Friday: Feasting, Fasting and the Discovery of the New World
and several books on climate history,
including The Little Ice Age and The Long
Summer.

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Editorial
BLOOMSBURY
Año de publicación
2011
Idioma
Inglés
ISBN 10 
160819003X
ISBN 13 
9781608190034
Encuadernación
Tapa dura
Número de páginas
384
Contacto del fabricante
no disponible
Persona responsable
WordUnited GmbH
distribution@wordunited.com

Theodorstrasse 105
DUSSELDORF
40472
Alemania

Otras ediciones populares con el mismo título

9781608193370: Elixir: A History of Water and Humankind

Edición Destacada

ISBN 10:  1608193373 ISBN 13:  9781608193370
Editorial: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2012
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