Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
by Mark Kurlansky
This book complements “Salt” and is really quite an enjoyable read. Again, it has world-building and ecological applications (not to mention culinary implications).
by Mark Kurlansky
This book complements “Salt” and is really quite an enjoyable read. Again, it has world-building and ecological applications (not to mention culinary implications).
Not everything I’ve been reading is research. I’ve also recently read:
“The Stupidest Angel : A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror” by Christopher Moore
“We’ll Always Have Parrots” by Donna Andrews
Blink is quite an interesting book. I’m not alone in thinking this as it’s currently #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list for non-fiction. Gladwell’s style is very good and easy to read and his concept quite interesting.
Jared Diamond has already won acclaim with his “Guns, Germs, and Steel” which looked at the fundamental reasons for the rise of particular civiliations — the various fertile crescents — and now is looking at things from the other end: why civilizations collapse.
It’s an interesting and depressing exploration. I can sum it up in a single (simple and inaccurate) statement: Cut down all the trees, die.
The book is not only great reading for anyone interested in world-building but also thought-provoking for anyone hoping to live on the one world we currently possess.
I recommend David Brin’s lengthier review, which can be found here.