Energy
By Richard Rhodes
A Human History. Simon and Schuster, 2018.
Summary of Energy book by Richard Rhodes
An illuminating and detailed account of how human beings have harvested energy to use in industry, travel, and warfare, often exhausting valuable resources and damaging the environment in the process.
Chapters in Energy book summary
What do you get from this book? A sweeping assessment of humanity’s relationship with energy sources and power
Wood is humankind’s oldest consistent energy source, but a shortage in 1600s Britain brought the growth of coal
Steam power was invented as early as the seventeenth century, but would take decades to become the “giant” of industry
Coal and steam reshaped Britain, bringing railways, canals, and the consumer economy
While steam was being developed elsewhere, others were pioneering the use of gas to produce light
The pursuit of kerosene for lighting led to the use of petroleum, which would change the world
By discovering the nature of electricity and later electromagnetism, scientists brought the modern world a step closer
The “war of the currents” saw AC triumph over DC, an essential step in the expansion of electrical power
Disastrous effects on public health have resulted from energy innovations, from tetraethyl car engines to Pennsylvanian smog
Out of the Second World War came the opportunity of nuclear power—though it remains misunderstood
Summary of the key insights
Selected critiques in brief
Final word
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Energy — Book Summary Snapshot
Who should read Energy book
- Amateur scientists
- history lovers
- environmentalists
- those concerned about climate change
About the author of Energy
Richard Rhodes
Richard Rhodes is a journalist and historian whose The Making of the Atomic Bomb won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction in 1987. He has been a visiting scholar at Harvard and MIT and is an affiliate at Stanford. His other books include Hedy’s Folly and Nuclear Renewal.
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