Energy: A Human History

The book is excellent. It explains our energy past to elucidate our energy present and future. And it’s quite well written. However, don’t buy this or any other book with graphs, photos, or illustrations on the Kindle app. This book has many such features which I’m sure would aid in comprehending the material, if only they were rendered at a size larger than my little fingernail. As it stands, it is impossible to even see what most of the diagrams and photos are meant to convey. And yes, I tried to no avail to enlarge them. Amazon really needs to fix this. For now, though, I’d advise folks to avoid trying to read even marginally technical books on the Kindle app.

Free flowing and highly readable, indeed engrossing with many fascinating vignettes about historical events that shaped energy markets. And I was pleasantly surprised this was not an ideological treatise about fossil fuels and climate change, in fact reading between the lines it seemed to me that because of their inability to be scaled without huge subsidies the author is highly skeptical about renewable sources like wind and solar, waxing instead about the lost promise of nuclear, lost because in a democracy irrational fears (in this case about radioactivity) become accepted in to the public discourse as hard fact. He probably needed to be circumspect about his skepticism of wind and solar for fear of being skewered alive on the altar of political correctness by the "climate scientist" cabal, always fearful of some counterargument to the Faith jeopardizing their research grants.....

I read this book based upon a recommendation in the Wall Street Journal and was not disappointed. The author covers the evolution from wood to coal to steam to electricity to nuclear and does a pretty good job of looking at the upsides and downsides of each. Each energy source has done some harm but lots of good. We need to keep evolving to make the world a better place. We’ve done it before.

Excellent book. I enjoy the way Rhodes brings historical characters to life. I do recommend it. I have two issues, both having to do with the Kindle version. First, the illustrations are hard enough to view when you CAN expand them. I'd say half the illustrations in this book could not be expanded so were essentially worthless little blobs on my screen. Second, I was immersed in reading with about 4 hrs and 45% remaining to read when the narrative suddenly ended. Huh? Turns out that last 45% is acknowledgments, bibliography, notes and index. Kudos to Rhodes for being so thorough but I was pretty let down by my perceived loss of material. I wasn't really interested in spending 4hrs perusing the extras. I think this Kindle quirk needs to change.

The first 19 chapters provides a well written detailed history of every important form of energy in the past 400 years except renewables. Mr. Rhodes last chapter is so poorly written and full of misinformation on renewable energy that it destroys his credibility as an energy expert. He makes unbelievably dumb errors in explaining the contribution of wind and solar energy. This leads the author to a tragically flawed conclusion that our future must rely heavily on nuclear energy. It’s apparent that convincing us of this is his real motivation for writing this book. For instance in the last chapter Mr. Rhodes writes “By 2017, solar energy was delivering a small but increasing share of world electricity: 305 gigawatts out of total world installed capacity of some 25 million gigawatts—much less than 1 percent.” But this is absolutely wrong. The world actually had less than 7 thousand (not 25 million) gigawatts of electricity power generation capacity in 2017. And solar power was 387 gigawatts. Thus on a power basis solar had grown to almost 6% of world capacity, not as Rhodes states “much less than 1%”. Doubt this? Google world electricity power generation. But power capacity is not energy. In 2017 the total world electric energy production was 24,000 terawatt-hours. That same year solar energy production was almost 500 terawatt-hours or almost 2% of world energy. This may still sound trivial until you understand that over the previous dozen years solar energy production grew by a factor of 100. Yes that’s 100 times what solar produced in 2005. Mr. Rhodes choses to ignore the incredible exponential growth rate of solar energy. He also ignores that solar energy cost is continuously decreasing and its growth is not constrained by any resources limits. On the next page Mr. Rhodes repeats this same error with wind “In 2016 total installed wind electrical capacity reached 487 gigawatts. That’s much less than 1 percent of world total electricity.” Way wrong again. Wind was almost 10% of world electric power capacity. Wind energy production was actually more than 1100 terawatt hours or over 4% of world energy. Rhodes reinforces this error later in the chapter quoting another source as saying “wind energy occupies today 0.2% of the energy market, a point nuclear energy crossed in the 1950s.” Wind, like solar, has an impressive growth rate with decreasing costs and growth not constrained by resources limits. Is Rhodes simply ignorant about the true potential of solar and wind to become dominant forms of energy in the next dozen years? Or is he deliberately trying to mislead us into believing renewable energy is too puny to ever amount to much. His apparent intent is for us to embrace nuclear as a major part of our energy future. The book’s flawed conclusion with potentially tragic consequences deserves one star. For an up to date understanding of where solar and wind energy are going in the next dozen years, and the incredible synergy the electric vehicle will play in solving our energy and climate change issues, I suggest reading Bruce Usher’s “Renewable Energy, A Primer for the Twenty First Century”.

Richard Rhodes is well known for careful research and clear writing in his several non-fiction books. This book is no exception. What makes it particularly interesting is his customary and illuminating use of narratives about individuals to illustrate the larger historical movements that he describes. Happily, the book is well documented so that the reader may follow up on details without excess searching for references. The topic is timely, and the book is valuable.

This is a great walk through the evolution of energy and a view of what is to come. Even if you think you know everything about how we got to where we are and the path forward, you will be surprised at how the author ties it all together. this book is a well balanced view of what we face and offers some thoughts on the path forward. It does a very good job in the discussion of today's energy picture to bring out the hidden biases that have been shaping the public discussion. There were some surprises in that section for me.

A suitable follow up for the same author's award-winning book, published 30 years ago, about the origins of the atomic bomb. It is also a must read for anyone who wants to understand the science (and pseudo-science) behind the climate change theory and the realities about energy production and usage that you will have difficulty finding told in such an entertaining fashion anywhere else. This book was so good that I bought it after I read it for free from a copy I borrowed from the local public library.

While I found this book somewhat interesting, it was a huge letdown compared to Rhode’s previous books that I have read. Huge gaps in the main story were apparent, and many of the engaging histories seemed incomplete - like an equation where the most important steps are “left to the reader.“ Furthermore, the end seemed rather abrupt; rather like he had simply run out of energy - so to speak - rather than because it was a natural ending point. Indeed, many of the modern energy sources were given extremely short shrift. A book that deals with its subject more appropriately - broader and yet more engaging - is “Atomic Awakening.” The current book simply doesn’t have the scope, effectiveness, or engagement of “the making of the atomic bomb.“

Richard puts together a thorough and fascinating account of modern society's various forms of fuel, from issues with wood scarcity to the rhyme and reason behind railroads and their genesis as tools for coal transport, to the nascent Saudi Arabian oil industry, steam and electric and internal combustion cars all the way to Nuclear fission-based energy. A discussion on the history of timelines and energy transitions, with an eye on predicting the future, is presented in the last chapter. Beware: a huge chunk at the end of the book is acknowledgements and bibliography. The actual story isn't as long as it seems from the thickness of the book.

The book is excellent. It explains our energy past to elucidate our energy present and future. And it’s quite well written. However, don’t buy this or any other book with graphs, photos, or illustrations on the Kindle app. This book has many such features which I’m sure would aid in comprehending the material, if only they were rendered at a size larger than my little fingernail. As it stands, it is impossible to even see what most of the diagrams and photos are meant to convey. And yes, I tried to no avail to enlarge them. Amazon really needs to fix this. For now, though, I’d advise folks to avoid trying to read even marginally technical books on the Kindle app.

Free flowing and highly readable, indeed engrossing with many fascinating vignettes about historical events that shaped energy markets. And I was pleasantly surprised this was not an ideological treatise about fossil fuels and climate change, in fact reading between the lines it seemed to me that because of their inability to be scaled without huge subsidies the author is highly skeptical about renewable sources like wind and solar, waxing instead about the lost promise of nuclear, lost because in a democracy irrational fears (in this case about radioactivity) become accepted in to the public discourse as hard fact. He probably needed to be circumspect about his skepticism of wind and solar for fear of being skewered alive on the altar of political correctness by the "climate scientist" cabal, always fearful of some counterargument to the Faith jeopardizing their research grants.....

I read this book based upon a recommendation in the Wall Street Journal and was not disappointed. The author covers the evolution from wood to coal to steam to electricity to nuclear and does a pretty good job of looking at the upsides and downsides of each. Each energy source has done some harm but lots of good. We need to keep evolving to make the world a better place. We’ve done it before.

Excellent book. I enjoy the way Rhodes brings historical characters to life. I do recommend it. I have two issues, both having to do with the Kindle version. First, the illustrations are hard enough to view when you CAN expand them. I'd say half the illustrations in this book could not be expanded so were essentially worthless little blobs on my screen. Second, I was immersed in reading with about 4 hrs and 45% remaining to read when the narrative suddenly ended. Huh? Turns out that last 45% is acknowledgments, bibliography, notes and index. Kudos to Rhodes for being so thorough but I was pretty let down by my perceived loss of material. I wasn't really interested in spending 4hrs perusing the extras. I think this Kindle quirk needs to change.

The first 19 chapters provides a well written detailed history of every important form of energy in the past 400 years except renewables. Mr. Rhodes last chapter is so poorly written and full of misinformation on renewable energy that it destroys his credibility as an energy expert. He makes unbelievably dumb errors in explaining the contribution of wind and solar energy. This leads the author to a tragically flawed conclusion that our future must rely heavily on nuclear energy. It’s apparent that convincing us of this is his real motivation for writing this book. For instance in the last chapter Mr. Rhodes writes “By 2017, solar energy was delivering a small but increasing share of world electricity: 305 gigawatts out of total world installed capacity of some 25 million gigawatts—much less than 1 percent.” But this is absolutely wrong. The world actually had less than 7 thousand (not 25 million) gigawatts of electricity power generation capacity in 2017. And solar power was 387 gigawatts. Thus on a power basis solar had grown to almost 6% of world capacity, not as Rhodes states “much less than 1%”. Doubt this? Google world electricity power generation. But power capacity is not energy. In 2017 the total world electric energy production was 24,000 terawatt-hours. That same year solar energy production was almost 500 terawatt-hours or almost 2% of world energy. This may still sound trivial until you understand that over the previous dozen years solar energy production grew by a factor of 100. Yes that’s 100 times what solar produced in 2005. Mr. Rhodes choses to ignore the incredible exponential growth rate of solar energy. He also ignores that solar energy cost is continuously decreasing and its growth is not constrained by any resources limits. On the next page Mr. Rhodes repeats this same error with wind “In 2016 total installed wind electrical capacity reached 487 gigawatts. That’s much less than 1 percent of world total electricity.” Way wrong again. Wind was almost 10% of world electric power capacity. Wind energy production was actually more than 1100 terawatt hours or over 4% of world energy. Rhodes reinforces this error later in the chapter quoting another source as saying “wind energy occupies today 0.2% of the energy market, a point nuclear energy crossed in the 1950s.” Wind, like solar, has an impressive growth rate with decreasing costs and growth not constrained by resources limits. Is Rhodes simply ignorant about the true potential of solar and wind to become dominant forms of energy in the next dozen years? Or is he deliberately trying to mislead us into believing renewable energy is too puny to ever amount to much. His apparent intent is for us to embrace nuclear as a major part of our energy future. The book’s flawed conclusion with potentially tragic consequences deserves one star. For an up to date understanding of where solar and wind energy are going in the next dozen years, and the incredible synergy the electric vehicle will play in solving our energy and climate change issues, I suggest reading Bruce Usher’s “Renewable Energy, A Primer for the Twenty First Century”.

Richard Rhodes is well known for careful research and clear writing in his several non-fiction books. This book is no exception. What makes it particularly interesting is his customary and illuminating use of narratives about individuals to illustrate the larger historical movements that he describes. Happily, the book is well documented so that the reader may follow up on details without excess searching for references. The topic is timely, and the book is valuable.

This is a great walk through the evolution of energy and a view of what is to come. Even if you think you know everything about how we got to where we are and the path forward, you will be surprised at how the author ties it all together. this book is a well balanced view of what we face and offers some thoughts on the path forward. It does a very good job in the discussion of today's energy picture to bring out the hidden biases that have been shaping the public discussion. There were some surprises in that section for me.

A suitable follow up for the same author's award-winning book, published 30 years ago, about the origins of the atomic bomb. It is also a must read for anyone who wants to understand the science (and pseudo-science) behind the climate change theory and the realities about energy production and usage that you will have difficulty finding told in such an entertaining fashion anywhere else. This book was so good that I bought it after I read it for free from a copy I borrowed from the local public library.

While I found this book somewhat interesting, it was a huge letdown compared to Rhode’s previous books that I have read. Huge gaps in the main story were apparent, and many of the engaging histories seemed incomplete - like an equation where the most important steps are “left to the reader.“ Furthermore, the end seemed rather abrupt; rather like he had simply run out of energy - so to speak - rather than because it was a natural ending point. Indeed, many of the modern energy sources were given extremely short shrift. A book that deals with its subject more appropriately - broader and yet more engaging - is “Atomic Awakening.” The current book simply doesn’t have the scope, effectiveness, or engagement of “the making of the atomic bomb.“

Richard puts together a thorough and fascinating account of modern society's various forms of fuel, from issues with wood scarcity to the rhyme and reason behind railroads and their genesis as tools for coal transport, to the nascent Saudi Arabian oil industry, steam and electric and internal combustion cars all the way to Nuclear fission-based energy. A discussion on the history of timelines and energy transitions, with an eye on predicting the future, is presented in the last chapter. Beware: a huge chunk at the end of the book is acknowledgements and bibliography. The actual story isn't as long as it seems from the thickness of the book.

I enjoyed this book and found it interesting. I believe it should really have been called "Fuel" instead of energy. The difference is subtle but the author really is talking about what and where we derive energy from (sources). I found the book inconsistent at times and this effected its flow. But over all well researched and educational and a worthwhile read. One MAJOR problem with this book, the Kindle version, and NOT the author's fault was how Amazon digitized it. Most of the diagrams where improperly digitized and as a result they were tiny. Way too small to be seen on a Kindle. And you were not able to enlarge them as in other Amazon Kindle books where yo have the ability to enlarge pictures. Some were properly coded and could be enlarged. But most were not.

If you ever wondered how it is that you turn on a switch an electricity flows into your home, or how it evolved that we heat our homes, power our factories or drive our cars this is a great read. The author does an excellent job of explaining the evolution of energy and power from pre-industrial revolution England, through the industrial revolution to the industrial revolution in America (eg manufacturing steel and aluminum, generating and transmission of electricity to gasoline as we know it today).

I’m struggling with the book. As I’m not an engineer, the minute details and chronological description of the evolution of our different energy sources are not what I expected ir like. It is extremely well researched and well written, though.

This is a fascinating, well documented history of energy and its evolution. The author is absolutely brilliant and explains not only the history but explanations of how things work and the inventors and personalities behind them. Some parts are somewhat technical, but you can gloss over them.

I enjoyed this book because the premise was very appealing, and looked forward to it since Rhodes' "Making of ...." was one of the best books I have ever read. BUT, it seems that Rhodes forgot to find an editor for this book; I found it full of jumbled thoughts, places where there were no transitions (or even paragraphs), and other issues that a good editor would have fixed. When one researches as richly as Rhodes does, it takes special attention to keep all the facts and relevancies organized. That detracted from my overall enjoyment. However, if you are interested in our energy past and future it is an important read.

Best book on the origins of civilization out there...not agriculture, not religion, not the priestly castes, not the bureaucrats (yay) but efficient energy conversion.

The physics and overview of "energy" here are not Rhodes' focus; but the stories of men developing steam, gasoline, electricity, and nuclear power in the industrial revolution are told in engaging, easy-to-read narrative. Admittedly two notches down from Rhodes' masterpiece Pulitzer Prizer "Making of the Atomic Bomb."

The book reviews the history of several sources of energy. The technical explanations are somewhat shallow and the few technical drawings of machines are very difficult to read in the Kindle version. Most of the text describes sociological and political events related to the discovery and use of the sources of energy.

I think the steam and electrical were very good. Others were interesting but a little less in depth. Still, every bit worth reading. I recommend it.

A well done book on the energy situation. Discusses pros and cons of various means of producing energy. A little short on new energy production developments.

Very well reareched and rich compendium of history. A great compliment to Daniel Yergin's triology though I have this nagging feeling that there is a strong desire by the author to "market" nuclear energy. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of energy, how it got here and what may lay in the future.

This is the kind of 300 page book that you can devour in a couple of days. Very well researched and entertaining. This book contains a collection of stories and histories that capture the picture of early energy usage. You will learn a lot about daily life over the last couple centuries, as well as a lot of broad interesting history.

First third of the book focused on the development of steam engines, to include safety valves, low vs high pressure, and the evolution of the locomotive. Not the strategic discussion of energy and its impacts that I was expecting.

Big fan of Richard Rhodes and his books! Great deal on book and provides the concepts of energy and human consumption from the very beginning to nuclear energy today. Would recommend.

I have received it and on time. While I generally like his writing, I was disappointed with a line in the introduction about climate change. I do hope that when I do read it, he is not representing those who feel we are destroying the earth.

Excellent ; Our politician and the people in the news media should read it and get a little education

I have read all most of Rhodes books written since "Making of the Atomic Bomb." His books, especially about nuclear issues, seem accurate and are well written. I skipped the virus books. This book gives a survey of the history of energy production and use by humans. Interesting!

A colourful and detailed journey from the beginnings of human appreciation of “Energy v’s Magic” though to today’s appreciation of “Energy v’s Pollution”. How much do we really need?

What a disappointing book; I could barely finish it. As others have noted, Rhodes starts out with a fascinating and comprehensive history of steam but quickly loses the same as he wades through the origins of subsequent energy sources. This book feels like it was started with enthusiasm by the author but was laid aside for a long period of time, then suddenly rushed to conclusion. By the time he gets to nuclear energy, Rhodes's writing is nothing more than political screed, as he blames the environmental movement for its many failures, virtually excusing the vast and enduring fallout from the industry's waste and accidents. Moreover, he entirely ignores the imminent crisis to earth's biological systems due to humanity's relentless march toward overpopulation and its ever increasing consumption of energy and natural resources, placing his confidence solely in future human technology. In Mr. Rhodes's blinkered view, the reduction of human population as a worthwhile goal is "anti-humanist," and "there is room for us all." Ugh, what kind of world will that be? Grow up, Mr. Rhodes. Give us books worthy of the monumental issues humanity faces today.

Richard roads knocked it out of the park again an extremely detailed walk-through time as to the progress of man and energy an excellent read!

He approaches his subject without prejudices and full of interesting details on the lives of the scientists he discusses. He explodes the "no threshold linear hypothesis" to damage from exposure to nuclear irradiation, which has huge implications for the safety and utility of nuclear power. A most important book for anyone concerned with energy, climate change, etc.

Richard Rhodes clearly explains the rise of energy resources. Almost every chapter brought knowledge that astonished me. 250 years transformed the world & gave us physical prosperity.

Amazing review of how the world has derived power to support the expansion of civilization. Learn how England facing a wood shortage from deforestation turned to coal. How the coal was later used to make town gas for lighting. A great read to see how we came to where we are today and see where we may go in the future.

Valuable history and lucid explanation throughout. Tour across all energy sources with pros and cons improved my understanding of technology.

This book is a wonderfully readable book on a complex subject. As readers of Mr. Rhodes know, he has a real gift for taking his readers to the heart of complex, important issues.

Far reaching; great clarity and style. I only wished that he would have taken a more expansive look at renewable energy.

Nearly half the book is references, but it feels like he wrote it in a hurry, to answer some political point. Much less interesting then his Making of the Atomic Bomb.

This is kind of a wonky look at the advance of the means of producing energy since the use of wood. It delightfully includes personal looks at the geniuses and characters who pushed the technology/science forward. It also explores the science behind the discoveries a little to in depth for this reader. But heh, I got through it and maybe a little smarter for it. The main premise of the book, is that each new step in the evolution of energy was slow to catch on in the market, but eventually would become the dominate source of energy. Rhode then makes the case that nuclear power, although hindered in development by scaredy pants environmentalist will eventually become the clean energy engine that will save the world. Although we have had three nuclear accidents, two of which left large swaths of the planet uninhabitable for hundreds (thousands?) of years, the were perfectly preventable. Rhodes proclaims the accidents were caused by a design flaw, (Fukushima) that was known but never corrected or human error (Chernobyl, Harrisburg). Of course human error is a thing of the past and no one would overlook a design flaw just to save money. Good history in the front end, advertisment for nuclear power on the back end.

The idea for the book is interesting but the execution is not. Instead of telling great stories and anecdotes, the author opts to simply state facts. I was looking forward to an interesting read, instead I had to slog through it. In truth, I never did finish it.

I never give 5 because nobody, or nothing, is perfect. Besides you always want to encourage the best to be even better. So I gave it 4 as the next available choice.

A very comprehensive and well written story of the history of energy in all its forms.

Another great book by this author.

Enjoyed this read, informative, although tedious at tmes with detail.

Bought as a gift for my daughter who teaches environmental education at a high school. She loves it and is often telling me what she has been reading.

A fascinating book about the role energy plays in history with enough great stories to keep those who are not history buffs well entertained.

Just starting to read, interesting so far.

excellent book . well researched and written. could cover thru 20 th century into 21.

Good overview of energy development. And why we should use more nuclear power.

The concept that man will always use an available resource to make his life better, even if it has negative impacts, was insightful and helps to understand why we are having so much trouble dealing with climate change today.

Many tiny images that can't be zoomed on a Kindle Oasis. Amusingly, they will zoom on the Android Kindle App

This is a great book. It traces our energy use from wood to coal to gas & oil to nuclear. I am so grateful to all the pioneers of energy and transportation. Our modern life with all its comforts would be impossible without them. To all of the latter-day Luddites, I say Pah! Go live cold, hungry, dark and dirty if you are so worried about your carbon footprint.

Well-written and clear exposition of the state of energy development. It synthesizes the one's understanding of the probable future of energy.

Unless you want to read about logs in the 1500’s pass on this read

Terrific topic needed a better editor. All the information is there and that's the problem

Great historical description of human energy utilization, and transformations thereof, over the last few hundred years. Highly recommended by this reader!

Ignores that energy is a scientific concept beyond its technological importance,

Excellent review of fire, light and power - the energy that made the modern world.

Great book arriving in fine condition

Interesting and great for conversation!

Good

This book starts out well with interesting details about the industrial revolution and the rise of the use of stored energy in coal to bring about enormous changes. It is quite thorough on the origins of the steam engine, and the start of the industrial revolution in England. Less detailed, but still good in-depth coverage of the transformations that changed lighting, with interesting items on whaling, oil discovery in PA, and good stuff about the developments of the early grid. As he moves to the modern era the segments were much shorter, with quick overviews of wind, solar and nuclear. He advocates nuclear quite effectively, especially on the world wide scale but plays down the problems of waste and accidents. He is also rather dismissive of the political aspects, merely citing the necessity of time for society to grasp new realities. As the book progresses the author seems to run out of gas, with the modern grid revolution given short shrift. The author seems much more comfortable with physics than with chemistry, and my kindle version had superscripts instead of subscripts for chemical formulae, a pretty inexcusable editing error. Thus his overall take on the modern energy dilemmas were not really analytical or thorough, and at the end I was kind of let-down.

Detailed in laymen's language

Got it based on author's previous work. Text is interesting. However, figures must be just place holders. I usually avoid books with illustrations on the Kindle; but, this is a joke. Begs to be upgraded. Note - text sample on Amazon webpage has reasonable sized images. Not so, as delivered on Kindle.

In the world of science, “energy” is a term that is quantitatively well defined. In this book, energy’s quantitative nature is not explored; it is the subtitle that is more revealing of the book’s contents. The author covers various aspects of humanity’s pursuit of sources of energy over the past four centuries. Starting with wood, through coal, oil, natural gas and eventually nuclear and most recently, renewables, various inventions to optimize the use of these energy sources are explored. Problems with each one are also identified. Key individuals throughout this history are also discussed. I found the book very informative and well-written in a style that is clear, accessible and engaging. As pointed out above, history is the main focus here. Consequently, although technological details are occasionally well explained (e.g., the chapter on nuclear), quite often they are a bit lacking in some regard (e.g., how a single steam engine can pump water up from a mine by considerably more than the 33 feet allowed by physics due to atmospheric pressure; see lower halves of pages 32 and 41). This can be annoying for technically-minded individuals like me. There are also a few errors. For example, on page 196: “step the current up to 3000 volts”. Current is measured in amperes, not volts. Also, on pages 274 and 275, the concentration of U-235 in natural uranium is 0.7 percent and not 0.07 percent, as stated on each of those two pages. But despite these relatively minor shortcomings and accepting the fact that this in a book primarily on history, I enjoyed it very much and gave it full marks.

A very interesting, informative, and entertaining history of energy and its relationship to humanity. The author thoroughly reviews the use of wood, coal, hydro, electricity, whale oil, petroleum, natural gas, nuke. I liked Rhodes' history of the atomic bomb 32 years ago, and I like this as well. I was rather surprised at the lack of equivalent detail given to either solar or wind. There is, for example, infinitely more detail given to the production and use of whale oil as their is to either wind or solar. This is in sharp contrast to the minute detail of description of nuclear fission and nuclear power generation. The last third of the book is basically advocacy for nuclear power in the 21st century; as the book transitions from the past to the present and the future, the tone inevitably turns from history to op-ed. The author tee's up the major stumbling blocks of nuke - cost and waste disposal - and the breezily dismisses them out of hand. His position on nuke waste disposal is purely that he has confidence that our grandchildren will figure it out, because grandchildren always do, given that they have 2 more generations of knowledge and experience to draw upon than their grandparents. Perhaps...

Actually, maybe less than that. Maybe trying to match the intellectual level of your average tree-hugger. But at least he doesn't run down nuclear power, as so many enviro-whackos do.

I have read and enjoyed several books by Rhodes so when I saw this on the bookstore I bought it immediately. As others have noted, it starts off with interesting history and ends with as an apologia for nuclear power plants. The history is largely a technocratic one, which is fine to a certain extent but totally inadequate to the scale and significance of the topic. But when we he becomes argumentative it takes a number of bizarre turns, including a fairly sicko one. Rachel Carson, when she was writing her classic book Silent Spring, he proposes, "...was suffering the toxic effects of chemotherapy when she condemned the toxic effects of pesticides. Radiation treatments sicked her as she denounced radiation's deadly risks. Was her body the paradisiacal small town of her book's first chapter....?" One of my favorite historians has been reduced to a oddball hack.

This was an interesting book that really helps you get a sense of how we have have used various energy sources over the last 40 years. My only complaint is that it sort of ends suddenly, with just the briefest description of renewable energy. To some degree this is understandable, but compared to the detail and storytelling in the rest of the book, it is a bit of a letdown. The book is basically exactly what its title suggests, a history of human energy use. This may not sound exciting to most, but Rhodes gives a human tale to each energy source, and provides interesting historical context to each resource he covers. He brings up stories that are not well known to the public (probably not well known to many but historians of the era), and shows his keen ability to explain science in regular English without losing much of the nuance. I would not say this book is as much a masterpiece as Rhodes's The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would not say it is very far behind in quality from it. I think this would be a great read for just about anyone with even a passing interest in how we have used energy and may in the future. Rhodes has a pro-nuclear viewpoint which he justifies very well in my opinion. He also does not push any strong view onto the reader and lets the stories he tells, and how he tells them guide you towards thinking anew on how we should meet our energy needs.

Solid industrial history that all citizens should understand. The material is interesting, appears well researched and accurate. I expanded my understanding. I also like how he links positive developments from development, technical advancement and industrialization - benifits that make our lives much more comfortable today - with secondary consequences that we need to address and manage. I was truly surprised by the lack of detail on the advancements in wind and solar. Thought I might have missed a chapter. From the level of detail on advancements from 1700 through 1960, the book seams to drop off over the last 50 years. If the author would have included this material I could have given it 5 stars, as I truly enjoyed the periods covered on burning of wood and coal, development of steam power, development of petroleum, and nuclear.

My guess is Mr. Rhodes had some topics to discuss and some excellent detailed research about those topics to use, and then needed to round his work into a book, adding more material. The "human history" of the subtitle is there, with many key figures identified by name in a serious look at the early evolution of steam power, in the first wave of oil production in western Pennsylvania, schemes to get hydropower at Niagara Falls, and various others. Some of that content is very solid and informative, helping to rescue some of the players from complete obscurity. Mr. Rhodes wasn't about to do a full retrospective on the oil industry, and needed a niche for this book, as he even referred directly to the classic "The Prize" about the rise of oil. Other parts on whaling and renewables were less engaging, and detoured on to some side topics not specifically about energy. The ending on nuclear power was a poor fit and left me with a dissatisfied feeling upon completion. Also, clearly the book is focused on British and American work, with the main exception being the search for oil in Arabia and a few other brief mentions. What was going on in the rest of the world at the time?

I enjoyed the approach of focusing on individual people's stories. i think that leverages the power of narrative to both make the material more interesting and improve recall of the relevant details. i should note that the last few chapters focus exclusively on the advantages of nuclear energy. the chapters on wind, solar and other trendy renewables was pretty thin. he's kind of preaching to the choir in my case but i would have appreciated more technical details of the various renewables, even if it's to become better informed. as written i hesitate to recommend it to my friends as a general history as it does seem to have a bit of an agenda. i enjoyed it myself, just with the above reservations.

Wow what a journey in time. I'm really enjoying reading this book. I will never think about energy the same.

Please don’t be intimidated by the seemingly daunting history of 4 centuries worth of energy innovation. I stared the book down for a few weeks before finally starting it, couldn’t put it down. It reads as small stories of inventors, industrialists, nobility, and scientists involved in the production of energy in its various forms since the 17th century. The book is complete with diagrams and illustrations from patents of even centuries past. The book starts off for the first part as a bit more technical than a person with no engineering background may like. However, one doesn’t need to truly grasp the workings of an internal combustion engine or Newcomen machine to follow along with the story. The details are there if one is so inclined. Richard Rhodes has a gift for finding historical facts that are missed in most public educations. He states, for instance, based on his research that George Westinghouse is actually the champion of AC (alternating current) rather than the classically taught Nikola Tesla. If one is interested in learning peculiarities and truths of important events in the development of coal, oil, petroleum, and nuclear energy then look no further. This is a fun book.

I feel I must defend the audio version of this most enjoyable and illuminating book on energy, a topic I would never have approached if not for the book club. The narrator’s voice is soothing as he goes into all the detail that could be overwhelming. Having fun with a Scottish brogue makes the characters more vivid. I’m a great fan of Audible which is a whole other dimension to the written word. Try it. You’ll be surprised.

Thinly veiled propaganda for climate change progressives. Full of half truths, exagerations and erronious conclusions. Was really poorly done and preached the gospel of humanity is evil for using natural resources to advance. Not worth your time or money.

Really enjoyed this one. It's a serious read to be sure. Not for the beach as they say. History of the various forms of energy going back in time. You will likely know much of this but will learn some new things along the way. Well-written.

I mistakenly bought the audio book too fast. I don't like the narrator. His cadence is strange, and totally without normal dynamics. Plus, he imitates the accents of non-english speakers who are quoted, which is a little odd, and detracts from the quoted text. Good content, as expected, but the audio is off-putting.

One of the best books I've listened to in the past few years. Comprehensive, entertaining and well written.

A little slower pace than I had been hoping for.

A fascinating read for anyone interested energy history, production, and viable solutions for combatting climate change while meeting growing global energy demand.

Fun read. More accessible and wide-ranging than Making of the Atomic Bomb.

The audible version is torture to listen to. The reader speaks in a very low monotone and swallows many words and exhales as he pronouces others like man speaking on his deathbed, hardly enough breath left to speak and breathe at the same time. To make matters worse when he articulates the quotes of significant characters in the history like Watt, he lapses in an incomprehensible attempt at imitating a Scottish brogue . He might as well have been speaking Russian. The subject itself is interesting. I may buy the book and read it.

Stick with this book, wonderful romp through energy history and futures. Even expert readers will learn something new. Why stick with it? First few chapters read like a Brexiteers guide to British ingenuity, but the human stories of rivalry and intrigue are well worth it, and story expands to global challenge and rang of solutions.

Energy from wood, coal, oil and water. A fascinating insight. And that's just the first few chapters. Must read some more.

an enjoyable read and not to difficult to follow

this book is really good for starters on global energy security

Great book very comprehensive in detail & full of great antidotes

Part read, GIVEN AWAY AS A RETIREMENT GIFT.

Energy is the foundation of human progress, growth and economic prosperity. In this work, Richard Rhodes provides an excellent and competent introduction to the history of energy capture and utilization within industrialized civilization. The books is written to reach a large and not exclusively academic audience; and while highly informative, should be accessible to the vast majority, particularly the audiobook. The hardback edition of this books is printed and bound to a high quality standard and the audiobook is narrated well. I highly recommend both the physical hardback edition and the audiobook.

È scritto bene, in tono più divulgativo che tecnico, quindi comprensibile anche a chi non ha molte nozioni di fisica e chimica. Nonostante questo, a volte le spiegazioni sul funzionamento dei motori e dei macchinari risultano un po’ difficili da seguire. Nel complesso, comunque, una lettura interessante e godibile.

90% of the illustrations in the Kindle version are smaller than 1sqmm and do not scale. This really makes the steam section useless and the rest of the text that is illustration dependent a joke. Also: I was not allowed to return it? A rip off.

No hay ni hilo conductor ni mensajes claros, sólo un borbotón de datos que no aportan nada. Gran decepción

A nifty collection of stories linked by their relationship to our need for energy. Well written with handsome pictures and diagrams. I really enjoyed it.

... and post 2020 US elections. The world in general, and energy production in particular, is going to be suddenly very different!

Rhodes writes well and tells an important story.