Product Description
In his runaway bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastrophe—one whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future.

Amazon.com Review
Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed is the glass-half-empty follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel. While Guns, Germs, and Steel explained the geographic and environmental reasons why some human populations have flourished, Collapse uses the same factors to examine why ancient societies, including the Anasazi of the American Southwest and the Viking colonies of Greenland, as well as modern ones such as Rwanda, have fallen apart. Not every collapse has an environmental origin, but an eco-meltdown is often the main catalyst, he argues, particularly when combined with society's response to (or disregard for) the coming disaster. Still, right from the outset of Collapse, the author makes clear that this is not a mere environmentalist's diatribe. He begins by setting the book's main question in the small communities of present-day Montana as they face a decline in living standards and a depletion of natural resources. Once-vital mines now leak toxins into the soil, while prion diseases infect some deer and elk and older hydroelectric dams have become decrepit. On all these issues, and particularly with the hot-button topic of logging and wildfires, Diamond writes with equanimity. Because he's addressing such significant issues within a vast span of time, Diamond can occasionally speak too briefly and assume too much, and at times his shorthand remarks may cause careful readers to raise an eyebrow. But in general, Diamond provides fine and well-reasoned historical examples, making the case that many times, economic and environmental concerns are one and the same. With Collapse, Diamond hopes to jog our collective memory to keep us from falling for false analogies or forgetting prior experiences, and thereby save us from potential devastations to come. While it might seem a stretch to use medieval Greenland and the Maya to convince a skeptic about the seriousness of global warming, it's exactly this type of cross-referencing that makes Collapse so compelling. --Jennifer Buckendorff

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 439 reviews)

Ignore the Negative reviews; Diamond writes another MUST READ. by Warren R. Grayson (Birmingham, AL United States)

5 Stars
November 06, 2009
I will not write about the book in particular in this review; there are plenty of good reviews here that do that. What I am addressing with my review are the negative reviews that criticize Diamond as promoting some-kind of Liberal/ Eurocentric Agenda, or those reviews that claim Diamond missed some facts, or those that claim he is distorting the truth in some way. These are by the way, many of the same charges made against his Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, which only won a Pulitzer-Prize. It reminds me of a line from Charles Pierce's book, Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free, in which he says something like: "the worst thing you can be in an America where everybody is an expert, is an actual expert." Point is, the man is an EXPERT in his field, let an expert on the subject speak; I hate to see all of these negative reviews disparaging the book by a bunch of amateurs. Why do I care? Simply because GG&S was a great book, but Collapse is an immensely and infinitely more important book. This is END OF THE WORLD (as we know it) stuff Diamond is talking about here. Why anyone would get offended because Diamond may have fuzzied up some of the details of the Easter Islanders, Mayans, or Vikings (I'm not saying he did) is simply beyond me. And more importantly, THEY ARE MISSING THE POINT. The entire point of this book is to look at the relationship between (over)-population and limited resources; it's simple Malthusian economics, so again, why anyone would try to debate Diamond's central point is just plain idiotic (or maybe they are in denial). Ok, I have said my piece in regards to the negative-ness. As to the book itself, I thought the writing style was superior to GG&S. The writing was crisp, succinct and less repetitive than GG&S. I love this book and highly highly highly recommend it. This book, Living within Limits: Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos, by Garrett Hardin (he is the guy who came up with 'The Tragedy of the Commons') is similar to Collapse and I recommend it also.

There's a pattern to societies that Collapse - Findout why by Robert R. Rowntree (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

5 Stars
November 02, 2009
"Here's the short of it. There is British, Spanish and French colonies. Any idea which ones are in the mist of collapsing, not going anywhere fast or have for all intents and purposes collapsed. What does Vietnam, Haiti and many countries in Africa have in common. they were colonized by the French and are ultra poor. What do Mexico, most of Central America and the Philippines have in common - not rich but not real poor like the french colonies. There Spanish colonies. What about Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, the US, India. Derivatives of the British system. He has other arguements besides colonization. "

A Powerful Work on a Touchy Subject by Richard Reese (Martinez, California)

5 Stars
October 14, 2009
Years ago, Diamond wrote an essay on the origins of agriculture titled: The Worst Mistake In The History Of The Human Race, which can be read here: [...] In a nutshell, Diamond said: "Recent discoveries suggest that the adoption of agriculture, supposedly our most decisive step toward a better life, was in many ways a catastrophe from which we have never recovered. With agriculture came the gross social and sexual inequality, the disease and despotism that curse our existence." Collapse is not a critique of agriculture and civilization. Collapse is a book that explores why some societies collapse, and others survive. It takes a less radical stance, in an attempt to communicate with a more mainstream audience. Hence, in this examination Iceland is rated as a success, because it has survived for 1,000 years -- despite the fact that its modern industrial-consumer mode of living is absolutely unsustainable. Chevron is praised for being a tree-hugging oil company. And so on. Collapse gets a bit fishy in places, but overall it's solid and fair. Diamond is a geography professor at UCLA. He has given many lectures on the Easter Island story. His students always have a difficult time grasping the image of natives cutting down the last tree on the island. "That's simply not possible -- people aren't that stupid!" Well, unfortunately, yes we are, is Diamond's conclusion in Collapse. He shows us societies that collapsed because of problems that were known and correctable. In order to survive, societies need to pay attention to the ecosystem around them, take problems seriously, respond to them intelligently, and -- very importantly -- don't let dysfunctional cultural values take you down. Let go of obsolete beliefs before they destroy you. Ultimately, responsibility for society's survival is in the hands of individuals. Diamond isn't an advocate for externalizing -- sitting around whining about naughty corporations and politicians. When the people get uppity, and demand change, change happens. This is one of history's most important and obvious messages. Diamond concludes the book with the obligatory pronouncement of hope for the future. Yes, we are more aware than previous generations. Yes, we have a tremendous number of opportunities for improvement. Yes, we could really improve our prospects for the future, if we chose to pursue this. Well, miraculous change is fine with me, and if it happens, I'll eat my cynicism. I liked the book. It addresses an uncomfortable subject that has been taboo from polite conversation for far too long. The clear message is that we should not feel safe and secure because we live in the most "advanced" society in human history, where legions of angelic experts are protecting us. We are in danger, and big trouble is not too far away. I agree. But we are not without options.

nice by Cherean Kendell

3 Stars
October 14, 2009
it came quick and right when i needed it. it was in very good condition.

An "Oh, my!" kind of book by earth friendly girl (texas)

5 Stars
October 06, 2009
Truly a must read. This book will not make you feel warm and fuzzy. It is simply an honest, well organized, and devastatingly honest look at what humans are doing to the planet and to themselves. I think this should be a required reading of politicians and policy makers.

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond (Author) With a new chapter. The phenomenal bestseller—over 1.5 million copies sold—is now a major PBS special. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Guns, Germs, and Steel is a brilliant work answering the question of why the peoples of certain continents succeeded in invading other continents and conquering or displacing their peoples. This edition includes a new chapter on Japan and all-new illustrations drawn from the television series. 32 illustrations.
	The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal (P.S.) by Jared M. Diamond (Author) The Development of an Extraordinary Species We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet -- having founded civilizations and religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and created breathtaking works of art -- while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic necessities of survival. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created...
	Why Is Sex Fun?: The Evolution Of Human Sexuality (Science Masters) by Jared Diamond (Author) Why are humans one of the few species to have sex in private? Why are human females the only mammals to go through menopause? Why is the human penis so unnecessarily large? There is no more knowledgeable authority than the award-winning author of THE THIRD CHIMPANZEE to answer these intriguing questions. Here is a delightfully entertaining and enlightening look at the unique sex lives of humans.
	The Two Percent Solution: Fixing America's Problems In Ways Liberals And Conservatives Can Love by Matthew Miller (Author) Matthew Miller's "stimulating and constructive"* program for fixing America's most serious domestic problems-now updated to address the new administration (*Los Angeles Times) Matthew Miller's The Two Percent Solution challenged our country to get past bipartisan ideology and change the way we approach our biggest domestic problems. His plan? Take 2 percent of America's GDP and direct it toward a handful of fundamental goals on which all of us can agree, whether we call ourselves...
	American Heat: Ethical Problems with the United States' Response to Global Warming (Studies in Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy) by Donald A. Brown (Author) In American Heat, Donald Brown critically analyzes the U.S. response to global warming, inviting readers to examine the implicit morality of the U.S position, and ultimately to help lead the world toward an equitable sharing of the burdens and benefits of protecting the global environment. In short, Brown argues that an ethical focus on global environmental matters is the key to achieving a globally acceptable solution.