--- product_id: 255034525 title: "Energy and Civilization: A History" price: "Rp1434354" currency: IDR in_stock: true reviews_count: 5 url: https://www.desertcart.id/products/255034525-energy-and-civilization-a-history store_origin: ID region: Indonesia --- # Energy and Civilization: A History **Price:** Rp1434354 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Energy and Civilization: A History - **How much does it cost?** Rp1434354 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.id](https://www.desertcart.id/products/255034525-energy-and-civilization-a-history) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Buy Energy and Civilization: A History by Smil, Vaclav online on desertcart.ae at best prices. ✓ Fast and free shipping ✓ free returns ✓ cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. Review: Lo acabo de recibir. Impaciente por leerlo, el autor es muy bueno. Review: The best text for an undergrad history of energy that I could find in 1990s was 'In the Servitude of Power: Energy through the Ages' by three French, Marxist-influenced academics -- Deleage, Debeir, Hemery. At the time, as I pursued a Ph.D in Interdisciplinary Humanities at FSU with the goal of teaching STS (Science-Tech-Society) at a American Engineering or Architecture school, the Marxist slant was (and is) a taboo point-of-view. Smil does not punctuate his narrative with Marxist critiques at each stage of energy development, concluding that an Era of Renewable energy would require Marxist transformation of society. Certainly a transition from fossil fuels-based to renewable 'Green' tech-based energy has been slow in progressing in the 25 years that have passed (also I was never able to teach history of energy in history depts. as specialized intellectual history nor as STS coursework. I sincerely hope that Smil's less ideologically-driven narrative will be accepted at engineering schools as a much-needed antidote to the conservative view that the costs of transforming fossil-fuel techs is too great to bear. So instead, govt. policy impedes this transition by subsidizing coal & oil so long as these big political donors support politicians who do as they are told. Marxist or liberal bias aside, Europe has progressed toward renewables while the U S govt policy has staggered from pro-renewable to anti-green depending on the what PAC spends most on political ads. Energy and Civiization reads more like a science text than intellectual history but this is ideal for STEM students. For those who might wish a more historical approach to history of tech, check out Boorstin's The Americans: The Democratic Experience ( last of his trilogy). The title is misleading; this is history of U S tech from post- Civil War to 1970s. Wonderfully blends tech history with entertaining narrative, i.e. , oil wild-catting, rise of a statistically-measured society and insurers, etc. With its broad sweep of energy development within world history, Smil could be specialized secondary text for a traditional World Civilization requirement. Also,for those who enjoyed this I'd recommend Diamond's Germs, Guns, and Steel from late 1990s -- it is an extraordinary synthesis of various scientific fields that explains the present-day dominance of science-based Western culture based on environmental circumstances and climate without depending upon racial biases which argue that caucasians are more intelligent than other races. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #20,108 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #16 in Energy Production & Extraction #200 in World History #254 in Nature & Ecology | | Customer reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (716) | | Dimensions | 15.2 x 3.7 x 22.9 cm | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 0262536161 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0262536165 | | Item weight | 645 g | | Language | English | | Print length | 562 pages | | Publication date | 13 November 2018 | | Publisher | The MIT Press | | Reading age | 18 years and up | ## Images ![Energy and Civilization: A History - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81YTiOymDWL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review *by V***A on 17 April 2023* Lo acabo de recibir. Impaciente por leerlo, el autor es muy bueno. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review *by J***L on 26 October 2020* The best text for an undergrad history of energy that I could find in 1990s was 'In the Servitude of Power: Energy through the Ages' by three French, Marxist-influenced academics -- Deleage, Debeir, Hemery. At the time, as I pursued a Ph.D in Interdisciplinary Humanities at FSU with the goal of teaching STS (Science-Tech-Society) at a American Engineering or Architecture school, the Marxist slant was (and is) a taboo point-of-view. Smil does not punctuate his narrative with Marxist critiques at each stage of energy development, concluding that an Era of Renewable energy would require Marxist transformation of society. Certainly a transition from fossil fuels-based to renewable 'Green' tech-based energy has been slow in progressing in the 25 years that have passed (also I was never able to teach history of energy in history depts. as specialized intellectual history nor as STS coursework. I sincerely hope that Smil's less ideologically-driven narrative will be accepted at engineering schools as a much-needed antidote to the conservative view that the costs of transforming fossil-fuel techs is too great to bear. So instead, govt. policy impedes this transition by subsidizing coal & oil so long as these big political donors support politicians who do as they are told. Marxist or liberal bias aside, Europe has progressed toward renewables while the U S govt policy has staggered from pro-renewable to anti-green depending on the what PAC spends most on political ads. Energy and Civiization reads more like a science text than intellectual history but this is ideal for STEM students. For those who might wish a more historical approach to history of tech, check out Boorstin's The Americans: The Democratic Experience ( last of his trilogy). The title is misleading; this is history of U S tech from post- Civil War to 1970s. Wonderfully blends tech history with entertaining narrative, i.e. , oil wild-catting, rise of a statistically-measured society and insurers, etc. With its broad sweep of energy development within world history, Smil could be specialized secondary text for a traditional World Civilization requirement. Also,for those who enjoyed this I'd recommend Diamond's Germs, Guns, and Steel from late 1990s -- it is an extraordinary synthesis of various scientific fields that explains the present-day dominance of science-based Western culture based on environmental circumstances and climate without depending upon racial biases which argue that caucasians are more intelligent than other races. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review *by P***O on 20 October 2024* Boken borde läsas av många, beslutsfattare, politiker, alla som hoppas att vi kan undgå en klimatkollaps. Det är bra om man har en naturvetenskaplig bakgrund, men inte helt nödvändigt. Intresse att förstå viktiga samband är avgörande. Om det är ont om tid, så kan man starta med kapitel 5, som avhandlar den tekniska utvecklingen sen ungefär 1500, med början i Europa. Energi och dess omvandlingar är förbundna med ekonomin, skriver V Smil med eftertryck. Referenser upptar hela 67 sidor. ## Frequently Bought Together - Energy and Civilization: A History (Mit Press) - How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going - Numbers Don't Lie: 71 Stories to Help Us Understand the Modern World --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.id/products/255034525-energy-and-civilization-a-history](https://www.desertcart.id/products/255034525-energy-and-civilization-a-history) --- *Product available on Desertcart Indonesia* *Store origin: ID* *Last updated: 2026-05-01*