Children of the Sun: A History of Humanity's Unappeasable Appetite for Energy

by Alfred W. Crosby

Book Overview

We don't often recognize the humble activity of cooking for the revolutionary cultural adaptation that it is. But when the hearth fires started burning in the Paleolithic, humankind broadened the exploitation of food and initiated an avalanche of change. And we don't often associate cooking with drilling for oil, but both are innovations that allow us to tap the sun energy accumulated in organic matter. Alfred W. Crosby, a founder of the field of...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393059359
• ISBN13: 9780393059359
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable, informative read on energy through human history

As a short (167pp) and enjoyable history of the place of energy through human history, I can recommend Children of the Sun, by Alfred w. Crosby. This chronological survey of the subject -- spanning from the introduction of fire (at the time when yoga tights were made from mammoth fur) through the various fossil fuels and uses and ending with nuclear - is told with clear prose and is liberally sprinkled with enlightening and entertaining (or humourously disturbing) historical anecdotes, references to names we've heard and trivia. A couple of examples: 1. to amuse Louis XV, "Jean-Antoine Nollet... arranged 180 gendarmes in a circle holding hands and had one of them touch the brass ball in the lid of the charged Leyden jar [early battery]. The shock ran through all 180 instantly and they jumped and gasped in perfect Unison. The King loved it." 2. "The Chicago World's Fair, better known as the Columbian Exposition [ 400th anniversary of Columbus arriving in the Americas] or the White City, was officially opened at a locale a few miles from downtown on May 1, 1893 . (a year late, you may notice, but major demonstrations of a civilizations prowess aren't thrown together in a day.) 3. [ regarding the first ever execution by electricity] The current was turned off; doctors are examined Kemmler and pronounced him dead. One of the witnesses, Dr. Alfred W. Southwick, an advocate of electrocution as a merciful means of execution, declared: "there is the culmination of ten years work and study. We live in a higher civilization from this day." But Kemmler's chest still rose and fell: he seemed to be breathing. The switch was thrown again. Kemmler when rigid again. For an instant there was a blue flame at his neck. His clothes caught fire. There is a very strong smell of burning meat. Now there was no question as to his death." The book is far from a comprehensive or fully critical look at the issues concerning the various choices that were made and remain to be made regarding our energy use and how we source it. It does not try to be that. Instead, you have a quick and informative outline of the tremendously important role that energy has played in the evolution of human civilization. If there is one real lack, it is the short shrift given to renewable energy which is not even worthy of mention in the table of contents while both `fission' and `fusion' are. Look for this book, then, as being more informative of the energy happenings prior to mid-20th Century. However, on the subject of nuclear, while the author does a creditable job of trying to be objective in presenting many points-of-view, he nonetheless is clear in his belief that nuclear if the best way to achieve needed quantities of energy (and his support for the billions needed for continued fusion research). He gives considerable space (21pp) to a discussion of fission's history and includes thought-provoking nuggets, such as: "a pound of uranium can produce as much heat as 2.5 millio

Put's gas prices in perspective

All energy comes from the sun and we can't get enough of it. Can we ever get enough? There is a small chance we could -- if we get fusion {build a small sun that works here on earth) to really work for us. But don't count on it any time soon. This is good short story of how we got to the point where we need something like fusion to appease our appetite for energy. Importing gasoline from India won't do it.

A little book with much to offer

There aren't many books written for everybody. This one fits squarely in that limited niche. After all, fuel, in one form or another, is a universal human demand. Since the science of energy use and climate change appears to miss many readers, Alfred Crosby has decided to lead readers along a smoother path. It's clear, as the fuel crisis grows more visible and corrective action is in such short supply, the more people understand what is happening, the better. Ignorance of our situation, in Crosby's view, is a major roadblock to prompting us to consider our options carefully. In this highly readable account, he explains clearly our dependence on fossil fuels and the impact of that reliance. He lines out how human fuel use has progressed over the centuries. Our awareness of the true source of those fuels, our host star, came late. Almost too late. Our energy use has gone through a series of mighty jumps. At one time we used as much fuel as we could consume as food. From that balance we have progressed to using about 115 times as much energy as our ancestors did. How has this circumstance come about? The sun, of course, is the foundation of all our energy. Ancient trees, covered over with layers of soil turned rock, became the coal foundation for industrial development. Ancient bodies through a similar process became oil, hence petroleum. Your electricity likely derives from those old trees, while your auto belches the last remains of those animal corpses. Even the replacement energy form of wind is solar driven. Nuclear power, especially the promised version of fusion, relies on our knowledge of mechanisms making sunlight. With oil manifestly running out, Crosby notes, more attention must be given to the alternatives. Throughout this account, the science underlying the author's message is manifest, yet he doesn't overwhelm the reader with its presence. The message remains that we must understand what underpins our energy gluttony and why it must be directed to new forms. These new forms must be considered carefully. Crosby's major contribution in the discussion of energy and the replacements for declining oil and polluting coal is the costs of the alternatives. Hydrogen, so plentiful and clean, is expensive to produce and deliver. Nuclear fusion, once so promising, is a distant prospect. Crosby explains the fusion option perhaps better than any commentator to date. Atomic fission, already in place, has been beset by popular fears, yet is a major factor in France, which has run a safe nuclear programme for years. Nearly 80% of France's electricity is nuclear generated, while the US, the planet's overweening energy consumer, has barely achieved 20%. He's forthright in his assessment of the issues, and vivid in his denunciation of our unconscious and unconscionable consumption. There are viable solutions, but we must be prepared to tolerate the costs and potential inconvenience of turning to them. We know how to ma

Excellent

Chock full of facts that you feel stupid for not knowing earlier. Provides a good basis for intelligent discussion of energy policy.

A Quick Gallop Through the History of Humanity's Quest for Energy

In less than 170 pages of lively and entertaining prose, the author presents what essentially amounts to the story of the human race: approximately from the birth of homo sapiens to today. The main theme around which this story is woven is the need for and use of energy. Starting with food (from hunting and gathering to agriculture) to power muscles, all the way to the more energy-dense fossil fuels to power steam engines and (later) internal combustion engines, and culminating with nuclear fission reactors and future prospects for nuclear fusion reactors, the author discusses humanity's quest for greater and greater quantities of energy. The book is well-written and in an engaging style. Although the reader may feel that the author occasionally seems to deviate from the book's main theme, it eventually becomes clear that he is not, but simply meandering his way along towards his original goal. Overall this is a very informative sweeping overview of humanity's quest for energy.