Energy: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)
Energy: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides) book cover

Energy: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)

by
Price
$5.99
Publisher
Oneworld Publications
Publication Date

Description

'There is no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav Smil' -- Bill Gates'This book is about physical rather than social sciences. It explores important topics around how energy works, how our production and use might evolve, and how this affects climate change.' -- Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook'A breath of fresh air and a gem in the bookshop. Rich in thoughtful insights and written in sparkling prose.' -- Professor David G. Victor - School of Global Policy and Strategy, UC San Diego'This admirably clear and comprehensive guide shows how we use and misuse energy, and the prospects, as ever more if us devour the Earth's diminishing capital of fossil fuels.' ― Sir Crispin Tickell - British Ambassador to the United Nations --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He has written 40 books and nearly 500 papers on energy, environment and technical advances. In 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers, in 2014 he became the Member of the Order of Canada and in 2015 he received the OPEC Award for Research. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Features & Highlights

  • With one famous equation, E=mc2, Einstein proved all matter can be described as energy. It is everywhere and it is everything.
  • In this newly updated and engaging introduction, renowned scientist Vaclav Smil explores energy in all its facets – from the inner workings of the human body to what we eat, the car we drive and the race for more efficient and eco-friendly fuels.
  • Energy: A Beginner's Guide
  • highlights the importance of energy in both past and present societies, by shedding light on the science behind global warming and efforts to prevent it, and by revealing how our daily decisions affect energy consumption. Whether you're looking for dinner table conversation or to further your own understanding, this book will amaze and inform, uncovering the truths and exposing the myths behind one of the most important concepts in our universe.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(241)
★★★★
25%
(201)
★★★
15%
(120)
★★
7%
(56)
★
23%
(184)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Nice book. Few corrections concerning Chernobyl accident discussed in ...

Nice book.

Few corrections concerning Chernobyl accident discussed in chapter
4. First, RBMK reactor is shielded (it is not be possible to operate
unshielded reactor). Second, the accident was much worse than the core
meltdown. Destruction of the reactor started by power
excursion. Reactor confinement was destroyed by explosions. It
provided leakpath for radioactivity release. Fire of graphite
moderator then lifted radioactive gas and particles to the
stratosphere.

Comment to the E-book typography: using of two font sizes rends the
book difficult to read on Kindle (at least with my eyes).
15 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

One or the other

I read “Energy and Civilization” enjoyed that and decided to read this book. I think one or the other is sufficient. They both are good and communicate our reliance on fossil fuels and the need to find alternatives.
10 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Much deeper than I expected...

I was hoping for an entertaining and enlightening read. I didn't get it. I'm an electrical engineer and this book was far too deep for a casual read. It rivaled for complexity my calculus-based physics texts from university. I didn't finish it.
7 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Information-dense

Different kinds of energy, past and present. Dry, factual, easy to read, but hard to absorb, because so much information is transmitted. I learned a great deal. PS: there will be numbers!
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Great book for getting started in the study of energy

Vaclav Smil has a great way of presenting facts and figures so that you understand them in context.

I learned a lot from this.
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Good overview

The writing was straight forward and the historical overview of energy sources was interesting. The evaluation of future energy sources is limited to current knowledge as it only can be. However what was not addressed was the impact on demand for natural resources required by developing technologies. Such as, the quantities of steel, concrete, copper, rare earths, lithium and others. I believe limits on key natural resources will be the limiting factor on any of the developing energy technologies.
✓ Verified Purchase

Useful background

This book advertises itself as a beginners guide, but I found it to be a very useful exploration of where we war and how we got here. By covering all aspects of energy, rather than going deep on any single topic, it provides a big picture outlook that few other books provide. Smil’s other book on energy and civilization provides more depth, but I think I’d start with this one. It’s relatively short and has a high information density
✓ Verified Purchase

Great survey of the subject

This is my first book by Vaclav Smil. I had heard great things about him, and I was not disappointed. The book is a very detailed short introduction to the topic of energy. My only complaint is that the book is a little dry. Apart from that it is very much worth your time.
✓ Verified Purchase

Good for overview

Smil provides relevant data and understanding to each type of energy, useful for one to grasp a basic understanding of energy, various sources, it’s origin; not so much for prediction. Typical Smil, he doesn’t load up on opinions and leaves readers to digest and form opinion. I do wish more charts and tables to complement the narrative.
✓ Verified Purchase

Interesting

Based on his previous book about materials, I expected a bit more detailed information about the problems (physical and chemical in addition to beaurocratictic) that are limiting solar cell production, nuclear fusion, wave-kinetic energy harnessing, etc., technologies of the potential future. But there was a M ton of information and I suppose it has "beginner 's guide" on the title, so it is what it is. My favorite part is the in depth analysis of the energy stored in materials and goods, and how they are transferred around the world and reside in everyday as objects. I personally recommend reading the previous materials book which instilled in me an understanding of the physical magnitude of these materials, then this analysis goes more into what it took to make that happen (starting with the sun most of all).

Related Books