[PO & Related Books: Reading List]

Heineken

In the past year, I've read the following books. I have given each a rating on a scale from 1 to 5 points, where 1 point is probably not worth your time and 5 points is must-read. The books are not listed in any particular order.

The End of Oil, by Roberts (3)---PO
The Oil Factor, by Leeb and Leeb (4)---PO and personal finance
Crisis Preparedness, by Spigarelli (4)---survivalism
The Party's Over, by Heinberg (5)---PO
Powerdown, by Heinberg (3)---PO
Rogue Nation, by Prestowitz (3)---U.S. imperialism
The Sorrows of Empire, by Johnson (5)---U.S. imperialism and militarism
The Long Emergency, by Kunstler (4)---PO, sociology
Resource Wars, by Klare (2)---what it says
One with Ninevah, by Ehrlich and Ehrlich (2)---environmental destruction, dieoff
Final Exit (suicide book), by Humphrey (5, depending on circumstances)

The best book of the lot is in boldface.

Now my reading program has stalled. If you would be so kind, dear reader, please share your own list and your own rating on the same 5-point scale. I am looking for well-researched, well-written, current (or timeless), consciousness-expanding books on the subjects of PO, environmental destruction, dieoff, the approaching economic train wreck, U.S. imperialism, and survivalism. No beyond-the-fringe stuff, please. Synopses and more detailed opinions than just the numerical rating are highly welcome, but to play the game fairly, you must also assign a numerical rating.

{my judgment call moving this to the Book/Media Reviews subforum; EE}

some_guy282 · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 18, 2004 Posts: 691

Good topic. I've been running thin on reading material myself.

You haven't gotten Twilight in the Desert yet? Matt Simons. 5.
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Armageddon

crossing the rubicon - 5

twilight in the desert- 5

Pfish

The Collaps of Complex Civilizations by Joeseph Tainter Suprisingly he suggest resource depletion is not the culprit of fallen dynasties. I will leave his theory up to you.....
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Heineken

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Come on, POers, keep 'em coming!

Leanan · News Editor Joined: May 20, 2004 Posts: 4533

I second The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter. It's expensive, probably because it's used as a textbook for anthropology classes, but worth it.

I also recommend Jared Diamond. Collapse is his most recent book, and most relevant to peak oil. I also like his Pulitzer-prize winning previous book, Guns, Germs, and Steel. It explains why Western civilization came to dominate the world. (Hint: it wasn't the inherent superiority of Europeans, capitalism, or democracy.)

David Goodstein's Out of Gas: the End of the Age of Oil is a peak oil book for people who are wondering why alternatives can't save us. Goodstein, a CalTech physicist, examines the alternatives thermodynamically. He's not a complete pessimist, but the laws of physics are definiately against us, and he explains why.

I haven't read Deffeyes' latest book, but I liked the first one. That's the book to read if you're wondering how they know we won't find more oil just by drilling deeper.

And of course, there's Simmons' Twilight In the Desert. He's unusual for a peak oilist: a conservative Republican, and the banker to the Texas oil industry. For someone already peak oil aware, his book is a fascinating read. It might be a bit much for a peak oil newbie.

retiredguy

"Overshoot" by Catton is a must-read. Written in the early 80's but amazingly prescient.

I also second or third "Twilight".

Lastly, "Eco Economy" by Lester Brown is worth a read. He has a follow-up book coming out in early 2006.

rkerver

By William Clark, new book, Petrodollar Warfare : Oil, Iraq and the Future of the Dollar <see my review, rated *****>
FYI, our group here in Massachusetts has selected Richard Heinberg's book The Party's Over as the best general introduction to the topic of Peak Oil, have ordered a bulk quantity at $9 per copy, and are giving copy to our state legislators.

Petrodollar · Last edited by Petrodollar on Wed Sep 14, 2005 4:08 pm; edited 2 times in total

Richard Kerver,
Thank you for the kind words regarding my book, Petrodollar Warfare. I am glad you found it interesting.

I am also grateful for the following review of my book by Jim Miles, for those who might be interested in this subject matter:

http://palestinechronicle.com/story.php?sid=20050905230608447

I agree with you that Richard Heinberg's first (& now updated) book, The Party's Over, is perhaps one of the best resources out there which covers the full scope of Peak Oil. (BTW, I acknowlege his contributions in the Foreword of my book, along with Colin Campbell too).

I almost forgot, but here's 2 more books that I want to read:

Oil Addiction: The World in Peril by Pierre Chomat
(I've read a few exerts that were translated from French to English, and I ordered the english version from amazon.com earlier this week)

Relocalize Now! Getting Ready for Climate Change and the End of Cheap Oil - A Post Carbon Guide by Julian Darley
http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/3895
(Julian is a friend of mine, and his book should be a powerful guide as to what is required in the PO world. Unfortunately it does not come out until November 2005, but it should be well worth the wait...)

Thank you again for your kind words.
-William

Bandidoz · Heavy Crude Joined: Mar 02, 2005 Posts: 150 Location: UK

Not sure if this thread should be in "Current Events"

Try "Energy Beyond Oil" by Paul Mobbs. I give it a 5, and is one of the "must read"s.
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Armageddon

i was contemplating which PO book i was going to read next, and after reading this thread, i am heading to barnes and noble and buying richards book, the partys over. richard is one of my favorite PO people. i actually email him questions once in a while and he is very cordial in his response.

Heineken

Richard Heinberg is a true educator (and that's how he views his mission). I agree that "The Party's Over" is the seminal tome on this subject, especially for newbies. I was reluctant to have to rate its successor, "Powerdown," as only a 3 on my scale. I felt that, in some places in that book, Heinberg lost his composure and objectivity by including some political rants that weakened the impact. (And I say that as someone who is at least as liberal as Heinberg.)

Kunstler is another PO figure who has been known to take time to answer fans' e-mail (including e-mail from me). I was trying to convince him to let me edit his stuff, but he said the publishers do it for free. (That may be true, but you usually get what you pay for. "The Long Emergency" is full of goofs and material that could have been even better wrought.)

Special thanks to "Petrodollar" for his comments. I'm sure to give his book a shot. (Hey, need an editor, Petrodollar? I have 27 years' experience and am certified an ELS(D).)
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"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
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Petrodollar · Last edited by Petrodollar on Thu Sep 15, 2005 11:34 am; edited 1 time in total

Update: Yesterday I received my copy of Pierre Chomat's book, Oil Addiction: The World in Peril (translated by Pamela Gilbert-Synder).

Oil Addiction: The World In Peril - [Amazon.com]

I read several chapters last night, and I will say two things about this relatively short book (237 pages w/ somewhat large font size):

1) It is highly readable, both in prose and in format. The author's anecdotal stories and observations from all over the globe are based on his career as a French petroleum engineer, and each story is quite fasinating. His grasp of "petro-history" is also very impressive.

2) This book powerfully demonstrates just how addicted to oil we have become as a species, with particular criticism of US consumption and related foreign policies. He provides a strong critique of recent events in Mespotania...but he is quite passionate about the course of humanity.

While somewhat short on solutions, this book is absolutely rich with examples that demonstrate the enormity of the problem. He constantly informs the reader of how energy dense hydrocarbons truly are, as we burn these "little slaves" in order to perform such things as washing clothes in a domestic clothes washer, to an international flight of US toursits visiting Egypt - an amount of energy expended in flight which he purports is more energy than what was expended over several years by thousands of slaves toiling to build the Great pyramids...

Bottom line: Highly recommended reading, especially for those who want to buy a book on Peak Oil for friends or family who may prefer to read non-technical and/or fiction books. This book is of course non-fiction, but it is written in such a lively, engaging, non-technical manner, that I had quite a hard time putting the book down last night...but we must all sleep from time to time. Smile

Overall, an amazing little book.

{URL touch-up; EE}

Heineken

Guess not.

EnviroEngr

He may have missed the offer....
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