Energy and Civilization: A History

Vaclav Smil: Energy and Civilization - A History

In no particular order, and some of these being more "highly underrated" as opposed to "unknown", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read: 1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982) https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430) My introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena. 2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977) https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631) Distills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely. 3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776) https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)…