Rivers of power : how a natural force raised kingdoms, destroyed civilizations, and shapes our world
(Book)
Author
Published
New York : Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc., 2020.
Format
Book
Edition
First edition.
Physical Desc
356 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 25 cm
Status
Main Library - Adult
333.9162 Smi
1 available
333.9162 Smi
1 available
Oliver La Farge - Adult
333.9162 Smi
1 available
333.9162 Smi
1 available
Southside - Adult
333.9162 Smi
1 available
333.9162 Smi
1 available
Description
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Note | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Main Library - Adult | 333.9162 Smi | Hardcover | On Shelf |
Oliver La Farge - Adult | 333.9162 Smi | Hardcover | On Shelf |
Southside - Adult | 333.9162 Smi | Hardcover | On Shelf |
More Details
Published
New York : Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc., 2020.
Edition
First edition.
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-345) and index.
Description
Rivers, more than any road, technology, or political leader, have shaped the course of human civilization. They have opened frontiers, founded cities, settled borders, and fed billions. They promote life, forge peace, grant power, and can capriciously destroy everything in their path. Even today, rivers remain a powerful global force -- one that is more critical than ever to our future. In Rivers of Power, geographer Laurence C. Smith explores the timeless yet underappreciated relationship between rivers and civilization as we know it. Rivers are of course important in many practical ways (water supply, transportation, sanitation, etc). But the full breadth of their influence on the way we live is less obvious. Rivers define and transcend international borders, forcing cooperation between nations. Huge volumes of river water are used to produce energy, raw commodities, and food. Wars, politics, and demography are transformed by their devastating floods. The territorial claims of nations, their cultural and economic ties to each other, and the migrations and histories of their peoples trace back to rivers, river valleys, and the topographic divides they carve upon the world. And as climate change, technology, and cities transform our relationship with nature, new opportunities are arising to protect the waters that sustain us.
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