Guns, germs, and steel : the fates of human societies

In this "artful, informative, and delightful" (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Societies that had had a head start in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage, and then developed religion --as well as nasty germs and potent weapons of war --and adventured on sea and land to conquer and decimate preliterate cultures. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, the Rhone-Poulenc Prize, and the Commonwealth club of California's Gold Medal. Why Did Eurasians Conquer, Displace, Or Decimate Native Americans, Australians, And Africans, Instead Of The Reverse? In This Groundbreaking Book, Evolutionary Biologist Jared Diamond Stunningly Dismantles Racially Based Theories Of Human History By Revealing The Environmental Factors Actually Responsible For History's Broadest Patterns. Here, At Last, Is A World History That Really Is A History Of All The World's Peoples, A Unified Narrative Of Human Life Even More Intriguing And Important Than Accounts Of Dinosaurs And Glaciers. A Major Advance In Our Understanding Of Human Societies, Guns, Germs, And Steel Chronicles The Way That The Modern World, And Its Inequalities, Came To Be. It Is A Work Rich In Dramatic Revelations That Will Fascinate Readers Even As It Challenges Conventional Wisdom. Yali's Question: The Regionally Differing Courses Of History -- From Eden To Cajamarca. Up To The Starting Line: What Happened On All The Continents Before 11,000 B.c.? -- Natural Experiment Of History: How Geography Molded Societies On The Polynesian Islands -- Collision At Cajamarca: Why The Inca Emperor Atahuallpa Did Not Capture King Charles I Of Spain -- Rise And Spread Of Food Production. Farmer Power: The Roots Of Guns, Germs, And Steel -- History's Haves And Have-nots: Geographic Differences In The Onset Of Food Production -- To Farm Or Not To Farm: Causes Of The Spread Of Food Production -- How To Make An Almond: The Unconscious Development Of Ancient Crops -- Apples Or Indians: Why Did Peoples Of Some Regions Fail To Domesticate Plants? -- Zebras, Unhappy Marriages, And The Anna Karenina Principle: Why Were Most Big Wild Mammal Species Never Domesticated? -- Spacious Skies And Tilted Axes: Why Did Food Production Spread At Different Rates On Different Continents? -- From Food To Guns, Germs, And Steel. Lethal Gift Of Livestock: The Evolution Of Germs -- Blueprints And Borrowed Letters: The Evolution Of Writing -- Necessity's Mother: The Evolution Of Technology -- From Egalitarianism To Kleptocracy: The Evolution Of Government And Religion -- Around The World In Five Chapters. Yali's People: The Histories Of Australia And New Guinea -- How China Became Chinese: The History Of East Asia -- Speedboat To Polynesia: The History Of Austronesian Expansion -- Hemispheres Colliding: The Histories Of Eurasia And The Americas Compared -- How Africa Became Black: The History Of Africa -- Future Of Human History As A Science. Jared Diamond. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 429-457) And Index. Preface to the Paperback Edition PROLOGUE YALI’S QUESTION The regionally differing courses of history PART ONE FROM EDEN TO CAJAMARCA CHAPTER 1 UP TO THE STARTING LINE What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.? CHAPTER 2 A NATURAL EXPERIMENT OF HISTORY How geography molded societies on Polynesian islands CHAPTER 3 COLLISION AT CAJAMARCA Why the Inca emperor Atahuallpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain PART TWO THE RISE AND SPREAD OF FOOD PRODUCTION CHAPTER 4 FARMER POWER The roots of guns, germs, and steel CHAPTER 5 HISTORY’S HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS Geographic differences in the onset of food production CHAPTER 6 TO FARM OR NOT TO FARM Causes of the spread of food production CHAPTER 7 HOW TO MAKE AN ALMOND The unconscious development of ancient crops CHAPTER 8 APPLES OR INDIANS Why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants? CHAPTER 9 ZEBRAS, UNHAPPY MARRIAGES, AND THEANNA KARENINA PRINCIPLE Why were most big wild mammal species never domesticated? CHAPTER 10 SPACIOUS SKIES AND TILTED AXES Why did food production spread at different rates on different continents? PART THREE FROM FOOD TO GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL CHAPTER 11 LETHAL GIFT OF LIVESTOCK The evolution of germs CHAPTER 12 BLUEPRINTS AND BORROWED LETTERS The evolution of writing CHAPTER 13 NECESSITY’S MOTHER The evolution of technology CHAPTER 14 FROM EGALITARIANISM TO KLEPTOCRACY The evolution of government and religion PART FOUR AROUND THE WORLD IN FIVE CHAPTERS CHAPTER 15 YALI’S PEOPLE The histories of Australia and New Guinea CHAPTER 16 HOW CHINA BECAME CHINESE The history of East Asia CHAPTER 17 SPEEDBOAT TO POLYNESIA The history of the Austronesian expansion CHAPTER 18 HEMISPHERES COLLIDING The histories of Eurasia and the Americas compared CHAPTER 19 HOW AFRICA BECAME BLACK The history of Africa EPILOGUE THE FUTURE OF HUMAN HISTORY AS A SCIENCE 2003 Afterword: Guns, Germs, and Steel Today Acknowledgments Further Readings Credits INDEX None YALI’S QUESTION The regionally differing courses of history FROM EDEN TO CAJAMARCA UP TO THE STARTING LINE What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.? A NATURAL EXPERIMENT OF HISTORY How geography molded societies on Polynesian islands COLLISION AT CAJAMARCA Why the Inca emperor Atahuallpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain THE RISE AND SPREAD OF FOOD PRODUCTION FARMER POWER The roots of guns, germs, and steel HISTORY’S HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS Geographic differences in the onset of food production TO FARM OR NOT TO FARM Causes of the spread of food production HOW TO MAKE AN ALMOND The unconscious development of ancient crops APPLES OR INDIANS Why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants? ZEBRAS, UNHAPPY MARRIAGES, AND THEANNA KARENINA PRINCIPLE Why were most big wild mammal species never domesticated? SPACIOUS SKIES AND TILTED AXES Why did food production spread at different rates on different continents? FROM FOOD TO GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL LETHAL GIFT OF LIVESTOCK The evolution of germs BLUEPRINTS AND BORROWED LETTERS The evolution of writing NECESSITY’S MOTHER The evolution of technology FROM EGALITARIANISM TO KLEPTOCRACY The evolution of government and religion AROUND THE WORLD IN FIVE CHAPTERS YALI’S PEOPLE The histories of Australia and New Guinea HOW CHINA BECAME CHINESE The history of East Asia SPEEDBOAT TO POLYNESIA The history of the Austronesian expansion HEMISPHERES COLLIDING The histories of Eurasia and the Americas compared HOW AFRICA BECAME BLACK The history of Africa THE FUTURE OF HUMAN HISTORY AS A SCIENCE Guns, Germs, and Steel Today None None None None This book traces the development of primitive societies, showing why some groups advanced more rapidly than others and how this progression explains why various populations stabilize at specific phases of development while others continue to evolve An epic detective story that offers a gripping expose on why the world is so unequal. Professor Jared Diamond traveled the globe for over 30 years trying to answer this question. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book. A suitable starting point from which to compare historical developments on the different continents is around 11,000 B.C.