Book cover of Energy and the Wealth of Nations: An Introduction to Biophysical Economics

Book description

In this updated edition of a groundbreaking text, concepts such as energy return on investment (EROI) provide powerful insights into the real balance sheets that drive our "petroleum economy." Hall and Klitgaard explore the relation between energy and the wealth explosion of the 20th century, and the interaction of internal…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Energy and the Wealth of Nations as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book should have launched debates and discussions about how our economies are not closed-loop perpetual motion machines with no input other than ideas and technology, but instead machines ultimately powered by access to excess energy.

Charles Hall developed the concept of energy return on investment (EROI – how much energy it costs to get some amount of energy back. Alongside Valclav Smil’s many books, this is a must read.

From Michael's list on changing how you see the world.

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December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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The Bridge by Kim Hudson,

The Bridge provides a compassionate and well researched window into the worlds of linear and circular thinking. A core pattern to the inner workings of these two thinking styles is revealed, and most importantly, insight into how to cross the distance between them. Some fascinating features emerged such as, circular…

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And Then They Were Gone by Ron Cabral,

Of the 918 Americans who died in the shocking murder-suicides of November 18, 1978, in the tiny South American country of Guyana, a third were under eighteen. More than half were in their twenties or younger.

The authors taught in a small high school in San Francisco where Reverend Jim…

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