Book description
A âsmart and surprisingâ (Booklist) âexpansive historyâ (Publishers Weekly) detailing the role that wood and trees have played in our global ecosystemâincluding human evolution and the rise and fall of empiresâin the bestselling tradition of Yuval Harariâs Sapiens and Mark Kurlanskyâs Salt.
As the dominant species on Earth, humans haveâŚ
Why read it?
2 authors picked The Age of Wood as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This book changed my perspective on human history. Ennos mixes history and science to tell a sweeping tale about how our relationship with wood enormously influenced civilization.Â
I love the way Ennos takes readers all over the worldâto its forests and citiesâto trace this fascinating true story. He goes all that way back to our origins to show that discovering how to use wood propelled us forward. This is a wonderful book that serves as a reminder of just how critical materials are to humanity and how learning how to best employ them has propelled us forward. Â
From Peter's list on for passionate innovators.
It is easy to imagine that in the Stone Age, stone tools were the critical thing, that in the Bronze Age, bronze tools were the critical thing, and so on. The truth is that right up until very recent times, most of our technology was made from wood. Even before modern humans evolved, we were deeply shaped by the physical realities of wood, and the challenges and opportunities it provides. Large animals that live in trees need big brains and spatial awareness to avoid falling to their death, and the habitations of early humans were surely closely related to theâŚ
From Luke's list on grand, unifying ideas for how the world works.
If you love The Age of Wood...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa storiesâall 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 argueâŚ
Want books like The Age of Wood?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Age of Wood.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,278
readers submitted
so far, will you?
đ If you like The Age of Wood, you might also like...
The Bridge
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, circularâŚ
And Then They Were Gone
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 JimâŚ
