Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization Paperback – Illustrated, January 18, 2011

I bought this book to learn more on the subject of water and its impact on the world. I have the opinion that water is the next oil in the world of foreign affairs and wanted increase my understanding of it. And this book did not disappoint me in supporting this thought or in educating me in the value of water that I did not understand before. But a very interesting and important benefit, in addition to the title name sake, is the history of water expanding my general knowledge of world history.I would like to stress to all parents and teachers of eighth or ninth grade students to have the students read this book for a very clear primer about world history. If this book cannot be part of a school class then it should be encouraged to be read during the summer break and a report made on it at the beginning of the ninth grade.Learning about the value of water is important but what this book explains in terms of historical relevance from 3,000 BCE to today will make future history and social study classes much easier to learn. The student will learn why societies built up near rivers and lakes, why ocean located cities grew and expanded over inland or land locked societies. How managing water impacted technical advances in a society over another.The holidays are near get Water as a present for that 13 or 14 year child, grandchild, or young person you want to mentor.

This is really a complete history and story indeed of anything to do with the challenges presented by water - its availability or lack thereof; its moods as a medium of transport and overall; its roles in the development of human cultures and civilizations and the measures undertaken to ensure its harnessing. Water is after all some ninety percent of us all and without it, we do not survive. So, it is interesting to reflect about water as being the new oil. There are many places on earth where water is scarce. There are others where it can be a feast or famine. Having lived 32 years in Australia - the driest continent on earth - as well as water concerns being one key reason why we moved base home to my farm in northern New Zealand where I have nine perpetual springs and a seemingly endless supply of sweet water which filters through rocks over thousands of years - I do not miss the uncertainty and rather bleak future Australia has coming, along with many other places. There is something increasingly comforting knowing that New Zealand is at the ends of the earth with one of the most pristine environments anywhere and blessed with water, about which other places can only dream. While there are regional droughts in New Zealand as well, these do not come anywhere near the severity of those in Australia, Africa and elsewhere. Oddly, perhaps because New Zealand is not an "at risk" nation for water, it rates not one mention in the book. Oh... and we also own a house under the shadow of Mt Waialeale in Kaua'i, reputedly the wettest place on earth but on current evidence and experience, we have almost had, in the shadow, a year of semi drought!

I forget what what I learned from this book as I read it a while ago. But it's part of my water series and well-worth the read. It has occurred to me that sewer plants may be outlawed within my lifetime.

This book provides a history of human efforts to control fresh water dating back to the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Chinese, and covering most major civilizations since. Solomon gives an informative and fascinating account of efforts to divert, collect, and control water resources throughout history. We see the ways that droughts, floods, and fights over these resources have affected civilizations for the past 6000 years.The extent to which the ancients engineered water supplies and depended on these efforts was new to me, as I would expect it to be to the vast majority of readers. It is surprising to see how far back in history human manipulation of rivers and wetlands reaches, as well as the scale of some of these projects. It is also surprising to see how far back in history environmental damage, and economic repercussions, can be documented from some of these projects.The book follows history to the present day, covering modern dam-building, water for power generation, and even efforts to restore the drained wetlands of the Florida Everglades.Negatives: There are a few passages in Chapter 3 where the timelines confused me and I needed to resort to the Internet for clarification. There are several chapters on control of ocean shipping lanes which seem more about transportation and military history, somewhat tangential to the primary focus of the book.Overall, the book is clearly written, informative, and comprehensive. I enjoyed reading it and learned a great deal. I'd recommend the book for anyone interested in history, particularly economic or environmental history, no technical background required. The book would provide a good historical context for an introductory course on environmental policy. Another reviewer has recommended the book for high school students, and I concur. I could see the relevant chapters from this book supporting high school or undergraduate courses on ancient history, the industrial revolution, and other periods, as well as giving some historical context to an earth science course.

It's an interesting book. Worth reading if you are interested in how water influences the development of human civilization. The text is straightforward and easy to follow.

The most important liquid in the world, totally necessary life, water is also horribly underestimated as a big deal. Science must guide us in optimally planning the management and protection of water. Solomon's book builds the historical case then guides our thinking with impeccable logic. He has a scientist's perspective, and reading his book will improve the reader's.