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Water
- A Biography
- Narrated by: Giulio Boccaletti
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
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Publisher's summary
Spanning millennia and continents, here is a stunningly revealing history of how the distribution of water has shaped human civilization. Boccaletti, of The Nature Conservancy, “tackles the most important story of our time: our relationship with water in a world of looming scarcity” (Kelly McEvers, NPR host).
Writing with authority and brio, Giulio Boccaletti - honorary research associate at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford - shrewdly combines environmental and social history, beginning with the earliest civilizations of sedentary farmers on the banks of the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates Rivers. Even as he describes how these societies were made possible by sea-level changes from the last glacial melt, he incisively examines how this type of farming led to irrigation and multiple cropping, which, in turn, led to a population explosion and labor specialization.
We see with clarity how irrigation’s structure informed social structure (inventions such as the calendar sprung from agricultural necessity); how in ancient Greece, the communal ownership of wells laid the groundwork for democracy; how the Greek and Roman experiences with water security resulted in systems of taxation; and how the modern world as we know it began with a legal framework for the development of water infrastructure.
Extraordinary for its monumental scope and piercing insightfulness, Water: A Biography richly enlarges our understanding of our relationship to - and fundamental reliance on - the most elemental substance on Earth.
Cover image: "Vista", painting by Tobias Tovera © 2016
Critic reviews
"Brimming with ideas and unexpected correlations, Water is far more than a biography of its nominal subject.... The book stands as a compelling history of civilization itself." (Gerard Helferich, Wall Street Journal Book Review)
"This is one of the most ambitious books that I've read in a long time. It is both deep and broad." (Ari Shapiro, NPR All Things Considered)
"[A] wonderfully detailed account of humankind’s relationship with water.... During this time of accelerated population growth, climate change, and political instability, Water is essential reading." (George Kendall, Booklist)
What listeners say about Water
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tom
- 05-11-22
Understand Built-Environment Governance~Know Water
Listened twice. A significant amount of content to integrate with my understanding to date (1946 Boomer) to get a broader Whole Earth understanding, a goal since 1968.
The many mistakes in managing water resources revealed here are invisible as we look from our high level of assisted living.
As Humans expanded the assisted living built-environment in unsustainable ways, Nature was scarred. Water resources were damaged, and people suffered and died due to failures of intelligence.
The current sustainability challenge we face is a consequence of the 30 trillion metric tonne Technosphere.
Places in the natural environment where expansion could not be maintained, ancient settlements, are found by lidar today. Water engineering and governance are little-studied but critical, as we learn from Giulio in this book.
Listen, think, integrate and pass on this important perspective.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Saad M.
- 12-30-21
Needed more fleshing out
Hard to keep up with it without prior knowledge. Hard to see the connection between political changes and water. Doesn’t do a good job explaining
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5 people found this helpful
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- Ron
- 04-21-22
Great book, but reader could be better
I loved the content
I only wish the reader was different
I am very hard of hearing and the accent was different from that of other readers.
That made it sometimes hard for me to understand
That said, I would get it again
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4 people found this helpful
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- Elior Sterling
- 09-30-21
Like Cadillac Desert, but for the whole world
The history of human interaction with water is fascinating. The ways in which we have harnessed the power of rivers and and rain with water storage, canals, dams, and other constructions is so much more important to society than most of us realize.
As we face the challenges of global climate change, we need to understand the history of water management in order to create and manage the infrastructure that will sustain is into this uncertain future. Learning from the mistakes of the past as well as the victories will help us envision tomorrow's water management landscape.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 03-29-22
Tour de Force
What an insightful trip through world, geopolitical history seen through the unifying lens of water. A must read to understand our past and to prepare for out collective future.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Carolina G.
- 03-05-23
Well-researched and we’ll told water history book
This book is truly inspirational. So many water stories. The main thread of the book is that the development of the state came from water organization needs. And the well researched history is told in a story form that reminds you of a wise old person passing on knowledge.
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- Sarah
- 08-21-22
Water - A Political History
I was so excited when I began reading this book but my excitement quickly led to disappointment when the author pivoted from a riveting scientific history of water to a history of human interaction with water. I understood the need for this element to be discussed but as the book went on the author went further away from what is promised by the title and instead got into the nitty gritty of governance and law in relation to water over the course of human history. I have already read a lot of books on that subject and I was excited to read a book that was about water itself, what it does, how it is important to eco systems etc. I kept battling through this book but it is dry and boring compared to other political histories of water management like Cadillac Desert and Where the Water Goes. I think the 'Biography' title is incredibly misleading as the book really does not deliver a biography of water but instead a political history of water management.
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- Suzanne Szucs
- 07-27-22
Solid water
This was a tough read for a variety of reasons. The “biography” was very historical and wove in political issues from throughout history. So the book focuses on politics rather than water itself. It’s focused on big powers, mostly the west with a healthy dose of China. I would have liked a bit more of exploration of how Indigenous cultures have used water, so a less empire focused approach. It wants to be a wake up call for action regarding climate change, but the history and how we have gotten where we are is rather depressing! It def makes me want to be more proactive in thinking about these issues which is ultimately a good thing. I’ll be meditating on the material for some time, although I’ll admit that I often drifted off as the writing and delivery was not always energetic.
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- Noah Guither
- 07-07-22
Very interesting, but academic read...
I was intrigued by the premise of the book and the author did a good job of explaining his argument chapter by chapter. One note for readers would be that the author's style is very academic and there is not a lot of effort put into hooking the reader with entertaining side notes or even variations in how the book is read. This did not bother me, but some may have found the author's style to be more dry than other books they have read.
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- DCRG
- 06-19-22
nothing more than a high school term paper
if you want to learn about water this isn't the book. not only do we not really learn about water we get a lot of random information that isn't fact checked and doesn't hang together.
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- R Jarrald
- 05-18-22
Excellent appraisal of the story of water
From the last Ice Age to the present day, an excellent appraisal of the story of water and its influence on the development of societies, and economies and on geopolitics.
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- Gregory B.
- 10-22-21
Fascinating read, real tour de force
MUST READ!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading WATER: A BIOGRAPHY by Giulio Boccaletti. The book is an incredible tour de force revisiting our history and institutions through the angle of water management. It is both brilliant and breath-taking.
WATER flows through centuries and across continents and connects to reveal the underestimated connection between water and familiar events, ideas and institutions.
It is insightful and a pleasure to read.
The knowledge and research are immense yet never overwhelming because incredibly well articulated. The analysis is precise but never cryptic.
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Story
On any given morning, you might wake up and shower with water, make your coffee with water, flush your toilet with water - and think nothing of it. But around the world, more than three-quarters of a billion people can’t do any of that - because they have no clean water source near their homes. This crisis affects a third of the people on the planet. It keeps kids out of school and women out of work. It traps people in extreme poverty. It spreads disease. It’s also solvable. That conviction is what brought together movie actor Matt Damon and water expert and engineer Gary White.
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concise, on point and innovative solutions
- By Matt on 09-01-23
By: Gary White, and others
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The Three Ages of Water
- Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future
- By: Peter Gleick
- Narrated by: Jonathan Beville
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In The Three Ages of Water, Peter Gleick guides us through the long, fraught history of our relationship to this precious resource. Water has shaped civilizations and empires, and driven centuries of advances in science and technology—from agriculture to aqueducts, steam power to space exploration—and progress in health and medicine.
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tries to do too much and ends up doing too little
- By Josh on 07-20-23
By: Peter Gleick
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Where the Water Goes
- Life and Death Along the Colorado River
- By: David Owen
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Colorado River is an essential resource for a surprisingly large part of the United States, and every gallon that flows down it is owned or claimed by someone. David Owen traces all that water from the Colorado’s headwaters to its parched terminus, once a verdant wetland but now a million-acre desert. He takes listeners on an adventure downriver, along a labyrinth of waterways, reservoirs, power plants, farms, fracking sites, ghost towns, and RV parks, to the spot near the US-Mexico border where the river runs dry.
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Water issues are never about only water.
- By Bonny on 08-20-17
By: David Owen
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The Secret Knowledge of Water
- There Are Two Easy Ways to Die in the Desert: Thirst and Drowning
- By: Craig Childs
- Narrated by: Craig Childs
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Deserts are environments that can be inhospitable even to seasoned explorers. Craig Childs has spent years in the deserts of the American West, and his treks through arid lands in search of water reveal the natural world at its most extreme.
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This book is fantastic
- By Jamesdcawley on 04-09-20
By: Craig Childs
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Water 4.0
- The Past, Present, and Future of the World's Most Vital Resource
- By: David Sedlak
- Narrated by: Gary Roelofs
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Most of us give little thought to the hidden systems that bring us water and take it away when we’re done. But these underappreciated marvels of engineering face an array of challenges that cannot be solved without a fundamental change to our relationship with water.
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Horrible narration, good info
- By Danielle V. Dolan on 10-06-20
By: David Sedlak
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Drinking Water
- A History
- By: James Salzman
- Narrated by: Lee Hahn
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When you turn on the tap or twist the cap, you might not give a second thought to where your drinking water comes from. But how it gets from the ground to your glass is far more complex than you might think. Is it safe to drink tap water? Should you feel guilty buying bottled water? Is your water vulnerable to terrorist attacks? With springs running dry and reservoirs emptying, where is your water going to come from in the future? In Drinking Water, Duke professor James Salzman shows how drinking water highlights the most pressing issues of our time.
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Hard not to be affected by this book
- By Neuron on 11-16-13
By: James Salzman
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The Worth of Water
- Our Story of Chasing Solutions to the World's Greatest Challenge
- By: Gary White, Matt Damon
- Narrated by: Gary White, Matt Damon
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
On any given morning, you might wake up and shower with water, make your coffee with water, flush your toilet with water - and think nothing of it. But around the world, more than three-quarters of a billion people can’t do any of that - because they have no clean water source near their homes. This crisis affects a third of the people on the planet. It keeps kids out of school and women out of work. It traps people in extreme poverty. It spreads disease. It’s also solvable. That conviction is what brought together movie actor Matt Damon and water expert and engineer Gary White.
-
-
concise, on point and innovative solutions
- By Matt on 09-01-23
By: Gary White, and others
-
The Three Ages of Water
- Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future
- By: Peter Gleick
- Narrated by: Jonathan Beville
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Three Ages of Water, Peter Gleick guides us through the long, fraught history of our relationship to this precious resource. Water has shaped civilizations and empires, and driven centuries of advances in science and technology—from agriculture to aqueducts, steam power to space exploration—and progress in health and medicine.
-
-
tries to do too much and ends up doing too little
- By Josh on 07-20-23
By: Peter Gleick
-
Where the Water Goes
- Life and Death Along the Colorado River
- By: David Owen
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Colorado River is an essential resource for a surprisingly large part of the United States, and every gallon that flows down it is owned or claimed by someone. David Owen traces all that water from the Colorado’s headwaters to its parched terminus, once a verdant wetland but now a million-acre desert. He takes listeners on an adventure downriver, along a labyrinth of waterways, reservoirs, power plants, farms, fracking sites, ghost towns, and RV parks, to the spot near the US-Mexico border where the river runs dry.
-
-
Water issues are never about only water.
- By Bonny on 08-20-17
By: David Owen
-
The Secret Knowledge of Water
- There Are Two Easy Ways to Die in the Desert: Thirst and Drowning
- By: Craig Childs
- Narrated by: Craig Childs
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deserts are environments that can be inhospitable even to seasoned explorers. Craig Childs has spent years in the deserts of the American West, and his treks through arid lands in search of water reveal the natural world at its most extreme.
-
-
This book is fantastic
- By Jamesdcawley on 04-09-20
By: Craig Childs
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The Big Thirst
- The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water
- By: Charles Fishman
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The water coming out of your tap is four billion years old and might have been slurped by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. We will always have exactly as much water on Earth as we have ever had. Water cannot be destroyed, and it can always be made clean enough for drinking again. In fact, water can be made so clean that it actually becomes toxic. As Charles Fishman brings vibrantly to life in this delightful narrative excursion, water runs our world in a host of awe-inspiring ways, which is both the promise and the peril of our unexplored connections to it.
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Informative Book
- By Lynn on 04-21-11
By: Charles Fishman
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The Fourth Phase of Water
- Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor
- By: Gerald H. Pollack
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
World renowned scientist, Dr. Gerald Pollack, takes us on a fantastic voyage through water, showing us a hidden universe teeming with physical activity - providing simple explanations for everyday phenomena, which you have inevitably seen but not really understood. Have you ever wondered how do clouds made up of dense water droplets manage to float in the sky? Why don't your joints squeak as they rub together? Why do you sink in dry sand, but not in wet sand? Pollack uses a recent and fundamental scientific finding - EZ water - to help explain these and many other head-scratchers.
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A seed for pseudo-science?
- By James S. on 07-27-20
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The Story of Work
- A New History of Humankind
- By: Jan Lucassen
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 22 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
We work because we have to, but also because we like it: from hunting-gathering over 700,000 years ago to the present era of zoom meetings, humans have always worked to make the world around them serve their needs. Jan Lucassen provides an inclusive history of humanity's busy labor throughout the ages. Spanning China, India, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, Lucassen looks at the ways in which humanity organizes work: in the household, the tribe, the city, and the state.
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great history, horrible analysis
- By Michael on 04-12-23
By: Jan Lucassen
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Let There Be Water
- Israel's Solution for a Water-Starved World
- By: Seth M. Siegel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall