Books For The End of the World

I read an article about people complying a library of books that can be used to rebuild civilization. There were a lot of suggestions for books that taught about philosophy and history. That’s not necessarily what I’d want to see in the library. Here’s my list.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“In Bryson’s biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand — and, if possible, answer — the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds.”

That seems like it would be a good start.

Wind Power for Dummies by Ian Woofenden

“The” consumer guide to small-scale wind electricity production!Maybe you’re not T. Boone Pickens, but you can build your own home-sized wind-power empire right in your back yard. “Wind Power For Dummies” supplies all the guidance you need to install and maintain a sustainable, cost-effective wind generator to power your home for decades to come.”

I’m the practical sort. I’d like a copy of the entire For Dummies series. That would be a help.

Cooking with Fire: Techniques and Recipes for the Firepit, Smoker, Fireplace, Tandoor, or Wood-Fired Oven by Paula Marcoux

“Cooking with live fire goes way beyond the barbecue grill. Rediscover the pleasures of a variety of unconventional techniques, from roasting pork on a spit to baking bread in ashes, searing fish on a griddle, smoking turkey, roasting vegetables in a fireplace, making soup in a cast-iron pot, baking pizza in a wood-fired oven, cooking bacon on a stick, and much, much more. Includes 100 recipes for everything from roasted rabbit to fish chowder and baguettes.”

Somebody better know how to do this before we all starve.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

“Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was first published in three serialized excerpts in the New Yorker in June of 1962. The book appeared in September of that year and the outcry that followed its publication forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson’s passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. It is without question one of the landmark books of the twentieth century.”

So we don’t go around killing off all the animals again.

The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Imagine a world without poverty, hunger, or hatred, where a rich culture honors its diverse mix of races, religions, and heritages, and the Four Sacred Things that sustain all life – earth, air, fire, and water – are valued unconditionally. Now imagine the opposite: a nightmare world in which an authoritarian regime polices an apartheid state, access to food and water is restricted to those who obey the corrupt official religion, women are property of their husbands or the state, and children are bred for prostitution and war. The best and worst of our possible futures are poised to clash in twenty-first-century California, and the outcome rests on the wisdom and courage of one clan caught in the conflict. “

I’d love to have the new civilization set up like the ideal city in this book.

–All descriptions from Goodreads

What books do you think should be on the list?