The Long Boom: A Vision For The Coming Age Of Prosperity [Paperback]

Peter Schwartz (Author), Peter Leyden (Author), Joel Hyatt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

The Washington Post called The Long Boom "a future-history and a challenge"-and that is exactly what it is: the story of the world's future, powered by emerging technologies, and a political vision that can help realize an era of unprecedented growth and opportunity. The Long Boom urges everyone to recognize that global prosperity, a sustainable environment, broad social progress, and even radically extended lifespans are very possible-if not probable-in the 20 years to come.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Thanks to various technological, fiscal, and political revolutions that have reshaped our world over the past two decades, some observers believe, the new millennium will offer opportunities for economic expansion that rival any previously recorded. The Long Boom is a fascinating attempt to pin down this potential upsurge by combining a shrewd examination of where we've been headed for the last 20 years with a plausible forecast of where--with a bit of good fortune and tenacity--we might be going during the next 20. Moreover, its unique mixture of germane facts and figures with supportable projections and original storytelling techniques (most notably a letter to friends sent once a decade by a fictional observer born in 1960) make it as readable as it is provocative.

Originating as an article in Wired magazine, the optimistic scenario envisioned by authors Peter Schwartz (chairman of a combination think tank and consulting firm), Peter Leyden (a technology, economics, and political journalist), and Joel Hyatt (a Stanford entrepreneurship professor who cofounded the legal-services firm bearing his name) integrates existing and potential technological advancements, financial developments, political upheavals, and social movements. Among its predictions are a formulation of a "glass pipeline" that seamlessly tracks manufacturing and production processes, creation of a volunteer Global Corps to aid developing nations, the dawning of a true Space Age, and the birth of a unified worldwide society with "well-off people who share certain values that are transcending borders." The account is highly recommended to everyone concerned with, yet hopeful about, the future. --Howard Rothman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Based on an article originally published in Wired, this book suffers from the expansion, as the authors have to keep finding ways of telling readers that things will be great in the near future. Schwartz is chairman of Global Business Network, a consulting firm; Leyden was managing editor of Wired; Hyatt teaches at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Written with the same optimism about the economy as Dow 36,000 (Forecasts, Aug. 30), this sunny look at the future goes beyond the stock market to take an upbeat gander at the way we will live in the next century. To say that the authors are bullish is an understatement. Alternative energy sources, biotechnology and increased productivity figure prominently in their rosy scenarioAthe key to which is continued and extended economic growth in the developed world, which will trickle down to the developing world and create a global middle class. But in their zeal to describe how all parts of the world will participate in and benefit from the long boom, the authors make sweeping and potentially offensive generalizations: Asians, for example, while not good at "improvisation," are "extremely adept at mastering set courses and memorizingAfar better than" Westerners. The authors are on safer ground discussing technology, but their attitude toward this future is entirely passive. They give the impression that we will all sit back and marvel at the forthcoming human accomplishments, and that this will provide the chief pleasure in the future. Yet their vision is exciting, and the authors articulate it with the panache of Alvin TofflerAand the kind of wide-eyed confidence in the future that characterized the 1939 World's Fair. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; Reprint edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738203645
• ISBN-13: 978-0738203645
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,382,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are We Equal to the Challenge?, February 12, 2000

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Long Boom (Hardcover)

Those who have already read The Art of the Long View no doubt share my high regard for the vision, precision, and eloquence which Peter Schwartz brings to subjects of special interest to him. They are once again in evidence (indeed in abundance) in this book which he co-authored with Peter Leyden and Joel Hyatt. Theirs is a shared vision of "the coming age of prosperity." What exactly does that mean? The answer is suggested in the Introduction: "The Long Boom is a positive meme about a better future. A meme is a contagious idea that can quickly spread around the world and influence what people think and do....The idea soon takes on a life of its own, out of anybody's control, flitting from computer host to computer host in an exponential expansion that spreads around the world....[The book] starts with the recognition that the world is faced with a historic opportunity. What we call the Long Boom -- the years from 1980 to 2020 --is a period of global transformation. No other age ever possessed the tools or the knowledge to do what we can do today." From the authors' perspective, what they call the Long Boom is half in the past and half in the future. "We refer to the Long Boom in both senses throughout the book."

There are four Parts followed by an Afterword.

Part I Track the Inevitable (ie major developments in technology, economics and politics)

Part II The Politics of the Long Boom (ie how to overcome "looming political problems")

Part III The Engines of the Twenty-First Century (ie technologies which can help to preserve the environment)

Part IV Birth of a Global Civilization (ie creation of a new middle class amidst fundamental global changes)

In the forward-thinking Afterword, the authors reaffirm their faith in the almost unlimited potentialities of the Long Boom IF the human race can somehow avoid committing planetary suicide. They are emphatically NOT misty-eyed visionaries; on the contrary, they seem most comfortable when addressing harsh realities such as territorial "politics" which, if permitted, can result in the Long Whimper. Among their objectives is to provide "a starting point for an ongoing global conversation about how everyone can take advantage of the great potential of our era and create a better world." The observations shared are anchored in the real-world; the suggestions offered are practical and do-able. If for whatever reasons the human race is unwilling and/or unable to fulfill the promise of the Long Boom, who to blame? According to Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is us." Schwartz, Leyden & Hyatt would perhaps reply, "OK but so what? There's still time. There's still hope. We have everything we need. Let's work together on a global basis. It won't be easy but we can do it. We really can."

How? This brilliant book answers that question. Better yet, it explains why.

Those whose minds and hearts are nourished by this book should also check out Natural Capitalism (Hawken, Lovins & Lovins) and Holding On to Reality (Borgmann) which address many of the same issues but from somewhat different perspectives.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book Offers Optimism and Global Understanding, October 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Long Boom (Hardcover)

The Long Boom is a primer for the 21st century. It provides in-depth overviews of critical emerging technologies and trends, familiarizing the reader with promising developments coming in the future. Furthermore, it espouses a plan of action based on optimism, globalism, and growth. And the optimism is not empty. Rather, optimism about the Long Boom is based on a series of careful arguments about emerging technologies and global cultures. In short, the Long Boom uncovers the strength of global cultures and the positive impact of future technologies. According to Schwartz and Leyden, however, the Long Boom won't just happen, but rather will depend upon our contributions. This normative scenario will require that we all join together to promote openness, globalism, and progress. If you're going to read one book before the new millenium, you should read this one. Because it really matters, and requires us to make it happen.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Long Boom, December 3, 1999

By 

Tom Martinson (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long Boom (Hardcover)

The Long Boom is one of those rare books that really does transform the way we look at our world. It is comprehensive though not excessively long, thoughtful without being pedantic and optimistic without a trace of Pollyanna. The authors' style is open and non-defensive: this is a pretty courageous book to write while we are still living in an era of cynicism, in which the highest personal virtue is to be skeptical. That societal attitude will no doubt eventually pass, but you shouldn't wait until it does to read this. If you think ours is a world of endless possibilities, that humanity has great potential and that you can personally make a difference, now is the time to read The Long Boom.