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Children of the Sun: A History of Humanity's Unappeasable Appetite for Energy (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Great scientists, great artists, great athletes-Einstein, chalk in hand at the blackboard; Michelangelo, paint dripping down his arm, working on the ceiling of the Sistine..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

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Ever since cultivating fire, the human species has depended on tapping new sources of energy for survival, writes global historian Crosby (Germs, Seeds, and Animals: Studies in Ecological History). This enjoyable, humorously anecdotal study provides a succinct overview of our voracious "appetite for energy," most particularly the inventive (and indiscriminate) exploitation of sunshine in its fossilized forms—peat, coal, oil and natural gas. The hunter-gatherers of the Paleolithic era depended on muscle power to move through their world, and not much changed, Crosby notes, until the advent of the Industrial Revolution, when the first steam-powered engine was invented in 1712 by ironmonger Thomas Newcomen (James Watt, Crosby says, merely improved on Newcomen's design). Advances in harnessing energy trapped in organic matter followed quickly: whale oil used for lighting was supplanted by coal gas, kerosene distilled from petroleum and finally Thomas Edison's light bulb—itself powered by the electricity generated from coal and oil. This history explores how an ingenious and adaptable humankind found ever more efficient ways to harness "concentrated sun energy." Crosby is optimistic about the Earth's future—with the caveat that that future could be bleak without another energy breakthrough. B&w illus. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


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The last shall be first: Crosby concludes that civilization has maximized its exploitation of solar energy (whether in renewable or fossilized form) and will have to go nuclear if its energy desires are to be satiated. Tracing the historical route to this impasse, the author's trim tome has a droll tone that should make it considerably more appealing than the current torrent of grimmer, longer, and agenda-driven books on this subject. A veteran ecological historian, Crosby structures his story by the landmarks of energy technology--fire, the dynamo, the internal-combustion engine. And he emphasizes the indolent element of human nature: we like to get more work done with less effort. Surprisingly, cooking starts off Crosby's survey: it eased digestion, increased edibles, and probably helped induce the domestication of animals. These labor savers, Crosby illustrates in anecdotal style, reigned as the muscle-power maximum of energy production until Thomas Newcomen's 1712 steam engine ignited the Industrial Revolution. An entertaining history of the energy conundrum. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 208 pages
  • Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.; First Edition edition (January 9, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393059359
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393059359
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,175 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #24 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Energy
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Alfred W. Crosby
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
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Great scientists, great artists, great athletes-Einstein, chalk in hand at the blackboard; Michelangelo, paint dripping down his arm, working on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; Lance Armstrong wheeling across the finish line of the Tour de France-strike us as wellsprings of energy. Read the first page
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new prime movers, hydrogen fusion, reindeer meat
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United States, New York, Upper Paleolithic, Old World, New World, North America, World War, Nellie Bly, Soviet Union, Three Mile Island, Middle East, Great Britain, University of Utah, Atomic Energy Commission, Benjamin Franklin, New Jersey, Oil Creek, South American, Western Europe, French Revolution, Native American, The World Set Free
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Quick Gallop Through the History of Humanity's Quest for Energy, January 31, 2006
By G. Poirier (Orleans, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
In less than 170 pages of lively and entertaining prose, the author presents what essentially amounts to the story of the human race: approximately from the birth of homo sapiens to today. The main theme around which this story is woven is the need for and use of energy. Starting with food (from hunting and gathering to agriculture) to power muscles, all the way to the more energy-dense fossil fuels to power steam engines and (later) internal combustion engines, and culminating with nuclear fission reactors and future prospects for nuclear fusion reactors, the author discusses humanity's quest for greater and greater quantities of energy. The book is well-written and in an engaging style. Although the reader may feel that the author occasionally seems to deviate from the book's main theme, it eventually becomes clear that he is not, but simply meandering his way along towards his original goal. Overall this is a very informative sweeping overview of humanity's quest for energy.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A little book with much to offer, May 12, 2006
By Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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There aren't many books written for everybody. This one fits squarely in that limited niche. After all, fuel, in one form or another, is a universal human demand. Since the science of energy use and climate change appears to miss many readers, Alfred Crosby has decided to lead readers along a smoother path. It's clear, as the fuel crisis grows more visible and corrective action is in such short supply, the more people understand what is happening, the better. Ignorance of our situation, in Crosby's view, is a major roadblock to prompting us to consider our options carefully.

In this highly readable account, he explains clearly our dependence on fossil fuels and the impact of that reliance. He lines out how human fuel use has progressed over the centuries. Our awareness of the true source of those fuels, our host star, came late. Almost too late. Our energy use has gone through a series of mighty jumps. At one time we used as much fuel as we could consume as food. From that balance we have progressed to using about 115 times as much energy as our ancestors did. How has this circumstance come about?

The sun, of course, is the foundation of all our energy. Ancient trees, covered over with layers of soil turned rock, became the coal foundation for industrial development. Ancient bodies through a similar process became oil, hence petroleum. Your electricity likely derives from those old trees, while your auto belches the last remains of those animal corpses. Even the replacement energy form of wind is solar driven. Nuclear power, especially the promised version of fusion, relies on our knowledge of mechanisms making sunlight. With oil manifestly running out, Crosby notes, more attention must be given to the alternatives. Throughout this account, the science underlying the author's message is manifest, yet he doesn't overwhelm the reader with its presence. The message remains that we must understand what underpins our energy gluttony and why it must be directed to new forms.

These new forms must be considered carefully. Crosby's major contribution in the discussion of energy and the replacements for declining oil and polluting coal is the costs of the alternatives. Hydrogen, so plentiful and clean, is expensive to produce and deliver. Nuclear fusion, once so promising, is a distant prospect. Crosby explains the fusion option perhaps better than any commentator to date. Atomic fission, already in place, has been beset by popular fears, yet is a major factor in France, which has run a safe nuclear programme for years. Nearly 80% of France's electricity is nuclear generated, while the US, the planet's overweening energy consumer, has barely achieved 20%.

He's forthright in his assessment of the issues, and vivid in his denunciation of our unconscious and unconscionable consumption. There are viable solutions, but we must be prepared to tolerate the costs and potential inconvenience of turning to them. We know how to make fuel-efficient engines, only the political will is lacking. SUVs must no longer be exempt from emission and economy standards. We must recognise our dependence on fossil fuels need not be so great. It is, Crosby argues, like a drug. Habits can be changed with a bit of effort. The alternatives are there to be tapped. He reminds us that we have endured change before. We can endure another if we but act. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, informative read on energy through human history, July 29, 2008
As a short (167pp) and enjoyable history of the place of energy through human history, I can recommend Children of the Sun, by Alfred w. Crosby. This chronological survey of the subject -- spanning from the introduction of fire (at the time when yoga tights were made from mammoth fur) through the various fossil fuels and uses and ending with nuclear - is told with clear prose and is liberally sprinkled with enlightening and entertaining (or humourously disturbing) historical anecdotes, references to names we've heard and trivia. A couple of examples:

1. to amuse Louis XV, "Jean-Antoine Nollet... arranged 180 gendarmes in a circle holding hands and had one of them touch the brass ball in the lid of the charged Leyden jar [early battery]. The shock ran through all 180 instantly and they jumped and gasped in perfect Unison. The King loved it."
2. "The Chicago World's Fair, better known as the Columbian Exposition [ 400th anniversary of Columbus arriving in the Americas] or the White City, was officially opened at a locale a few miles from downtown on May 1, 1893 . (a year late, you may notice, but major demonstrations of a civilizations prowess aren't thrown together in a day.)
3. [ regarding the first ever execution by electricity] The current was turned off; doctors are examined Kemmler and pronounced him dead. One of the witnesses, Dr. Alfred W. Southwick, an advocate of electrocution as a merciful means of execution, declared: "there is the culmination of ten years work and study. We live in a higher civilization from this day." But Kemmler's chest still rose and fell: he seemed to be breathing. The switch was thrown again. Kemmler when rigid again. For an instant there was a blue flame at his neck. His clothes caught fire. There is a very strong smell of burning meat. Now there was no question as to his death."

The book is far from a comprehensive or fully critical look at the issues concerning the various choices that were made and remain to be made regarding our energy use and how we source it. It does not try to be that. Instead, you have a quick and informative outline of the tremendously important role that energy has played in the evolution of human civilization. If there is one real lack, it is the short shrift given to renewable energy which is not even worthy of mention in the table of contents while both `fission' and `fusion' are. Look for this book, then, as being more informative of the energy happenings prior to mid-20th Century.

However, on the subject of nuclear, while the author does a creditable job of trying to be objective in presenting many points-of-view, he nonetheless is clear in his belief that nuclear if the best way to achieve needed quantities of energy (and his support for the billions needed for continued fusion research). He gives considerable space (21pp) to a discussion of fission's history and includes thought-provoking nuggets, such as: "a pound of uranium can produce as much heat as 2.5 million pounds of coal.". He does remain circumspect, however: "...we are also required to assess what our species will do to the biosphere and to itself if its energy greed is not satisfied with nuclear power." (p144) The author falls victim, however, to wishful thinking: "surely we can bury radioactive waste so deep that they will not endanger us or our descendants." He also shares, in my opinion, a too-commonly-held view of `technology-as-saviour.': "And perhaps our physicists will turn another of their glorious tricks and successfully domesticate hydrogen fusion to initiate a golden age." (p164) Were that energy was the sole challenge we face. But, at least the impending hordes of fleeing environmental refugees may have bountiful electricity to light their way. Too bad you can't eat it.

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