Buy new:
$10.94
$3.99 delivery: April 25 - 26
Ships from: Revolver Market
Sold by: Revolver Market
List Price: $19.99 Details

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Save: $9.05 (45%)
$3.99 delivery April 25 - 26. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$10.94 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$10.94
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Revolver Market
Ships from
Revolver Market
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
FREE delivery Wednesday, April 24 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Friday, April 19. Order within 13 hrs 54 mins
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: Book is in good condition and may contain underlining/highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items (toys, dvds, etc.). We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24/7 customer service. Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime! Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Other Sellers on Amazon
Added
$17.53
FREE Shipping
Get free shipping
Free shipping within the U.S. when you order $35.00 of eligible items shipped by Amazon.
Or get faster shipping on this item starting at $5.99 . (Prices may vary for AK and HI.)
Learn more about free shipping
on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.
Sold by: Bookworm_CT
Sold by: Bookworm_CT
(1168 ratings)
99% positive over last 12 months
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy
Added
$17.54
FREE Shipping
Get free shipping
Free shipping within the U.S. when you order $35.00 of eligible items shipped by Amazon.
Or get faster shipping on this item starting at $5.99 . (Prices may vary for AK and HI.)
Learn more about free shipping
on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.
Sold by: North Star LLC
Sold by: North Star LLC
(884 ratings)
100% positive over last 12 months
Only 4 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy
Added
$19.13
FREE Shipping
Get free shipping
Free shipping within the U.S. when you order $35.00 of eligible items shipped by Amazon.
Or get faster shipping on this item starting at $5.99 . (Prices may vary for AK and HI.)
Learn more about free shipping
on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.
Sold by: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
In Stock
Shipping rates and Return policy
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Deep Economy Paperback – March 4, 2008

4.3 out of 5 stars 214

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$10.94","priceAmount":10.94,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"94","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"bJCyLdVKYsXmTT9Pm37hRMHX8CT4%2FNFjuJ86JKwrrZPiXjYlzDWLb0q0x%2FLHzQF4zxaTBfra1Rfst5caK9LbtmBXut4He3fPnF40oMMVwwXr0iUWgYqf%2FLBVCBsHFHkaqyPs6J39yZm%2B6pwMQjv47YYl935BnLFqIW3PjmaeEX5g%2BDFUIL0RYAnvhugxqvyG","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$6.47","priceAmount":6.47,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"47","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"bJCyLdVKYsXmTT9Pm37hRMHX8CT4%2FNFj1G1GPovD%2FmqZAGAfMi%2FL3e7XeDGpTWPRtrTjH1NPDM2ckHExxs333xFqSZzUUgNwaEeFoweUrGef73xMTO0I0ibWWby2AJbAERtizyE%2FdjI%2FJl%2F2yeA33icOxlSTdNovt73HroudY%2FJR5i5qpWz6wmyFHOAqVvaa","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The bestselling author of The End of Nature issues an impassioned call to arms for an economy that creates community and ennobles our lives

In this powerful and provocative manifesto, Bill McKibben offers the biggest challenge in a generation to the prevailing view of our economy. For the first time in human history, he observes, "more" is no longer synonymous with "better"―indeed, for many of us, they have become almost opposites. McKibben puts forward a new way to think about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all. Our purchases, he says, need not be at odds with the things we truly value.

McKibben's animating idea is that we need to move beyond "growth" as the paramount economic ideal and pursue prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment. He shows this concept blossoming around the world with striking results, from the burgeoning economies of India and China to the more mature societies of Europe and New England. For those who worry about environmental threats, he offers a route out of the worst of those problems; for those who wonder if there isn't something more to life than buying, he provides the insight to think about one's life as an individual and as a member of a larger community.

McKibben offers a realistic, if challenging, scenario for a hopeful future.
Deep Economy makes the compelling case that the more we nurture the essential humanity of our economy, the more we will recapture our own.


The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

$17.54
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 23
Only 4 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by North Star LLC and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
$18.00
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 23
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$10.59
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 23
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I'd like to see Deep Economy read in every Econ 101 class. Bill McKibben asks the central human question: What is the economy for? The stakes here are terrifyingly high, but with his genial style and fascinating examples of alternative approaches, McKibben convinces me that economics is anything but dismal--if only we can learn to do it right!” ―Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed

“The cult of growth and globalization has seldom been so effectively challenged as by Bill McKibben in
Deep Economy. But this bracing tonic of a book also throws the bright light of McKibben's matchless journalism on the vibrant local economies now springing up like mushrooms in the shadow of globalization. Deep Economy fills you with a hope and a sense of fresh possibility.” ―Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma

“How is our nation going to cope with global warming, peak oil, inequality, and a growing sense of isolation? Bill McKibben provides the simple but brilliant answer the economists have missed--we need to create 'depth' through local interdependence and sustainable use of resources. I will be requiring this inspiring book for my students, and passionately recommending it to everyone else I know.” ―
Juliet Schor, professor of sociology, Boston College, and author of The Overspent American

“Bill McKibben works on the frontiers of new understandings and returns with his startling and lucid revelations of the possible future. A saner human-scale world does exist--just over the horizon--and McKibben introduces us to the people and ideas leading us there.” ―
William Greider, author of The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy

“Masterfully crafted, deeply thoughtful and mind-expanding. . . . An incisive critique of the unintended consequences of our…growth-oriented economy.” ―
Los Angeles Times

“A hopeful manifesto.” ―
Boston Globe

“What makes McKibben's book stand out is the completeness of his arguments and his real-world approach to solutions.” ―
USA Today

“McKibben is a fitting prophet… [His] dexterity as a keen observer and stellar wordsmith makes
Deep Economy well worth reading.” ―The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Wise and…optimistic.” ―
The Courier-Journal of Louisville

“McKibben's proposals for new, less growth-centered ways of thinking about economics are intriguing, and offer hope that change is possible.” ―
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“[McKibben] ably argues [that] growth has increased inequality and decreased human happiness.” ―
Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Bill McKibben is the author of more than a dozen books, including the best sellers Falter, Deep Economy, and The End of Nature, which was the first book to warn the general public about the climate crisis.

He is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College and the winner of the Gandhi Prize, the Thomas Merton Prize, and the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes called “the alternate Nobel.” He lives in Vermont with his wife, the writer Sue Halpern. He founded the global grassroots climate campaign 350.org; his new project, organizing people over sixty for progressive change, is called Third Act.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin (March 4, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0805087222
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805087222
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1270L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.34 x 0.61 x 8.01 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 214

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Bill McKibben
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Bill McKibben is the author of The End of Nature, Deep Economy, and numerous other books. He is the founder of the environmental organizations Step It Up and 350.org, and was among the first to warn of the dangers of global warming. He is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College and lives in Vermont with his wife, the writer Sue Halpern, and their daughter.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
214 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2008
This brilliant book about the oncoming wreck of the global economy fails to answer the most elemental and yet essential question: How do we change human nature from wanting More! More! More!

Almost 50 years ago, the General Motors' exhibit at the World Fair was based on the idea, "Technology can point the way to a future of limitless promise." If McKibben or anyone else wants to understand the future, they need only look at today's GM, or Ford. The world is heading for a similar wreck; the survivors will be those who get out of the way.

This book is an example of the problem it laments; it is a dazzling example of the benign greed that is producing disaster, it offers cheery solutions well suited for miniscule groups of the conscientious, but it's not an answer. It merely uses more paper to explain the danger of using too much paper and other materials.

Let's be realistic: GM's vision of the future produced gray smog, stop-and-go rush hour traffic, road rage, OPEC prices, the rust-belt, inner-city blight, White flight, auto thefts and car bombings, plus global warming, used car sales people and SUVs. It's all a product of free decisions in a free marketplace. Now, GM is collapsing but Toyota thrives with its little cars and hybrids. It's how we got today's mess. What's the solution? More free decisions in a free marketplace?

McKibben is perfect when he points out small hunter/gatherer cooperative groups were normal for 99 percent of our history; but, he fails to come to grips with the monetization of relations among people during the past 5,000 years, and especially the last 300 years. Everything is now impartially subject to decisions based on free market pricing, which means the lack of hunter/gatherer cooperation is replaced by individualized competition.

Our economy is a wolf-pack that has turned on itself.

He cites the creation of the Industrial Age as beginning with Thomas Newcomen's invention of a practical steam engine in 1712; but he ignores the agonizing social upheaval people endured in fleeing old local sustainable farms and moving into cities. Any major change in our future will likely involve a similar human and material price. Someone needs to explain the "cost" of change and how it can come about.

One solution I'm involved with on a daily basis is Amazon.com -- which by making it easy to "recycle" used and donated library books has spared whole forests. Until such recycling occurs for much more than books, we must be content with dire forecasts about the oncoming wreck of the economy.

For most societies, the solution has always been collapse before radical change. McKibben offers little hope that America is different.

Doable? Other reviewers are optimistic. But, I look at the sorrow of ruins and fear people are too attached to past and present mistakes to see or accept alternatives. Perhaps McKibben is right; he is certainly an antidote to my pessimism. His analysis is interesting -- if doable; and if doabvle, it is vital.

This is a rough guide to a better future.
4 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2007
If you are looking for a good entry-level book addressing some of the more complex social issues of our time, then Deep Economy is a good place to start. Like other social issues book that deal with social issues, Bill McKibben's book will probably scare and then anger the reader at first, but it's a message that can't be ignored.

McKibben's premise is that our current economy is based upon year after year growth and expansion and our environment and well-being can't take it too much longer. He argues that our unofficial national motto of "more is better" is killing us as we tear through our global resources and destroy our bodies. Technology, vocational efficiency and economic growth are turning us into the hyper-individualized individual that is easily manipulated and controlled by big business corporations. We are obsessed with consumerism and excess but studies are showing us that "more stuff" does not actually make us any happier thus it is pointless. Meanwhile we are destroying the Earth through the burning of fossil fuel and the little gains we are slowly making will be more then wiped out by the growth of China and India's economies which are trying to become like the USA. His solution is logical as he argues we must become more communal in every facet of our life. Our economies, our energy usage/distribution and our food system will all benefit the Earth as a whole if we can address these problems at the community level.

This is all pretty heady stuff that most of think about at some levels, but might not be ready to accept as a way of life like McKibben suggests. Nonetheless this is a great intro book while others out there go into these subjects with more detail.

Bottom Line: Because of its short length and uncomplicated prose, this is a great book to give to that special someone that hasn't read any social issue books yet but might benefit from it.
3 people found this helpful
Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
E. Wuerth
5.0 out of 5 stars Umdenken
Reviewed in Germany on May 29, 2014
Mir gefällt das Buch sehr gut, da es wichtige Gedankenanstösse gibt und zum Umdenken/Ändern des Verhaltens aufruft. Die unreflektierte Wachstumsgläubigkeit wird entlarvt.
Mrs. J. Shelley
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2013
Written in 2007 before the great global economic crash
but covering all the reasons why it was inevitable.
The ideas in it are much more widespread now but still well worth spreading further.