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Johan Goudsblom

Fire and Civilization Paperback – March 1, 1995

by Johan Goudsblom (Author)

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According to mythology, people became truly "human" by learning to domesticate fire and cook food. Other great transformation - the birth of agriculture and the industrial revolution - represent huge leaps forward in our relations with fire. This book examines Homer and the Hebrew Bible, the Vestal Virgins and pioneering Roman fire brigades, the role of Hell-fire in Christianity's "civilizing campaign" and developments from the age of steam to "fire-powered" cars and nuclear fusion. Even today, bush and forest fires caused by short-sighted farming policies or sheer high spirits contribute to the disastrous international wood shortage. This work of wide-ranging scholarship both illuminates such current concerns, and makes readers look again at the whole course of human history. Johan Goudsblom is the author of "Dutch Society", "Sociology in the Balance", "Nihilism and Culture" and "Human History and Social Process".

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Books
Publication date

March 1, 1995
Dimensions

7 x 1 x 5 inches
ISBN-10

0140157972
ISBN-13

978-0140157970
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (March 1, 1995)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140157972
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140157970
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1 x 5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,288,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,943 in Social Services & Welfare (Books)
- #113,853 in World History (Books)

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Jesse bos

interesting

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

a more sociological view of early history and the rol of fire. interesting!

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Charles Marlin

A Rich and Rewarding Read

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2006

The editorial reviews for this book indicate that it is "offbeat" and has a "bland" style. I did not think it offbeat or bland. It seems to be in the tradition of the Annales historians, focusing on the structure "fire" from prehistoric to contemporary times. Just as Fernand Braudel sheds light on social differences by describing scarcity and superfuity of food in early modern Europe, Goudsblom reveals much about society and human nature by describing the role of fire for the last few hundred thousand years. My main reactions to the book were (1) Why haven't I run across this before? and (2) Why did it take until the 1990's for someone to write it? Fire, like food, drink, shelter, has been a constant and essential structure throughout the human experience.

I see the style as modest, measured, reasonable, and not sensational, for which I rejoice. And it stikes me as "nourishing" rather than "bland".

This book is filled with great insights, and it has enough well-organized footnotes to direct the reader to more detailed source material. It would be the rare reader who agrees with everything Goudsblom says; but it would also be rare for a person to finish the book without feeling enriched.

8 people found this helpful

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Josephine Davis

Book should be in Print

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2002

This book is out of print, and it's a shame. It's a wonderful book, containing information and a point of view that more readers, specifically American readers, ought to know. It's a history of civilization from the point of view of humanity's control of fire. It's a social and cultural history of our control of fire. It tells the story of how fire has shaped us, our civiliation--you know, the story of civilization is pretty much the story of our relationship to fire, from the first groups of hominids gathering around the fire to cook (the thing that distinguishes us from other animals, says Levi Strauss) through our use of fossil fuel in the industrial revolution to our "control" of nuclear fusion today. Goudsblom talks about both the literal and symbolic role that our relationship to fire has played in our civilization--how that relationship has shaped the landscapes we inhabit, the cities we construct, the religions and philosophies we build. His book is a stellar (well, 5-stellar) example of a kind of history I love, and which we're seeing more and more of these days: it's a classic, thematic, interdisciplinary history that tells a fascinating story. It isn't for wimps--Goudsblom is Dutch, and there's a European sense of literate intellect in what he's doing, which means he doesn't talk down to you or sugar coat anything or simplify it. But he's also not one of those g- d- Intellectuals who's more interested in elaborating some airy conceptual scheme at the expense of readerly understanding. He's smart, and reading this book will make you smart too, about all kinds of things. Most Americans, god protect us, are remarkably parochial in their understanding. We ought to know more about nature, about our cultural roots. This book offers both kinds of understanding. I think it should be in print. Maybe if you buy a copy used, some publisher somewhere will notice.

8 people found this helpful

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rdecol

Excellent book

Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2012

I had read this book many years ago and very often I find myself returning to it. Besides being a pleasure for the reader, it is a source of reference for anybody working with the social sciences. The first chapters about the link between fire and civilization are well informed and rich in insights. As this is a subject that anthropology returns periodically, being already visited by Lévi-Strauss among others, I'd greatly appreciate knowing any other authors that would have so competently deal with it.

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