Scan barcode
stuchacha's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
For a non fiction book, the Dystopian and adventurous feelings are very strong. Essential reading!
michelv69's review against another edition
4.0
Well worth the effort and the money. Solidly written and full of "gosh, really, is that how it works?" moments. This is going to be a book that I wind up going back to repeatedly as both a writer and a 21st century homesteader. I'm very glad that I bought it.
stevenjran's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I was mostly happy with the selection of topics covered. I also appreciated how Dartnell explained complex processes & systems in a way that was approachable for non-experts.
I did find some sections a bit speculative & in other places I was surprised by the omissions of better solutions. (For example the section on how to clothe yourself covered spinning wool & building a loom, but never mentions leather, which in many survivalist scenarios would likely be a faster & more economical option. In the section on how to get food, unsustainable monoculture crops which require fertilizers, pesticides, heavy machinery & tons of fossil fuel are described, but there is no mention of permaculture, food forests, or other sustainable methods for producing food with limited resources). I got the sense that the advice provided was most suitable for a scenario in which an entire city of highly cooperative people survived a catastrophe together, not for individuals or small groups. Would love to see a revised edition with more expert input. Worth a read - nicely underscores the value of scientific inquiry for humanity.
I did find some sections a bit speculative & in other places I was surprised by the omissions of better solutions. (For example the section on how to clothe yourself covered spinning wool & building a loom, but never mentions leather, which in many survivalist scenarios would likely be a faster & more economical option. In the section on how to get food, unsustainable monoculture crops which require fertilizers, pesticides, heavy machinery & tons of fossil fuel are described, but there is no mention of permaculture, food forests, or other sustainable methods for producing food with limited resources). I got the sense that the advice provided was most suitable for a scenario in which an entire city of highly cooperative people survived a catastrophe together, not for individuals or small groups. Would love to see a revised edition with more expert input. Worth a read - nicely underscores the value of scientific inquiry for humanity.
bluestjuice's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up because the group of friends I hang with likes to be casually smug about how, in a catastrophic apocalypse, we'd fare pretty well on account of our passing familiarity with ancient and medieval techniques. I've always felt pretty skeptical about the realism of that statement, and this book totally bears me out. In a word, if we were to backslide like that, we'd all be screwed. Even the very smart people I know. Even the resourceful people I know. There are too many things, basic building blocks of civilization, that we know absolutely nothing about. Chemical compounds that are necessary. Agricultural techniques. Methods of time-keeping. Navigation. I appreciated what the author was trying to do, but there is just so much.
It was a really fascinating survey of technological advances - most of which aren't ones I would even have considered - and which of them would be most readily adaptable to a post-apocayptic lifestyle. I especially liked the ode to the scientific method in the penultimate chapter. All in all, I'm not sure that owning this book would do you that much good, in the situation described, but it was a thought-provoking read.
It was a really fascinating survey of technological advances - most of which aren't ones I would even have considered - and which of them would be most readily adaptable to a post-apocayptic lifestyle. I especially liked the ode to the scientific method in the penultimate chapter. All in all, I'm not sure that owning this book would do you that much good, in the situation described, but it was a thought-provoking read.
cyrce's review against another edition
3.0
The Knowledge came to my attention while listening to CBC radio, specifically an interview Lewis Dartnell gave on the book. The premise intrigued me. How would our world recover from the collapse of civilization? We have so many specializations that there would be major complications if we didn’t have the knowledge needed to rebuild all of the technology we take for granted today. And zombie-apocalypse or no, we need to know how to rebuild if society ever does collapse (called ‘the Fall’ in the book).
When I started reading The Knowledge, I have to admit that I was worried that I would lose interest in it. I haven’t had the best track record when it comes to non-fiction books (university courseware, I blame you for this!). It doesn’t help that I lost interest in The 100 even though I barely got through the first two chapters.
The Knowledge took time to get through, but the information within outlines exactly what one would need immediately after the Fall as well as further on, when trying to rebuild with the limited knowledge we’d have at the time. There were sections of the book I found more intriguing than others, but Dartnell covers the basic needs we would need to kickstart a reboot. There are certain things he could have included but, as he stated in his introduction, this book is not supposed to be a compendium of all our knowledge at this time. It is just the necessities of what we would need.
I liked the book and my struggle through the prose was likely because of all those dry textbooks I have to force myself to read. Hopefully that will go away and I’ll start enjoying non-fiction. It has a massive amount of books dedicated to the subject and sub-divided therein.
When I started reading The Knowledge, I have to admit that I was worried that I would lose interest in it. I haven’t had the best track record when it comes to non-fiction books (university courseware, I blame you for this!). It doesn’t help that I lost interest in The 100 even though I barely got through the first two chapters.
The Knowledge took time to get through, but the information within outlines exactly what one would need immediately after the Fall as well as further on, when trying to rebuild with the limited knowledge we’d have at the time. There were sections of the book I found more intriguing than others, but Dartnell covers the basic needs we would need to kickstart a reboot. There are certain things he could have included but, as he stated in his introduction, this book is not supposed to be a compendium of all our knowledge at this time. It is just the necessities of what we would need.
I liked the book and my struggle through the prose was likely because of all those dry textbooks I have to force myself to read. Hopefully that will go away and I’ll start enjoying non-fiction. It has a massive amount of books dedicated to the subject and sub-divided therein.
scheu's review against another edition
3.0
On the one hand, Dartnell gives us a concise history of technology; on the other hand, no one should buy this book expecting to revive civilization - that level of detail is just not there. Instead, use this book to ransack a large university library after the apocalypse.