Bücher der Reihe Exploring World History

Traces the transformation of the tropics in modern times. Exploring the central role of the US in the devastation of tropical lands, this title highlights the pressure caused by the demands of US consumerism. It includes a series of case studies of sugar, bananas, coffee, rubber, beef, and timber.

Plagues in World History provides a concise, comparative world history of catastrophic infectious diseases, including plague, smallpox, tuberculosis, cholera, influenza, and AIDS. John Aberth considers not only their varied impact but also the many ways in which people have been able to influence diseases simply through their cultural attitudes. Our ability to alter disease, even without modern medical treatments, is even more crucial lesson now that AIDS, swine flu, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and other seemingly incurable illnesses have raged worldwide. The author''s comparative analysis of how different societies have responded in the past to disease illuminates what cultural approaches have been and may continue to be most effective in combating the plagues of today.

Tracing our energy usage from the Industrial era to modern times, Brian Black outlines the past, and point us towards the direction we need to go with our energy usage to offset the effects of climate change.