Far more than a biography of its nominal subject … The book stands as a compelling history of civilization itself.”— The Wall Street Journal Book Review Provides essential reading for those seeking to explore how humanity’s relationship with nature has influenced the development of legal and political systems and offers invaluable insights into current debates surrounding climate change and sustainability. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.” —Lee C. Bollinger, President and Seth Low Professor of the University, Columbia University

Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a

Alok Jha is one of the brightest young science writers around...He belongs to a select band of science communicators, and knows his science at a deep level and can put it across." Peter Forbes, The Independent. A] wonderfully detailed account of humankind’s relationship with water . . . During this time of accelerated population growth, climate change, and political instability, Water is essential reading.” — BooklistThroughout the book, we return again and again to a voyage Jha took to the Antarctic on a scientific research vessel. This strand is sometimes successful, sometimes less so, but the cryosphere section is where it best comes to life, as Jha steps on ice-floes, travels across a blinding ice landscape in an amphibious buggy, and visits the huts left by a 1912 scientific expedition led by Douglas Mawson. There is science, but also Adélie penguins, ferocious katabatic winds and plenty of ice (the Antarctic is covered by 10,000tn tons of snow and ice). Other characters are left as blank as the landscape: no one is identified beyond “scientists”, or “the expedition leader”, leaving the penguins to add some colour and personality. Perhaps that’s forgivable, as the book is about the science of water, but it can – ironically – make for a dry read that often feels dutiful rather than captivating. Brimming with ideas and unexpected correlations, Water is far more than a biography of its nominal subject . . . The book stands as a compelling history of civilization itself.” — The Wall Street Journal Book Review

Water by Giulio Boccaletti: 9780525566007 Water by Giulio Boccaletti: 9780525566007

Excellent. Boccaletti takes the reader on a polyglot tour de force that shows how the flow of human history, economics and geopolitics is utterly connected to the constant blue thread of our need for water. Water A Biography poses challenging questions about how best to secure our water future and, as a result, ensure our very existence.” —Dominic Waughray, Managing Director, World Economic ForumGiulio Boccaletti makes a strikingly original and persuasive case that the history of human civilization can be understood as a never-ending struggle over water. Boccaletti’s command of a vast range of material, across time and space, is astonishing.” —Nicholas Lemann, Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Professor of Journalism, Columbia University. This is one of the most ambitious books that I’ve read in a long time. It is both deep and broad.”— NPR, All ThingsConsidered Boccaletti brilliantly traces the history of how human civilization has been shaped by its attempts to control water for economic and societal benefit. As the impacts of climate change become clearer, policymakers the world over would be well-served to recognize water as a public good, respecting the importance of this invaluable, shared resource to our very survival.” —Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior 2013-17 It delights again and again because, as in all the best science writing, the tale is stranger and more curious than one could ever imagine." Stephen Curry, the Guardian.