The Knowledge: How To Rebuild Our World After an Apocalypse
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- Create Date：2021-06-18 09:55:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lewis Dartnell
- ISBN：0099575833
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Summary
How would you go about rebuilding a technological society from scratch？
If our technological society collapsed tomorrow， perhaps from a viral pandemic or catastrophic asteroid impact， what would be the one book you would want to press into the hands of the postapocalyptic survivors？ What crucial knowledge would they need to survive in the immediate aftermath and to rebuild civilization as quickly as possible—a guide for rebooting the world？
Human knowledge is collective， distributed across the population。 It has built on itself for centuries， becoming vast and increasingly specialized。 Most of us are ignorant about the fundamental principles of the civilization that supports us， happily utilizing the latest—or even the most basic—technology without having the slightest idea of why it works or how it came to be。 If you had to go back to absolute basics， like some sort of postcataclysmic Robinson Crusoe， would you know how to re-create an internal combustion engine， put together a microscope， get metals out of rock， accurately tell time， weave fibers into clothing， or even how to produce food for yourself？
Regarded as one of the brightest young scientists of his generation， Lewis Dartnell proposes that the key to preserving civilization in an apocalyptic scenario is to provide a quickstart guide， adapted to cataclysmic circumstances。 The Knowledge describes many of the modern technologies we employ， but first it explains the fundamentals upon which they are built。 Every piece of technology rests on an enormous support network of other technologies， all interlinked and mutually dependent。 You can’t hope to build a radio， for example， without understanding how to acquire the raw materials it requires， as well as generate the electricity needed to run it。 But Dartnell doesn’t just provide specific information for starting over; he also reveals the greatest invention of them all—the phenomenal knowledge-generating machine that is the scientific method itself。 This would allow survivors to learn technological advances not explicitly explored in The Knowledge as well as things we have yet to discover。
The Knowledge is a brilliantly original guide to the fundamentals of science and how it built our modern world as well as a thought experiment about the very idea of scientific knowledge itself。
If our technological society collapsed tomorrow， perhaps from a viral pandemic or catastrophic asteroid impact， what would be the one book you would want to press into the hands of the postapocalyptic survivors？ What crucial knowledge would they need to survive in the immediate aftermath and to rebuild civilization as quickly as possible—a guide for rebooting the world？
Human knowledge is collective， distributed across the population。 It has built on itself for centuries， becoming vast and increasingly specialized。 Most of us are ignorant about the fundamental principles of the civilization that supports us， happily utilizing the latest—or even the most basic—technology without having the slightest idea of why it works or how it came to be。 If you had to go back to absolute basics， like some sort of postcataclysmic Robinson Crusoe， would you know how to re-create an internal combustion engine， put together a microscope， get metals out of rock， accurately tell time， weave fibers into clothing， or even how to produce food for yourself？
Regarded as one of the brightest young scientists of his generation， Lewis Dartnell proposes that the key to preserving civilization in an apocalyptic scenario is to provide a quickstart guide， adapted to cataclysmic circumstances。 The Knowledge describes many of the modern technologies we employ， but first it explains the fundamentals upon which they are built。 Every piece of technology rests on an enormous support network of other technologies， all interlinked and mutually dependent。 You can’t hope to build a radio， for example， without understanding how to acquire the raw materials it requires， as well as generate the electricity needed to run it。 But Dartnell doesn’t just provide specific information for starting over; he also reveals the greatest invention of them all—the phenomenal knowledge-generating machine that is the scientific method itself。 This would allow survivors to learn technological advances not explicitly explored in The Knowledge as well as things we have yet to discover。
The Knowledge is a brilliantly original guide to the fundamentals of science and how it built our modern world as well as a thought experiment about the very idea of scientific knowledge itself。
Reviews
S。N。 Arly
，
This is an excellent read for anyone curious about how to skip forward on technological understanding if we were to start over after a complete crash of civilization。 It's also a great resource for any fiction writer interested in a post-apocalyptic world setup。I picked this up in late November 2019， during a book sale/fund raiser for my kids' school。 I'd wanted to read it for a while and this was a good excuse。 I started reading it early in the COVID-19 pandemic， partly because I thought it wou This is an excellent read for anyone curious about how to skip forward on technological understanding if we were to start over after a complete crash of civilization。 It's also a great resource for any fiction writer interested in a post-apocalyptic world setup。I picked this up in late November 2019， during a book sale/fund raiser for my kids' school。 I'd wanted to read it for a while and this was a good excuse。 I started reading it early in the COVID-19 pandemic， partly because I thought it would be good to see how we might come back from a worst case scenario （and plague is the most likely situation used to set up this thought experiment）。 Instead of being a downer， this was surprisingly hopeful， which is what I needed at that point。Some parts are a bit dense， so it's not a bad idea to take breaks here and there。 Still hoping to make soap entirely from scratch with the kids this summer based on the instructions for acquiring potash。 。。。more
Rohit
，
Abandoned。 Feels very bookish :）
Charles
，
This is a solid effort。 But I didn't finish it， and i'm probably only going to try it again if I'm still alive to endure the nuclear winter。That said I did think it was well reasoned。 And it half made me want to become a prepper！ This is a solid effort。 But I didn't finish it， and i'm probably only going to try it again if I'm still alive to endure the nuclear winter。That said I did think it was well reasoned。 And it half made me want to become a prepper！ 。。。more
Lorena Suárez
，
Yo elegí este libro como inspiración para mi propia novela precisamente por que ataca los temas básicos de la supervivencia sin rodeos ni tecnicismos innecesarios。 Ayuda a afrontar la realidad de nuestro mundo: ahora no sabemos vivir sin el móvil， pero si hay una catástrofe de tal calibre que nos mande de vuelta a las cavernas， comunicaciones no habrá， por ejemplo; y a distinguir qué es lo realmente esencial para （sobre）vivir。
Eric
，
This book is a great handbook for rebooting civilization。 It gives an appreciation for all the scientific and technical knowledge that our modern lives are build on。
Sion
，
Practical。
Elisala
，
Quel étrange livre。 D’un côté， ça pourrait être un livre présentant l’état des connaissances dans une grande variété de secteurs。Un état pas très bien présenté， très inégal d’un secteur à l’autre。 Depuis « pour que la plante pousse， il faut mettre la graine dans la terre »， jusqu’à « bon ben là bien sûr il faut ajouter un alcali puissant et hop vous obtenez une ogive thermo-nucléaire »。 J’exagère un rien。 Mais juste un rien。Ou alors， c’est， comme le livre se présente lui-même， un livre à avoir s Quel étrange livre。 D’un côté， ça pourrait être un livre présentant l’état des connaissances dans une grande variété de secteurs。Un état pas très bien présenté， très inégal d’un secteur à l’autre。 Depuis « pour que la plante pousse， il faut mettre la graine dans la terre »， jusqu’à « bon ben là bien sûr il faut ajouter un alcali puissant et hop vous obtenez une ogive thermo-nucléaire »。 J’exagère un rien。 Mais juste un rien。Ou alors， c’est， comme le livre se présente lui-même， un livre à avoir sous la main dans une société post-apocalyptique pour avoir les connaissances essentielles pour reconstruire （je cite） « une civilisation digne de ce nom »。La présentation très inégale des connaissances est dans ce cas， un peu plus logique， dans l’idée qu’il faudra de toutes façons expérimenter， tester， et que des choses qui paraissent obscures là comme ça à la lecture， peuvent prendre tout leur sens dans le contexte de découverte et de recherche qui pourrait suivre une apocalypse。Mais soyons claire : c’est pas la modestie qui l’étouffe。 Déjà， si j’avais vu le titre en anglais， « THE KNOWLEDGE » - rien que ça – pas sûr que je l’aurais emprunté。 Mais y a mieux : « [ce livre] vous donnera toutes les clés pour relancer une civilisation digne de ce nom » - rien。que。ça。 Avec quelque chose d’un peu méprisant pour les êtres humains qui auraient survécu à l’apocalypse， comme s’ils arrivaient sans connaissance propre ni expérience scientifique。 Et le reste est à l’avenant。Et puis， surtout， mais quelle tristesse， quelle tristesse， bon dieu， ce livre ne propose aucune réelle alternative au monde actuel， n’envisage pas qu’autre chose serait possible et ne remets en cause pas à un seul moment la manière dont notre civilisation actuelle fonctionne - tout en annonçant dès le début que les humains pourraient être la cause d'une éventuelle apocalypse， que les ressources naturelles sont surexploitées， etc。 – mais sans que cela semble influencer de quelque manière que ce soit sa vision d’une reconstruction éventuelle de la civilisation。 C’en est presque fascinant。 Une civilisation digne de ce nom， c’est ça， ouais。Je pourrais lister tous ces instants où j’avais envie de le taper， mais ça prendrait des heures。Je citerai， en vrac， le mépris pour le travail manuel， pour la culture， la cuisine， le cerveau des gens et leur capacité à comprendre les maths， la méconnaissance des arts du fil et de l’agriculture biologique， l’approche sociologique et politique inexistante （qu’il ne creuse pas， ok， mais qu’il n’en parle pas à un seul moment， sauf pour vanter l'avènement du capitalisme pour le développement technologique des sociétés occidentales ？ J’ai envie de dire， what the fuck）， un manque d'imagination abyssal， des approximations scientifiques foireuses et facilement évitables， etc。 etc。La questions à 15 balles pour tous ces livres que j'ai pas aimés: mais pourquoi donc que j’ai tout de même continué à le lire， et ce jusqu'au bout， jusqu'à la dernière ligne ？ Déjà， parce que je voulais voir combien de fois il pourrait caser « civilisation digne de ce nom » dans un seul livre – je fus quelque peu déçue， après un départ sur les chapeaux de roues， avec 6 （six！） « civilisation digne de ce nom » dans le premier tiers du livre， rien avant le dernier quart， qui nous propose un septième « civilisation digne de ce nom »， plus un modeste « infrastructure de transports digne de ce nom »。 Je me sens flouée。Bon， pis j’avoue， j’ai un peu continué aussi parce qu’il y a quelques infos intéressantes， des choses auxquelles je n’avais jamais réfléchi。 Ceci étant dit， je prends tout ça avec des pincettes， vu qu’il dit aussi des grosses bêtises （comme j'ai pu m'en rendre compte sur les sujets que je maîtrise un tant soit peu）。C’est pas gagné l’apocalypse si les clés pour reconstruire sont dans ce livre， comme le prétend suffisamment l'auteur。 。。。more
Spencer Forsyth
，
Thomas here did a better job reviewing than I could。 https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 Thomas here did a better job reviewing than I could。 https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 。。。more
Philip T
，
An interesting thought experiment to see what it takes to rebuild society。 At the end of the book， actually probably midway， I realized one important thing: we need each other to survive。
Colette！
，
A fun little thought experiment。 Essentially: we're screwed。 It does make me want to revisit The World Without Us。 A fun little thought experiment。 Essentially: we're screwed。 It does make me want to revisit The World Without Us。 。。。more
Rob Sedgwick
，
A interesting exercise This must have been an interestingly exercise to put together this book。 How much use it would be post apocalypse is another matter。 Judging by the plethora of highlighted passages in the first few chapters plenty of people found it contained useful info。 After that they thin out and then disappear。 Much of the advice would occupy a new civilisation decades or centuries from its inception so is not worth highlighting to the current day reader。 I can't help thinking that th A interesting exercise This must have been an interestingly exercise to put together this book。 How much use it would be post apocalypse is another matter。 Judging by the plethora of highlighted passages in the first few chapters plenty of people found it contained useful info。 After that they thin out and then disappear。 Much of the advice would occupy a new civilisation decades or centuries from its inception so is not worth highlighting to the current day reader。 I can't help thinking that the pieces of our present civilisation would keep the next one going for some time。 。。。more
Alex
，
This book needs to have a equivalent discipline in all school programs。 "Introduction to human civilization" This book needs to have a equivalent discipline in all school programs。 "Introduction to human civilization" 。。。more
Will
，
3。5 stars but this could be because I listened to it as an audiobook。 Probs better in print with diagrams
Andy Horton
，
I downloaded this before the current world situation。 The Before Times， when global apocalypse wasn't a thing anyone took at all seriously。Now， there is maybe a little more relatable context to this book on how we might go about "rebooting" civilization and technology if a terrible disaster wiped out most of our population and society。Some reviews I have seen of this don't like that it is sketchy on detail， but that is to be expected - this is not a how-to， but more a "how would？"， thinking abou I downloaded this before the current world situation。 The Before Times， when global apocalypse wasn't a thing anyone took at all seriously。Now， there is maybe a little more relatable context to this book on how we might go about "rebooting" civilization and technology if a terrible disaster wiped out most of our population and society。Some reviews I have seen of this don't like that it is sketchy on detail， but that is to be expected - this is not a how-to， but more a "how would？"， thinking about what would need to be developed， how long existing technology and resources would last， and whether the path that industrial development took before should be followed or whether steps could be skipped or even not taken。 For example， Dartnell makes a good case for steam engines rather than pursuing internal combustion as they are easier to build， do what is needed and don't require fossil fuels。 It starts with a review of what resources would be available - food， medicines， vehicles and fuel etc - and for how long after a disaster， putting this as a grace period while people started planning to become self-sufficient。 Then it goes through everything from agriculture to communications and even timekeeping and calendars。As I said， not a how-to， but a fascinating thought experiment and a good primer perhaps for someone thinking seriously about the subject。I loved that one of the last chapter heading quotes is from Ecclesiastes: "Earth abides。。。"。 I'm sure it is no coincidence that this was the title of th eclassic post-apocalypse novel where the hero spends much of the novel trying unsuccessfully to launch the sort of rebooting project described here。 。。。more
Virginia Rand
，
It's a really cool concept， and you would want this book with you at the end of the world， but I'm not convinced that you wouldn't need a whole lot of help with other stuff as well。 If you're really worried just give some of it a go right now！ It's a really cool concept， and you would want this book with you at the end of the world， but I'm not convinced that you wouldn't need a whole lot of help with other stuff as well。 If you're really worried just give some of it a go right now！ 。。。more
Zoran Relic
，
Vrlo površno i zbrčkano。
Irene
，
This book is the perfect companion to the YouTube series How To Make Everything。 It's definitely not intended as a survival guide， which is clearly stated in the introduction and first chapter， so I don't know why so many people are complaining about that。This book doesn't tell you how to do things。 It gives you a barebones description of the elements you need and the technique to source and work with them， but it's up to you to find a good source of information for each of them。 If you can't te This book is the perfect companion to the YouTube series How To Make Everything。 It's definitely not intended as a survival guide， which is clearly stated in the introduction and first chapter， so I don't know why so many people are complaining about that。This book doesn't tell you how to do things。 It gives you a barebones description of the elements you need and the technique to source and work with them， but it's up to you to find a good source of information for each of them。 If you can't tell one tree from another， this book is not going to help you with that。 Its purpose is to point you in the right direction to rebuild a technological society by skipping the inefficient methods that led to today's society in favour of the best practices with what could be available to you， and it accomplishes that beautifully。 。。。more
Garrett
，
So - an exceptional book; something that combines perfectly "nerdy thought experiment" and "inherently useful item。" Any book that references John "Lofty" Wiseman （of the infamous roach souffle） early on when talking about survival is something that's going to be worth the time to read it。 Though it can be exhausting in its level of detail， that detail is the point; if this were in your bug-out bag when the proverbial excrement interacted with the air circulators， then you might actually last a So - an exceptional book; something that combines perfectly "nerdy thought experiment" and "inherently useful item。" Any book that references John "Lofty" Wiseman （of the infamous roach souffle） early on when talking about survival is something that's going to be worth the time to read it。 Though it can be exhausting in its level of detail， that detail is the point; if this were in your bug-out bag when the proverbial excrement interacted with the air circulators， then you might actually last a little longer。 It concerns itself with both the short- and long-term， and does so with a jaunty "let's figure it out" tone。 Enjoyable。 。。。more
Alex Railean
，
This is a very useful book， the characters of "Station eleven" could have greatly benefited from having such a guide。The material seems to be oriented towards groups of people （or the leaders of such groups）， rather than an individual， since many of the described processes require cooperation。 Not just in terms of physical labour， but also in terms of knowledge。 Although I see myself as a relatively well-educated engineer， I don't think I can handle these endeavours on my own。 Specialization is This is a very useful book， the characters of "Station eleven" could have greatly benefited from having such a guide。The material seems to be oriented towards groups of people （or the leaders of such groups）， rather than an individual， since many of the described processes require cooperation。 Not just in terms of physical labour， but also in terms of knowledge。 Although I see myself as a relatively well-educated engineer， I don't think I can handle these endeavours on my own。 Specialization is required， and you really need cross-disciplinary training to be able to see the big picture。Or， at a minimum， one would have to read it multiple times to ensure all the critical parts sink in。 Plus you need enough time to put these things into practice in order to sharpen your skills。If you're preparing for a tough future， this book is good to have around， but it is definitely not sufficient， you'll need other materials too。 "The knowledge" is an overview of what you need to know and how to reach certain milestones more efficiently。 However， in some scenarios you might not live long enough to build the more efficient version of the water-wheel， because you failed at a much earlier stage。A valuable part of the book is represented by the "technological shortcuts" that we can take。 The author mentions multiple historical examples of things that could have been accomplished centuries earlier， but weren't。 Not because they were infeasible at the time， but simply because they weren't attempted。 A "rebooted civilization" can leverage this knowledge。 。。。more
Dide
，
It is a good book in my opinion as a basic summarised glance as to what could or may be needed if ever an apocalyptic situation arises or even something as common as an erasure of some sort due to war etc。 arises。That said this doesn't detail the real practical measurable know-how and precautions so obviously one needs to go steps further to read on them from other resources。 The audible was read by John lee and he was quite good， clear and effective。 It is a good book in my opinion as a basic summarised glance as to what could or may be needed if ever an apocalyptic situation arises or even something as common as an erasure of some sort due to war etc。 arises。That said this doesn't detail the real practical measurable know-how and precautions so obviously one needs to go steps further to read on them from other resources。 The audible was read by John lee and he was quite good， clear and effective。 。。。more
Judas
，
Ha sido una lectura muy interesante。El autor deja claro desde el principio que su intención no es ser una guía exhaustiva de supervivencia （si es lo que el lector busca， se decepcionará）。 Más bien intenta dar una visión global de las tecnologías más cruciales， no sólo para la supervivencia humana sino para la construcción de una civilización。 Como indican los capítulos: agricultura， alimento y vestido， sustancias， materiales， medicina， energía， transporte， comunicación， química， tiempo y lugar。。 Ha sido una lectura muy interesante。El autor deja claro desde el principio que su intención no es ser una guía exhaustiva de supervivencia （si es lo que el lector busca， se decepcionará）。 Más bien intenta dar una visión global de las tecnologías más cruciales， no sólo para la supervivencia humana sino para la construcción de una civilización。 Como indican los capítulos: agricultura， alimento y vestido， sustancias， materiales， medicina， energía， transporte， comunicación， química， tiempo y lugar。。。 Aún así， hay temas que he echado de menos que tratara。 Al final del libro， invita al lector a participar en su web， comentando en la página de la comunidad qué conocimientos cree que se deberían preservar。 Allí también recopila una selección de lecturas recomendadas。Entre otras cosas que en mi opinión son importantes y habrían sido relativamente sencillas de incluir， están las siguientes:tratar la permacultura， la cría y caza de animales， básicos de enfermedades y plagas de plantas en el capítulo sobre agricultura; el parto en posturas naturales; hablar de la antotipia en el apartado de procesos fotográficos， ya que es una técnica que no requiere químicos difíciles de conseguir; haber mencionado métodos de cálculo o registro no dependientes de la tinta y papel， como los ábacos， quipus y demás; etc。El libro podría haber mejorado mucho fácilmente con más ilustraciones/esquemas。 Hay partes en las que describe objetos o técnicas sin que queden del todo claras por escrito。 Sería mucho más fácil ilustrarlas。Sin embargo encuentro muy valioso el recorrido que traza desde las tecnologías básicas hasta las más complejas， construyendo unas sobre las anteriores。 Leerlo ha conectado en mi cabeza muchas ideas que antes no se relacionaban entre sí y me ha despertado más interés por la historia y la elaboración de los objetos cotidianos， con los cuales hemos dejado de maravillarnos; quizá porque nos parecen o más sencillos o más inabarcables de lo que son。 。。。more
Terry Croyle
，
The "what if" hook is frighteningly plausible。 The question the author poses， "how are we， post apocalypse， going to hang onto the knowledge humans have accumulated to date？"， is addressed in the book。 Although the book was entertaining and informative， I would have liked to have had a more extensive treatment of how we can preserve in some practical form， "how to" manuals for those that may be left behind。 For example， how may the survivors of the future access the information in this book？ Hea The "what if" hook is frighteningly plausible。 The question the author poses， "how are we， post apocalypse， going to hang onto the knowledge humans have accumulated to date？"， is addressed in the book。 Although the book was entertaining and informative， I would have liked to have had a more extensive treatment of how we can preserve in some practical form， "how to" manuals for those that may be left behind。 For example， how may the survivors of the future access the information in this book？ Heady stuff。 Congratulations to the author for tackling such a formidable premise。 。。。more
Erdem
，
Belki aşırı beklentili olduğumdan olacak tatmin etmedi。 Verilen bilgilerin çoğu zihnimde oturmuyor ve kalıcı olmuyordu。 Keşke yazar şekillerden ve fotoğraflardan daha çok yararlansaydı。
Henrik Haapala
，
This is a great book by Lewis Dartnell。 The author is a researcher and professor at university of Westminster in astrobiology。 With a little science background you will appreciate even more the basic principles of restarting:AgricultureFood and clothingSubstancesMaterialsMedicine Power to the peopleTransport Communication Advanced chemistry Time and placeThe greatest invention （the scientific method）（All of this assumes a huge disaster for humans。 It’s has a valid point even if this does not hap This is a great book by Lewis Dartnell。 The author is a researcher and professor at university of Westminster in astrobiology。 With a little science background you will appreciate even more the basic principles of restarting:AgricultureFood and clothingSubstancesMaterialsMedicine Power to the peopleTransport Communication Advanced chemistry Time and placeThe greatest invention （the scientific method）（All of this assumes a huge disaster for humans。 It’s has a valid point even if this does not happen during our lifetime。 These principles are solid。）Quotes:“But the most valuable resource to gather before it is lost is knowledge。。。Although far more extensive， our civilizations paper based writings are less permanent records than the clay tablets， tough papyrus rolls or parchment of earlier cultures。 But if the contents of libraries are still intact when the surviving population begins to rebuild， these fabulous resources can be mined for knowledge。”“It is science that built our modern world， and it is science that will be needed to rebuild it again。” 。。。more
Jason Bray
，
It’s hard to imagine why anyone *wouldn’t* want to read this book in 2020。The good:* great rough overview of the important preliminary products to rebuild civilization。 Genrerally not enough to actually rebuild those things but enough to know what you’re looking for。* lots of areas of tech are covered。 He doesn’t just stop where a human civilization would be self-sufficient， he goes into areas like celestial navigation and advanced chemistry* just fabulous in terms of helping you see how disconn It’s hard to imagine why anyone *wouldn’t* want to read this book in 2020。The good:* great rough overview of the important preliminary products to rebuild civilization。 Genrerally not enough to actually rebuild those things but enough to know what you’re looking for。* lots of areas of tech are covered。 He doesn’t just stop where a human civilization would be self-sufficient， he goes into areas like celestial navigation and advanced chemistry* just fabulous in terms of helping you see how disconnected mankind is from its roots。*redemptive in its scholarship。The bad:* not enough detail to be useful。 Generally hardly any of this book would work without other books to support it。* not enough detailed knowledge for “prepping”。 If that’s what you’re into then you will need to look elsewhere to get a reasonable survival kit。 * very lefty in perspective， worrying about climate change， animal testing and the like。 Frankly this worries me， but doesn’t have a goo job and the capacity for children of his happesntsz 。。。more
Christopher Short
，
Read this book！ You won't regret it！ Read this book！ You won't regret it！ 。。。more
John Waymont
，
Some interesting parts， but definitely seemed more useful as a "history of science" than a rebuilding guide。 Some parts seemed deliberately vague - almost discouraging its use as an experimental guide for the here-and-now and trying a bit hard to be saved for an emergency。I wanted to enjoy it， and there were occasional little facts that were very interesting， but I found it too abstract overall。 The final chapter was one of the best from this abstract point-of-view， extolling the virtues of scie Some interesting parts， but definitely seemed more useful as a "history of science" than a rebuilding guide。 Some parts seemed deliberately vague - almost discouraging its use as an experimental guide for the here-and-now and trying a bit hard to be saved for an emergency。I wanted to enjoy it， and there were occasional little facts that were very interesting， but I found it too abstract overall。 The final chapter was one of the best from this abstract point-of-view， extolling the virtues of science and engineering as the greatest thing to redevelop。 （I particularly enjoyed the buildup which implied capitalism was probably the most important thing to rediscover， even if did so with great circumlocution）。 。。。more
Anders Nielsen
，
Good interesting start， then it gets a long list of how to recreate existing inventions。 Some very technical。 I liked the idea， but got bored after around 50 pages
Paul
，
Extremely brief course （not even a 101） to technical history。 Even that - this book requires knowing a lot about engineering and chemistry before reading。 Will be interesting for Fallout games series fans。 Not sure if it can be helpful for somebody else。
Ruth McAvinia
，