1
of
1
Size
How It Explains the World
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 497 ratings, 68 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3000
Unit price
/
Unavailable
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY
Found a better price? Request a price match
Size
$3000
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Latest News
Books Our Dads Gave Us
For Father’s Day, we asked some of the team to share the books their Dads...
Romance for Spring - Groundbreaking!
Lizzy is sharing her top picks for Spring reads in the romance and romantasy genre...
The ‘Fourth Wing’ graphic novel covers have been revealed
The covers for ‘Fourth Wing, The Graphic Novel: Volume One’ have officially been revealed, with...
Books about Bookshops (across almost every genre)
Books about books, bookshops, and booksellers - it's my favourite thing. Here's a small selection...
What the Book Hero team is excited for
With so many pre-orders coming in the last few months of the year, we asked...
See more
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
A mind-expanding exploration of size, the measure of all things, from the New York Times bestselling author.
The New York Times bestselling author returns with a mind-opening exploration of how size defines life on Earth.
Explaining the key processes shaping size in nature, society, and technology, Smil busts myths around proportions— from bodies to paintings and the so-called golden ratio—tells us what Jonathan Swift got wrong in Gulliver's Travels—the giant Brobdingnagian's legs would buckle under their enormous weight—and dives headfirst into the most contentious issue in ergonomics: the size of aeroplane seats.
It is no exaggeration to say this fascinating and wide-ranging tour de force will change the way you look at absolutely everything.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780241992142
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 09 November 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 18.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 213g
Pages: 304
About the Author
Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba, Canada. He is the author of over forty books on topics including energy, environmental and population change, food production, and public policy. His books for a general reader include Numbers Don't Lie and the New York Times bestseller How the World Really Works. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Smil is the expert's expert (Bill Gates- 'There is no author whose books I look forward to more').
Also by Vaclav Smil
View all-
How the World Really Works
Delightfully contrarian, this is the one book you need to read to understand our modern world. We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don't know how the world really works. How the World Really Works explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production,...Paperback$2700Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
How to Feed the World
A myth-busting book about how the world produces and consumes its food and how to do so without killing the planet. In this ambitious, myth-busting book, leading scientist and internationally bestselling author Vaclav Smil investigates many of the burning questions facing the world today: Why are some of the world's biggest food producers also the countries with the most undernourished...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Numbers Don't Lie
In Numbers Don't Lie, renowned scientist and polymath Vaclav Smil embarks on an enlightening journey to uncover the hidden truths behind everyday questions and global phenomena. From the perceived dangers of air travel to the collective weight of the world's cattle, Smil delves into the facts and figures that shape our understanding of reality. Through meticulous data analysis, he illuminates...Paperback$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Growth
Immerse yourself in the comprehensive exploration of growth's omnipresent force in the world with Growth by Vaclav Smil. Esteemed by influential figures such as Bill Gates, Smil guides readers through a journey that encompasses the unspoken and explicit aims of growth that shape our very existence. Through an extensive and methodical inquiry, Growth investigates the phenomenon from its microscopic origins...Paperback$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Invention and Innovation
In Invention and Innovation by Vaclav Smil, readers are taken on a compelling journey through the annals of human ingenuity, exploring the ebbs and flows of discoveries and advancements that have shaped our world. Smil, a prolific author and renowned thinker, offers a meticulously researched narrative that is both thought-provoking and deeply insightful. The book dissects the lifecycle of inventions,...Hardback$6999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Energy and Civilization
A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel-driven civilization. "I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History, he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to turn...Paperback$4100Elsewhere:$4499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Invention and Innovation
From the New York Times-bestselling author, a new volume on the history of human ingenuity—and its attendant breakthroughs and busts. Included in BILL GATES's 2023 Holiday Reading List Included in Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2023 Included in The Next Big Idea Club's February 2023 Must-Read Books "Every Smil book that I own is marked up with lots of...Paperback$4100Elsewhere:$4500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
How to Feed the World
How to Feed the World is a myth-busting book about how the world produces and consumes its food, and how to do so without killing the planet. In this ambitious, myth-busting book, leading scientist and internationally bestselling author Vaclav Smil investigates many of the burning questions facing the world today. Why are some of the world's biggest food producers also...Paperback$3000Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Speed
Prepare to view the world through a new lens - Speed - a groundbreaking exploration that challenges your perceptions of life's driving force, from the internationally bestselling author. Explore how speed influences every aspect of life on Earth, from the slow grind of geological processes and the fleeting lifespans of organisms to the astonishing speed of light and the remarkable...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$4500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Energy
With his famous equation, E=mc2, Einstein showed us that all matter can be described as energy. It is everywhere; it is everything. In this engaging introduction, renowned author and scientist Vaclav Smil covers a wide range of topics, from the inner workings of the human body to the race for more efficient and eco-friendly fuels. Shedding light on the science...Paperback$3699Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Materials and Dematerialization
World-renowned scientist Vaclav Smil examines a critical topic in the research and policy domain of sustainable resource use. Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be...Paperback$7199Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Should We Eat Meat?
Meat eating is often a contentious subject, whether considering the technical, ethical, environmental, political, or health-related aspects of production and consumption. This book is a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary examination and critique of meat consumption by humans, throughout their evolution and around the world. Setting the scene with a chapter on meat’s role in human evolution and its growing influence during...Paperback$7199Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks
More from Science & Nature
View all-
19% offWhat If? 10th Anniversary Edition
CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF THE MILLION-SELLING POP SCIENCE CLASSIC WITH A SPECIAL EDITION. THIS IS WHAT IF? . . . x10. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Nerd royalty' — BEN GOLDACRE 'Totally brilliant' — TIM HARFORD 'Required reading across the world' — NEW YORK TIMES From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd.com, experience hilarious and informative answers to important questions...Hardback$3400Elsewhere:$5000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Anxious Generation
A powerful argument for reclaiming childhood—and all human relationships—from the online world, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author. Jonathan Haidt has spent his career speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most difficult spaces—communities polarised by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the mental health emergency hitting teenagers today in many countries around...Paperback$2299Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Prisoners of Geography
Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present, and future to offer crucial insights into one of the major factors that determine world history – because if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture. Originally published in 2015, this completely revised and updated edition brings it up to date with the events and trends of the past...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Ultra-Processed People
Launching the runaway bestseller with ambitions to be the biggest non-fiction paperback of the year IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S THE FOOD. "If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one" - Bee Wilson "You've got to get this book in your life . . . Completely compelling . . . Read a page...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Buy to Win
Sapiens
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is an extraordinary exploration of humanity's history from the dawn of our species to the present day. Harari delves into our evolution, offering insights into the cognitive revolutions that allowed Homo sapiens to rise above other animal species. Traversing through various stages of human development, he examines the Agricultural Revolution, the unification of humankind through...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Invisible Women
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez is a groundbreaking and meticulously researched exploration into the pervasive gender bias that infiltrates every aspect of our society. Through compelling case studies and thorough analysis, this book unveils the hidden ways women are systematically disadvantaged in a world predominantly designed by and for men. Perez's revelations stretch across various sectors including government policy,...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2600Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Clean & Green
Simple swaps and innovative ideas for cleaning and maintaining your home that won't cost the Earth. Learn how easy it is to make simple swaps in your cleaning and tidying methods for a more eco-friendly home. This beautifully illustrated black and white guide with 101 hints and sustainable, natural cleaning tips and hacks will help you take small steps that...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Genetic Book of the Dead
From one of the world’s great science writers, a book that explores the deepest principles of evolutionary history. In this groundbreaking new approach to the evolution of all life, Richard Dawkins shows how the body, behaviour, and genes of every living creature can be read as a book – an archive of the worlds of its ancestors. A perfectly camouflaged...Hardback$4900Elsewhere:$5499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
16% offThe Coming Wave
The instant Sunday Times bestseller from the ultimate AI insider - the only book you need to read on this subject. An Economist, Financial Times, Guardian, Prospect and Sunday Times Book of the Year Shortlisted for the FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year This is the only book you need to understand our new world - from the...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Buy to Win
Breath
Discover the transformative power of breathing in Breath by esteemed journalist James Nestor. This revolutionary book delves into the science and history of one of the most fundamental human activities - breathing. From the bustling streets of São Paulo to the serene temples of India, Nestor embarks on a global journey to uncover the secrets of ancient breathing techniques such...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$2600Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
13% offDopamine Nation
'Her stories have the power to transform your life' Lori Gottlieb, bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone 'Radically changes the way we think about mental illness, pleasure, pain, reward and stress' Daniel Levitin, bestselling author of The Organized Mind THE NEW YORK TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER We are a wired generation. In these fast-paced times, we...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Cat's Tales
Once upon a time, the enchanting creature that is the cat infiltrated our lives – and our folklore. Cats have a long association with the supernatural – from being worshipped as gods in ancient Egypt to vilified as witches’ familiars in Europe – and they appear in countless fairy tales throughout history. Every part of the world has its own...Hardback$3099Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
