Can You Trust Jared Diamond?

Jared Diamond is a master of cultural and historical bricolage. His books weave epic stories about the human condition from the disparate cultural practices of a wide range of people living in different environments. In his Pulitzer Prize–winning Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond used this eclectic empiricism to tell a story about the role of geography in human history. In Collapse, he used the same approach to stage a morality play about the dangers of disregarding those geographic conditions. In his new book, The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?, Diamond probes the differences between modern cultures and traditional societies that subsist through hunting and gathering, and he comes to several bold conclusions about their relative merits. His examples are evocative and his narration is powerful, but Diamond ultimately fails to substantiate his arguments. By the end of the book, it is impossible to tell if one has finished reading a masterpiece of rigorous analysis or a masterfully written collection of just-so stories. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2013-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #human history #finished reading

Other news stories related to: "Can You Trust Jared Diamond?"


Diamond moves to Quercus after 14 years with Pan Mac

Lucy Diamond is moving to Quercus in a new two-book deal after 14 years with Pan Macmillan.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-07 07:46:47 UTC ]
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The UK’s Young Writer Award Gains Charlotte Aitken Trust Sponsorship

The Young Writer Award led by the Sunday Times in the United Kingdom now is sponsored by the Charlotte Aitken Trust. The post The UK’s Young Writer Award Gains Charlotte Aitken Trust Sponsorship appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-06-18 12:15:40 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury scoops ‘staggering’ novel by Kevin Jared Hosein

Bloomsbury is to publish Devotion by Kevin Jared Hosein, after securing the title at auction for a "major" sum.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-17 19:53:38 UTC ]
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Martina Cole receives CWA Diamond Dagger

Martina Cole has been awarded the highest honour in British crime writing, the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger, almost 30 years after she was "dismissed by some as a one-book wonder”.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-22 09:02:02 UTC ]
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Shortlist for Jane Grigson Trust Award revealed

Kitty and Alex Tait, Claire Finney and Gurdeep Loyal have made the shortlist for the Jane Grigson Trust Award 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-22 08:46:30 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury partners with Woodland Trust

Bloomsbury has pledged to work with the Woodland Trust for three years, following a donation the publisher made to sponsor a one-acre grove in Surrey.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-08 18:21:57 UTC ]
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EC brings anti-trust charges against Amazon

European Union regulators have brought anti-trust charges against Amazon, accusing the retail giant of using sensitive data from the third-party sellers who use its marketplace to gain unfair advantage for its own retail business.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-10 15:04:25 UTC ]
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Saraband launches 'food bank book bundles' for Trussell Trust

Manchester-based independent publisher Saraband is to launch "food bank book bundles" as part of their online shop, in partnership with the Trussell Trust. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-04 02:51:37 UTC ]
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Hachette partners with Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust on career toolkit

Hachette UK has created a new "Guide to Publishing toolkit" in partnership with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, to make careers in the industry more accessible to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-17 15:02:01 UTC ]
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UK’s National Literary Trust Research Finds Benefits of Audiobooks for Kids

A report commissioned by the Publishers Association says that during the COVID-19 lockdown, UK children listened to audiobooks, arguing to end their VAT. The post UK’s National Literary Trust Research Finds Benefits of Audiobooks for Kids appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-07-06 15:29:18 UTC ]
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Women's Prize Trust launches writers' development programme

The Women's Prize Trust is launching Discoveries, a writers’ development programme offering aspiring female writers of all ages and backgrounds "encouragement and support" at the beginning of their creative journeys. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-18 07:15:38 UTC ]
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DC Ends Comics Distribution Pact with Diamond

In a surprising development in the direct market comics shop channel, DC is ending its 25-year relationship with Diamond Comic Distributors, the dominant distributor of comics periodicals in North America. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Greg James and Chris Smith team up with National Literacy Trust to launch new series

The National Literacy Trust's new Author of the Week series will kick off with Greg James and Chris Smith, authors of the Kid Normal series. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-20 21:56:16 UTC ]
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Diamond Reveals New Payment Terms; Execs Take Pay Cut

Diamond Distributors founder Steve Geppi outlined the terms under which the distributor of comics, graphic novels, and prose books would resume payments to publishers and other vendors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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India’s National Book Trust To Produce ‘Corona Studies Series’

Even as New Delhi's air quality improves during the nation's lockdown, the National Book Trust is developing content responsive to the COVID-19 crisis. The post India’s National Book Trust To Produce ‘Corona Studies Series’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-06 16:24:03 UTC ]
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Diamond Comic Halts Payments to Publishers

Diamond Comic Distributors, the largest distributor of comics in North America, announced that it will not pay publishers and other vendors this week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Diamond Halts Shipments of New Comics to Comics Shops

Diamond Comic Distributors, the largest distributor of comics in North America, announced that it will cease the delivery of weekly published comics until further notice. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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National Literacy Trust launches online zone to support home learning as schools close

The National Literacy Trust has launched new online zone for parents to engage children and support learning at home, with author videos, poetry workshops and illustration sessions, as schools close across the UK.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-19 01:46:19 UTC ]
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Avon Books to publish two more thrillers by Katerina Diamond

Avon Books will publish two more standalone thrillers from Katerina Diamond. Avon first launched Diamond in 2016 with The Teacher.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-19 00:37:45 UTC ]
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Martin Edwards wins 2020 Diamond Dagger award for crime writing

Martin Edwards has won the 2020 Diamond Dagger award for writers of “sustained excellence making significant contributions to crime writing”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-23 13:21:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #martin edwards #crime writing