Against the Grain

A Deep History of the Earliest States

Ranked #34 in Mayan, Ranked #68 in Agriculturesee more rankings.

An Economist Best History Book 2017
 
“History as it should be written.”—Barry Cunliffe, Guardian
 
“Scott hits the nail squarely on the head by exposing the staggering price our ancestors paid for civilization and political order.”—Walter Scheidel, Financial Times
 
Why did humans abandon hunting and gathering for sedentary communities dependent on livestock and cereal grains, and governed by precursors of today’s states? Most people believe that plant and animal domestication allowed humans, finally, to settle down...
more

Rankings by Category

Against the Grain is ranked in the following categories:


Similar Books

If you like Against the Grain, check out these similar top-rated books:


Learn: What makes Shortform summaries the best in the world?