The Little Ice Age, Brian Fagan
The Little Ice Age, Brian Fagan
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The Little Ice Age
How Climate Made History 1300–1850

Author: Brian Fagan

Narrator: Michael Langan

Unabridged: 8 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/02/2022

Synopsis

The Little Ice Age tells the story of the turbulent, unpredictable, and often very cold years of modern European history, how climate altered historical events, and what they mean in the context of today’s global warming.Only in the last decade have climatologists developed an accurate picture of yearly climate conditions in historical times. This development confirmed a long-standing suspicion: that the world endured a 500-year cold snap, a little ice age, that lasted roughly from AD 1300 until 1850.With its basis in cutting-edge science, The Little Ice Age offers a new perspective on familiar events. Renowned archaeologist Brian Fagan shows how the increasing cold affected Norse exploration; how changing sea temperatures caused English and Basque fishermen to follow vast shoals of cod all the way to the New World; how a generations-long subsistence crisis in France contributed to social disintegration and ultimately revolution; and how English efforts to improve farm productivity in the face of a deteriorating climate helped pave the way for the Industrial Revolution and hence for global warming. This is a fascinating, original book for anyone interested in history, climate, or the new subject of how they interact.

About Brian Fagan

Brian Fagan is the author of numerous acclaimed books on climate and archaeology. A former Guggenheim Fellow, he is professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

About Michael Langan

Michael Langan works as a freelance editor, writing mentor, and teacher and also facilitates creative writing and critical reading workshops. He taught creative writing and English literature at Greenwich University, London, for ten years before giving it up to focus on his writing career. He was arts editor of the online LGBTQ arts and culture journal Polari Magazine, during which time he wrote on visual art, cinema, and books. For the past three years, he has joined forces with The Literary Consultancy (TLC), London, to offer manuscript assessments to emerging LGBTQ writers as part of TLC’s Free Reads scheme, sponsored by the Arts Council England.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jim on July 09, 2020

I read this book years ago and was fascinated by all the examples that showed how climate has affected history. Published in 2000, this book put forth the case that the world went through "a little ice age" from 1300-1850, and before and after there was (and is) a warming period. I remembered readin......more

Goodreads review by Kristin on May 21, 2013

I'm a climatologist reading a book on climate by an anthropologist, so I'm going to be skeptical. I enjoyed the history of agricultural development in Europe and the North Atlantic, especially passages such as this: "Filthy, clad in rags, barely surviving on a diet of bread, cheese, and water, the ru......more

Goodreads review by Oleksandr on August 13, 2024

This is a non-fiction history overview book mainly interested as the title hints about the Little Ice Age during (roughly) 1300-1850. I read it as a part of the buddy reads for August 2024 at Non-Fiction Book Club group. The book in the very preface notes that climatic determinism isn’t supported by......more

Goodreads review by Judyta on April 24, 2020

This year has not been good for reading so far. At first for good reasons (buying a house), then for bad reasons (fighting the coronavirus). This is why it took me a few months to finish this book, even though it's not overly long, and not at all boring. As it was written by an academic who is neith......more

Goodreads review by Krystelle on June 16, 2020

I wouldn’t venture to say this book was disinteresting- I rather enjoy a good dissection of historical weather reports- but I do have my qualms regarding its accuracy and datedness. From what little I know of climate science, the issues go well beyond the tidal implications and NAO- and so I found t......more

Quotes

“Fagan shows in this wonderful book how vulnerable human society is to climatic zigzags.” New Scientist

“[A] highly readable and erudite analysis.” The Guardian (London)

“An engrossing historical volume." South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“A fascinating account of events both obscure and well known, including the French Revolution and the Irish potato famine, as seen through the lens of weather and its effect on harvests.” Foreign Affairs

“A nimble, lively, provocative book.” Booklist

“The Little Ice Age could do for the historical study of climate what Foucault's Madness and Civilization did for the historical study of mental illness: make it a respectable subject for scholarly inquiry.” Scientific American

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