Synopses & Reviews
Other than air, the only substance more vital to life is water. Our bodies brim with it, and if weandrsquo;re deprived of it for even a few days, the results can be fatal. Our planet, too, is mostly water, with oceans across approximately seventy percent of its surface. But potable water has in many times and places been a scarce resource, and with
Water, Ian Miller traces the history of our relationship with drinking waterandmdash;our attempts to find it, keep it clean, and make it widely available.
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Millerandrsquo;s history ranges widely, from ancient times to the present, exploring all the many ways that weandrsquo;ve rendered water palatableandmdash;from boiling it for tea or distilling it as part of alcoholic beverages to piping it from springs, bubbles and all. He covers the histories of water treatment and supply, belief in its medicinal powers, and much more, all supported by fascinating historical illustrations. As access to fresh water becomes an ever more potent problem worldwide, Millerandrsquo;s book is a fascinating reminder of our long engagement with this most vital fluid.
Review
"Though he ranges widely, Mr. Salzman, who teaches law and environmental studies at Duke, focuses on what one might call social justice. Access to water may be viscerally regarded as a “right,” but he points out that the best way to ensure a reliable supply of pure water, especially in poor regions, is often to privatize it." —The New York Times
"What do Romes aqueducts, Napoleons death, and the pilgrimage site of Lourdes have in common? All involve water: the leading ingredient of our bodies, essential for our daily lives, and the subject of innumerable struggles. Why does bottled water, the cheapest and most abundant liquid, sell for more than the same volume of gasoline? Even if you prefer to drink wine--its mostly water anyway--youll enjoy this book." --Jared Diamond, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel "Instead of buying your next twelve-pack of bottled water, buy this fascinating account of all the people who spent their lives making sure you'd have clean, safe drinking water every time you turned on the tap." --Bill McKibben, author of Earth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet "Drinking Water effortlessly guides us through a fascinating world we never consider. Even for people who think they know water, there is a surprise on almost every page." --Charles Fishman, bestselling author of The Big Thirst and The Wal-Mart Effect
"Meticulously researched, grandly conceived, and splendidly executed, Drinking Water takes a prosaic subject and makes it endlessly fascinating. Smart, witty, and perceptive, Drinking Water is essential reading." --Robert Glennon, author of Unquenchable: Americas Water Crisis and What To Do About It "Salzman has produced gem of uncommon value--a fascinating book which slips in among its engaging stories their weighty implications for policy." --William K. Reilly, former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and former President of the World Wildlife Fund "In his deeply thorough, thought-provoking and ultimately hopeful book, James Salzman shows why water security and quality are set to boil to the surface of worlds politics." --John Elkington, author of The Green Consumers Guide and Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business "Immensely readable, the book weaves one entertaining story after another to show how we have thought about, valued, protected, and provided this most precious of all liquids." --Paul R. Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb and The Dominant Animal
Synopsis
With concerns over pollution and new technologies like fracking, is it safe to drink tap water? Should we feel guilty buying bottled water? Is the water we drink vulnerable to terrorist attacks? With springs running dry and reservoirs emptying, where is our water going to come from in the future? In , Duke University professor and environmental policy expert James Salzman shows how drinking water highlights the most pressing issues of our time--from globalization and social justice to terrorism and climate change--and how humans have been wrestling with these problems for centuries. Provacative, insightful, and above all fun to read, shows just how complex a simple glass of water can be.
Synopsis
When we turn on the tap or twist open a tall plastic bottle, we might not give a second thought to where our drinking water comes from. But how it gets from the ground to the glass is far more complex than we might think.
About the Author
James Salzman holds the Samuel Mordecai chair at the School of Law and the Nicholas Institute Professor chair at the School of the Environment at Duke University. He has written extensively on the topics of environmental conservation, population growth, and climate change. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.