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Rating: 
Summary: Some fog and smoke.
Review: Can't quite admit to themselves about the genocide of the natives of the Americas. They should read, e.g., Ward Churchill and revise accordingly.
Rating: 
Summary: Human population growth as an engine of human history
Review: Currently, population studies are often population polemics. Two major groups of scholars make the history of human population a battle ground today. The Neo-Malthusians, following Thomas Malthus (d.1834),and currently represented by Paul Ehrlich and Lester Brown,argue that population growth is dangerous and will deplete the world's resources. Others, beginning with Adam Smith (d.1790) and currently best exemplified in the works of Ester Boserup and Julian Simon, argue that population growth leads to higher standards of living and economic growth. Massimo Livi-Bacci adheres to neither group, but presents a balanced work which examines critically the claims of both sides. Livi-Bacci is one of the great historians of human population of our age. His title suggests that this is a survey of previous studies of population. It is. But it is more than that. It is also a unique work of scholarship. Livi-Bacci presents new work which clarifies and extends our understanding of how population growth has affected past history and how it will continue to affect our lives in the future. It is well written. The style is clear and concise. It is suitable for the generalist as well as the specialist. It is a joy to read. There are only two faults that I feel mar this book. The first is that Livi-Bacci pays less attention to the effects of the Demographic Transition than it seems to merit. The second is that there is no summary bibliography. Yet if one wishes to look at one book which reveals how powerfully human population growth has affected human history, this would be the book to choose.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for the non-geographer
Review: Geography is fascinating, and there is no doubt that Livi-Bacci knows what he is talking about. I have to read this book for a class, and my classmates and I have found it hard to read. A lot of the concepts he discusses are indeed interesting, like labor issues and fertility, but I find that he could do without the excessive graphs and possibly focus on making a more chronological history. Or, if he were to split his history into themes to really make the themes clear. He does examine several case studies from around the world (e.g. from Japan to Canada), which do help make the book interesting.
This is a book to read when you have the time to really absorb what Livi-Bacci has to say and not have to worry about writing a paper on it. :)
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