Fire and Civilization

The editorial reviews for this book indicate that it is "offbeat" and has a "bland" style. I did not think it offbeat or bland. It seems to be in the tradition of the Annales historians, focusing on the structure "fire" from prehistoric to contemporary times. Just as Fernand Braudel sheds light on social differences by describing scarcity and superfuity of food in early modern Europe, Goudsblom reveals much about society and human nature by describing the role of fire for the last few hundred thousand years. My main reactions to the book were (1) Why haven't I run across this before? and (2) Why did it take until the 1990's for someone to write it? Fire, like food, drink, shelter, has been a constant and essential structure throughout the human experience. I see the style as modest, measured, reasonable, and not sensational, for which I rejoice. And it stikes me as "nourishing" rather than "bland". This book is filled with great insights, and it has enough well-organized footnotes to direct the reader to more detailed source material. It would be the rare reader who agrees with everything Goudsblom says; but it would also be rare for a person to finish the book without feeling enriched.

This book is out of print, and it's a shame. It's a wonderful book, containing information and a point of view that more readers, specifically American readers, ought to know. It's a history of civilization from the point of view of humanity's control of fire. It's a social and cultural history of our control of fire. It tells the story of how fire has shaped us, our civiliation--you know, the story of civilization is pretty much the story of our relationship to fire, from the first groups of hominids gathering around the fire to cook (the thing that distinguishes us from other animals, says Levi Strauss) through our use of fossil fuel in the industrial revolution to our "control" of nuclear fusion today. Goudsblom talks about both the literal and symbolic role that our relationship to fire has played in our civilization--how that relationship has shaped the landscapes we inhabit, the cities we construct, the religions and philosophies we build. His book is a stellar (well, 5-stellar) example of a kind of history I love, and which we're seeing more and more of these days: it's a classic, thematic, interdisciplinary history that tells a fascinating story. It isn't for wimps--Goudsblom is Dutch, and there's a European sense of literate intellect in what he's doing, which means he doesn't talk down to you or sugar coat anything or simplify it. But he's also not one of those g- d- Intellectuals who's more interested in elaborating some airy conceptual scheme at the expense of readerly understanding. He's smart, and reading this book will make you smart too, about all kinds of things. Most Americans, god protect us, are remarkably parochial in their understanding. We ought to know more about nature, about our cultural roots. This book offers both kinds of understanding. I think it should be in print. Maybe if you buy a copy used, some publisher somewhere will notice.