[KevO]

I've read most and I think Heinberg was coming out on top until I read 'The Transition Handbook' acclaimed by Heinberg but written by Rob Hopkins. This IMHO is THE book to buy for relatives and friends - totally convincing and all in all optimistic but with no punches pulled. This book will make you revered amongst family for 'knowing' years before and will relieve you of your status as family nutcase. Once read, peak oil is no longer a 'theory'
Unbelievably this is NOT available at LATOC - Go figure! C'mon Matt.

detail



what do others recommend as essential bookshelf material for the yurt?

[KevO]

and there's also



which is equally different to the Kunstler style offerings

http://www.thegreatchange.com/eblast.html


.

[BigTex]

Lots of threads on this, but the topic never gets old.

"The Party's Over" by Heinberg is hard to beat.

"The End of Oil" by Paul Roberts is good.

"The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" by Thom Hartmann is a little more wide-ranging, but pretty good.

Deffeye's books are good. In particular, he describes Hubbert's methodology in clear and understandable terms--there is more to it than just the bell curve.

I'm not a big fan of Kunstler's "The Long Emergency." Pours it on a little thick for me.

"Twilight in the Desert" by Matt Simmons is good, but desperately needs to be edited and re-released with a lot of the material moved to appendices at the end.

"Overshoot" by William Catton is a gem.

I will check out the two in the OP. They look good.

[Starvid]

I really disliked Powerdown by Heinberg. Full of factual errors and liberal arts romanticism, not scientific enough.

[PhebaAndThePilgrim]

Good day from Pheba, from the farm:
Goodness is it hot here with no air conditioning. We switched from a summer of constant rain to intense heat with high humidity.
I can't wait for October.
I agree that Powerdown is a bit sugarcoated, and lacks some scientific information. the first edition of "The Party's Over" had a lot of math errors on raising corn. Heinberg corrected the errors in later editions, so seek these editions for your collection.
Kunstler is sarcastic, and sarcasm is not a good way to spread an important message to the masses. He is also pro Iraq war. Personally, I found him fascinating when I first read his blog. He grows old in a hurry. His prose is sarcastic.
Paul Roberts book is a classic, very good.
I believe it is impossible to simply define the "Best Peak Oil Book". Best for whom?
A beginner would do best with "The Party's Over". A person with more knowledge would do better with more technical reads.
There are some books that mix politics, Iraq and oil. Others concentrate on the United States. Very few take a global view of the problem.
Here's my list:
Best Peak Oil book concerning War and the Middle east is:
Oil, Power and Empire by Larry Everest.
Best Conspiracy Theory: Crossing the Rubicon, Ruppert
Best Peak OIl book about those damned SUVs: High and Mighty by Keith Bradsher.
Best book about the oil market system, NYMEX: "Oil On the brain" by Margonelli.
Best book on Peak Oil and Geopolitics: Resource Wars. M. T. Klare, also Blood and Oil, by the same author
Best NEWBIE book: "The Party's OVer" by Heinberg.
Best technical books, Twilight in the Desert, and Hubbert's Peak.
I have a few problems with Twilight in the Desert. My biggest complaint is that he does not have a glossary, or any other type of technical information resource for NEWBIEs to the oil industry.
Pheba.

[Starvid]

I'm looking forward to reading Pulitzer prize winning The Prize by our friend Daniel Yergin. Even though it's not about peak oil and almost 20 years old it's a must read, and I'm a bit lazy not to have read even though I've been into these issues since fall 2004.

Oh, and you guys... Daniel Yergin used to be peak oil aware.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez9TRtXu8rQ

[Cabrone]

Best PO book I've read is Paul Roberts "The End Of Oil", calmly written and gets the message across very effectively.

I've read Lovelock which was interesting but the scariest GW book I've read is "6 Degrees" by Mark Lynas. The 6 degree scenario reads like a living hell and we seem to be steaming towards it at full speed.

[Hagakure_Leofman]

David Holmgren, co-originator of the permaculture concept, has a website that features speculation on the future of civilisation vis-a-vis peak oil and climate change.

http://www.futurescenarios.org/

I believe he is doing some of the best thinking in terms of what will come to be, as the twin influences of peak oil and climate change effect us.

He has also recently struck a deal to develop this web site into a book form next year, so keep a look out for that.

I would recommend in particular, that people read about his 4 energy decent scenarios. The essay can be found here.

Brown Tech: (slow oil decline, fast climate change)
Green Tech: (slow oil decline, slow climate change)
Earth Steward: (fast oil decline, slow climate change)
Lifeboats: (fast oil decline , fast climate change)

Currently, the state we're in most accurately resembles 'brown tech'. Doomers will find the 'lifeboat' scenario their favorite.

Starvid : Can you please remove that video. It is very annoying to include an auto-play video in a text thread.

[graham]

David Strahan-The last oil shock:a survival guide to the imminent extinction of petroleum man.

Not good as a survival guide, but easy to read and good at arguing the case.

[retiredguy]

Starvid,

I found the book that Yergin co-authored in the early 80's while he was at Harvard in a used-book store about ten years ago.

I was stunned to find that he was the same individual who founded CERA. A 180 degree turnabout. Was it the $$?

[rdberg1957]

maybe his views changed due to convincing data, maybe the data had to do with where the cash could be found

[Starvid]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Hagakure_Leofman', '[')b]Starvid : Can you please remove that video. It is very annoying to include an auto-play video in a text thread.

[Starvid]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('retiredguy', 'S')tarvid,

I found the book that Yergin co-authored in the early 80's while he was at Harvard in a used-book store about ten years ago.

I was stunned to find that he was the same individual who founded CERA. A 180 degree turnabout. Was it the $$?

[Starvid]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cabrone', 'B')est PO book I've read is Paul Roberts "The End Of Oil", calmly written and gets the message across very effectively.

I've read Lovelock which was interesting but the scariest GW book I've read is "6 Degrees" by Mark Lynas. The 6 degree scenario reads like a living hell and we seem to be steaming towards it at full speed.

[Starvid]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('graham', 'D')avid Strahan-The last oil shock:a survival guide to the imminent extinction of petroleum man.

Not good as a survival guide, but easy to read and good at arguing the case.