Books like Dirt by David R. Montgomery

Jared Diamond analyses why great civilizations collapse, linking environmental misuse, climate change, population pressures, and trade instability as common causes, and offering lessons from societies that survived.

David S. Landes explores the historical forces that have shaped global wealth and poverty, arguing that open societies driven by work and knowledge, especially through invention, have led to economic and military success.

David R. Montgomery explains how regenerative farming practices like cover cropping, no-till and complex rotations restore soil health, sequester carbon, and turn agriculture into a solution for environmental crises.

Here is a unique natural history of the soil that sustains us, as well as a memoir of one man's connection to it. An elegant, thoughtful, and playful writer, William Bryant Logan considers dirt in all its aspects, from backyard gardening to the evolution of the planet, from the creation and decomposition of soil to the sweet smell of a properly mixed compost heap. Logan notices that in the refuse in the bed of a long-unused truck parked in the middle of New York City, a miniature forest emerges - a remarkable demonstration of the principle that wherever there is decay and repose there begins to be soil. He contrasts Thomas Jefferson's and John Adams's attitudes toward agriculture, noting that while Jefferson was the more visionary agrarian, Adams was in fact the more successful farmer, and he includes the latter's recipes for compost. Logan draws the connections between dust storms and dust bunnies, between cosmic dust and the stuff on our windowsills. He tells the story of St. Phocas, the patron saint of gardening, who took care when he was martyred to make sure his body was composted. And he pursues everyone's childhood fantasy of digging a hole to China. . Logan combines science, philosophy, and history with a quirky curiosity about why the universe works the way it does.

"Using the word 'minerals' in its broadest sense, Fifty Minerals that Changed the Course of History features the metals, alloys, rocks, and organic minerals and gemstones that humans have used as the building blocks of civilization. ... Weaving strands of economic, cultural, political and industrial history, each entry gives a fascinating perspective on the scope and pace of human development, and the dangers posed by our exploitation of Earth's resources."--Page 4 of cover.

Amazing Science-Delve into the how’s and why’s of science in this fact-filled series. These books answer kids’ questions about the world around them—and encourage them to ask more.

Discover how Earth’s tiniest organisms shape human health and crop productivity, revealing science that connects gardens, the gut, and sustainable agriculture.