Speed - How it Explains the World

''There is no author whose books I look forward to more'' Bill Gates

''There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil'' Guardian

Discover how speed shapes life on Earth, from grinding geological processes to the astonishing speed of light. In this wide-ranging ideas book, internationally bestselling author Vaclav Smil explores the connections between speed, nature, and human innovation. With surprising insights - like how erosion actually accelerates mountain growth - Smil debunks the myth that modern life is accelerating at an unprecedented rate.

Combining compelling statistics with insightful analysis, Smil take readers on a captivating journey through the vast timescales of Earth''s history all the way down to the complexities of the present day.

Smil explains how we measure speed and reveals its theoretical limits, offering a thought-provoking look at the forces defining our world. This eye-opening book encourages readers to see speed''s vital role in everything around us.<>

About the author

Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of over forty books on topics including energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment, and public policy. No other living scientist has had more books (on a wide variety of topics) reviewed in Nature. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, in 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers.

Product details

• Authors: Vaclav Smil, Smil Vaclav
• Publisher: Penguin Books Uk
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Release: 28.05.2026
• EAN: 9781405977494
• ISBN: 978-1-4059-7749-4
• No. of pages: 352
• Dimensions: 129 mm x 198 mm x 35 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > General, dictionaries; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Natural sciences (general); Non-fiction book > Nature, technology > Natural science; popular science, MATHEMATICS / Probability & Statistics / General, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Conspiracy Theories, MATHEMATICS / Measurement, Interdisciplinary studies, History: specific events and topics, Human biology, Scientific standards, measurement etc, Mathematical modelling, Probability and statistics, Popular beliefs