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Non-Fiction Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Non-Fiction books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: March 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Non-Fiction series? Start with "Energy In The Developing World: The Real Energy Crisis" (1980) and follow publication order through all 42 books.
The complete Non-Fiction reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
Energy In The Developing World: The Real Energy Crisis
1980
Energy Analysis And Agriculture: An Application To U.s. Corn Production (With: Paul Nachman,Thomas V. Long)
1982
Biomass Energies: Resources, Links, Constraints
1983
The Bad Earth: Environmental Degradation In China
1984
Energy, Food, Environment: Realities, Myths, Opinions
1987
Energy In China's Modernization: Advances And Limitations
1988
General Energetics: Energy in the Biosphere and Civilization
1991
China's Environmental Crisis: An Enquiry Into the Limits of National Development
1993
Global Ecology: Environmental Change and Social Flexibility
1993
Energy In World History
1994
Energies: An Illustrated Guide to the Biosphere and Civilization
1998
Enriching the Earth: Fritz Haber, Carl Bosch, and the Transformation of World Food Production
2000
Feeding the World
2000
The Earth's Biosphere: Evolution, Dynamics, and Change
2002
Energy at the Crossroads: Global Perspectives and Uncertainties
2003
China's Past, China's Future
2003
Creating the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations of 1867-1914 and Their Lasting Impact
2004
Transforming the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations and Their Consequences: Technical Innovations and Their Consequences v. 2
2006
Energy in Nature and Society: General Energetics of Complex Systems
2007
Oil: A Beginner's Guide
2008
Global Catastrophes and Trends: The Next 50 Years
2008
Why America Is Not a New Rome
2010
Energy Transitions: History, Requirements, Prospects
2010
Oil Resources Production Uses Impacts
2010
Prime Movers of Globalization: The History and Impact of Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines
2010
Energy Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the Energy Policy Debate
2010
Japan's Dietary Transition and Its Impacts (With: Kazuhiko Kobayashi)
2012
Harvesting the Biosphere: What We Have Taken from Nature
2012
Carbon-Nitrogen-Sulfur: Human Interference in Grand Biospheric Cycles
2012
Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization
2013
Should We Eat Meat?: Evolution and Consequences of Modern Carnivory
2013
Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing
2013
Power Density: A Key to Understanding Energy Sources and Uses
2015
Natural Gas
2015
Still the Iron Age: Iron and Steel in the Modern World
2016
Energy and Civilization: A History
2017
Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities
2019
Numbers Don't Lie: 71 Things You Need to Know About the World
2020
Grand Transitions: How the Modern World Was Made
2021
How the World Really Works
2022
Invention and Innovation
2023
How to Feed the World: The History and Future of Food
2025
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