This book has some similiarities with Jared Diamond's wonderful "Gun's, Germs and Steel", but it is much more focused. Crosby discusses the historical use of projectile weapons by humans (and hominids), and how in a lot of ways, this helps to define humanity. No other animal has shown the ability to throw hard, far, and with accuracy, and this ability might have been crucial to the adoption of a terrestial lifestyle by our ancient ancestors. Throwing stones at predators might just have been key to allowing Australopithecenes to survive. The use of fire is also a key characteristic of humans, and with it humanity has helped shaped the environment to suit our purposes. Moving on from simple stones; through javelins; atlatls; slings; bows; siege engines; and, finally, chemically propelled projectiles (which mix fire and throwing), including satellites that have left our solar system, Crosby shows how developments in projectile technology have helped shaped history as we know it. This book is an interesting read, and is very well footnoted. Those interested in such areas as general anthropology, historical science and military science might also find book quite enjoyable.

'Ecological imperialism: The biological expansion of Europe, 900-1900', by A. W. Crosby, is a cogently argued and well written book. The main thesis of the book is that the expansion by Europeans to the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and a few other enclaves (what Crosby calls the Neo-Europes) wouldn't have succeded if the biota the Europeans brought with them had not suceeded. This biota included not only humans, of course, but pathogens, weeds and grasses, and horses, cattle, goats, and pigs, among the most important. Crosby addresses the reasons why this biota was so succesful in the new territories, and concludes that, in general, the climatic regimes there were sufficiently similar to those of its European origins and the indigenous biota was so 'naive' that 'victory' was almost assured to the invaders. To be sure, this is not an original conclusion, but the wealth of data Crosby uses, along with his synthetic power and sense of humor, makes of this book an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. People interested in searching for the biological causes of the successes (and failures!) of Europeans in the world should read this engaging book.

Alfred Crosby's "Ecological Imperialism" is a provocative, well-written and definitely fascinating book. Crosby examines the reason Europeans were able to defeat the Indigenous people in American, Australia and New Zealand. Crosby argues that the biology and ecology factors played tremendous roles in their win. Crosy argues that the weeds, animals and the Europeans best allies, the germs or diseases that they brought with them to the New World dominated the Indigenous people. The Europeans sought to make the New World as similiar to that of the Old World. It was interesting for me because we were taught that the military superiority of the Europeans was the main factor. In addition, Crosy also examines the unsuccessful attempts of the Europeans at dominating Asia and Africa.

"Ecological Imperialism" definitely is a groundbreaking book in the field of environmental history.

The Europeans' displacement and replacement of native peoples in the temperate zones were more a result of "superior" biology than military conquest, according to Crosby in this book.

Europe held an unassailable biotic mix that some native peoples and ecosystems could not withstand. This biota fucntioned as a team wherever Europeans took it. European germs swept aside native peoples. Europe's cattle, pigs and horses filled native biotic niches. European weeds and agriculture squeezed out native plants. This biological expansion of Europe created "Neo-Europes" which still function today in North America, Australia, New Zealand and southern South America.

European imperialism often failed or was considerably delayed in areas where Europe's biota could not prevail. In China much the same biota was already present. Africa, the Amazon and southeast Asia were too hot, too fecund and too disease-ridden for Europe's animals, plants and humans. These areas were among the last to be dominated as a result, and then only briefly, when Europe's technology gave temporary edge to its armies.

Crosby does a fantastic job covering a vast change in the overall society changes from 1250-1600. For the amount of vast knowledge packed in you'd think the book would be 3,000 pages. He brings us an interesting approach to the actual birth and uprise of modern techonology, arts and literature as we know it.

Crosby takes on a very difficult and complicated subject here and manages a book of remarkable clarity and balance. The book is lightly written and though the footnotes were a bit distracting (I'd have preferred they be set out in an appendix) it's a fast, friendly read. I would recommend it to readers with a wide range of interests from general world or medieval European history, to those interested in the roots of western business practices, music history and notation, physics, astronomy, mathematics . . . Bravo, Mr. Crosby!

The author does a spectacular job of building a bridge from Medieval thought to a nascent scientific era using the theme of quantification. He uses an entertaining and readable style to document the emergence of measurement schemes in disciplines and activities as diverse as bookkeeping and music. I found the book both enjoyable and enlightening, and plan to cite it frequently in my teaching.

The Columbian Exchange, written by Alfred Crosby, is an in depth look at the biological and cultural consequences of Columbus's discovery of the New World. The Columbian Exchange focuses on the negative aspects of European exploration and exploitation of the Americas. Alfred Crosby focuses on the dependence on different foods, the changes in lifestyles, and the effects that the European flora and fauna had on the new world, and how it changed the Americas forever. His main point in this book was that the most important changes wrought by the European expansion into the new world were biological in nature, not social, political, or cultural.

To clearly understand Crosby's point of view, we must understand him and his writing style. His background in history and health give some credence to his opinions and research. The book states that Crosby is a Research Associate at the University of California Medical Center, History of Health Sciences. He mostly uses empirical evidence and statistics to base his claims, but sometimes resorts to his own opinions and guesswork. He also uses tables and maps to help the reader picture history the way that he sees it. He relies heavily on other contemporary sources such as Del Castillo and Agiler to base many of his claims, but cites the exact references to these outside sources.

Though Crosby does a good job of making this book interesting and available to people who are not historians or biologists, he could have done some things differently to make the book more approachable to the average person. He has a tendency to deviate from the subject matter, and does not always provide enough evidence for his claims.

In some cases, these tangents allow us to better understand the point he is trying to make, but mostly it makes trudging through the endless examples and repetitiveness a chore. For instance, his many examples of how the European animals spread throughout the New World seemed very dry and repetitive. Crosby just kept expounding upon certain pieces of evidence, even after he had made his point. I think that in the hands of another author, this book could have been ninety pages with little loss of content.

He also seemed to be stretching for evidence and was using a lot of guesswork in chapter five when he was trying to relate the new food types with the sudden growth in population. Sure, it sounds good in theory, but he needs more clear-cut evidence to support his claims to convince the reader of the truth of his statements.

In chapter four, Crosby claims that syphilis in Europe came from the new world, without the proof to back up his claims. There are a few other theories as to where syphilis came from, but without evidence backing up his claim, how are we to know which one is correct, if any? He tries to support his theory with a table of the diseases present throughout time, but it is not enough to convince the reader that his is the correct theory, or that the other's aren't.

Another thing that got to me about the book is that he claims that The Columbian Exchange has had a worldwide effect. The book may present some of the changes that were wrought of the European expansion into the Americas, but it was far from worldwide in it effects. In fact, the "far reaching" biological consequences consisted of a small part of the New World, mainly Central America, the West Indies, Southern North America, and Northern South America.

To his credit, he stays focused on what the book was about: The biological aspects of the European expansion into the New World. He didn't deviate much into the culture, social, or economic impact that the discovery of the New World had on both worlds. His focus on how the Spanish would not have had such success in the New World if it were not for the diseases that they brought with them, and the various elements of surprise that the Spaniards had over the natives.

To sum up, I would have to say that this book is good in getting its point across, but for all other purposes, it was mediocre. He did a good job of supporting the claims he made with evidence, though in some places this made it tough to read. Some of the aspects of the connection between the biology and history of the region were a little deep, and that would drive away the average reader. I would recommend it to those looking for an educational look at the causes of the changes in the New World, but for the average for-fun reader, I would say stay away from it.

Alfred W. Crosby, in his 1972 book The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492, represents a relatively recent trend among historians who are beginning to take a closer look at the first contacts between European and American peoples and the long-term cultural effects of that encounter in both Native American and Old World European societies. For generations the traditional historical perspective has argued that American history began with Columbus. There has been only slight relevance given to probable Viking landfall by Lief Ericson on North America and even less credence to earlier Celtic voyages by Brenden.
This idea--that native cultures in the Americas prior to 1492 have no significance until touched by a European presence--is being called into question today by Crosby and others like him, who look at the aftermath of Columbus and the "age of exploration" with a multidisciplinary approach by bringing together the combined research of anthropologists, archeologists and historians.

Crosby begins his work with a look at the evolution of life in the Western hemisphere and some of its very basic differences to that with which the Europeans were familiar. He also addresses issues that faced sixteenth century Europeans in their attempt to integrate the Americas into their Christian and Aristotelian worldview, pointing out that: "The uniqueness of the New World called into question the whole Christian cosmogony." The task of categorizing the resources of the New World led to further questions for the Europeans: how to find a place, in their established hierarchies of man and nature, that would both satisfy the missionary zeal of the Church and the mercenary zeal of the Courts of Eurpoe. These same questions and issues, and the consequences of some of the more Eurocentric answers, have in one way or another impacted both European and American societies for the last five hundred years.

One of the most impressive things about Crosby's book is his multi-scholastic approach to his subject. He draws on an immense list of sources for his material; sources not only historical, but scientific and philosophic as well. Not only does he catalog the variety of plant and animal life that the Old World transplanted to the new and vice versa, but he draws historical implications from the exchanges as well. Perhaps the most interesting exchange that Crosby delineates is the consequence of the introduction of Old World pathogens--like smallpox, measles, diptheria, pneumonia, typhus and various other epidemics--among the non-resistant peoples native to the Americas. He deals at length with the reasons for the epidemic spread of these diseases and their devastating effects on Native populations.

He also very clearly covers both sides of the controversy, the Unitarian and the Columbian theories, surrounding the transmittal of syphilis from New World to Old, and goes on to describe the consequent effects of that disease on Europe from the sixteenth century onward. Most commendable here is Crosby's attitude, wherein he presents all his research clearly and without obvious bias, allowing his readers to draw their own conclusions from the wealth of material he has put forth. He concludes the chapter on syphilis with a number of fascinating accounts of the bacterium as it struck Europe in the following centuries, of the various treatments and "cures" and of the social impact of such a virulent venereal disease.

If Crosby can be criticized at all it might be said that he is writing primarily for other scholars. His references and vocabulary--both impressive--might be intimidating to the average reader. His topic, however, and this alternate perspective on the "discovery" of America and the impact of its "conquest" are issues of which even non-historians should be aware. In that respect Crosby must be congratulated for being a leader in bringing together multiple disciplines in socio-historiography.

This would be an excellent book for the hardcore historian or the equally enthusiastic biologist, because it builds a neat and entertaining bridge between the two. Historically, Crosby does an excellent job in expounding upon the consequences of Europeon contact with the New World and accomplishes something quite unique. Most authors bog down in the details, but Crosby brings out the big picture, and neatly places the cause and effects of biological exchange between the once separated "worlds." This book changed the way I look at discovery and its consequences. This study examines the far reaching effects from syphillis to potatoes and makes for an eye-opening and distinctly different read.

The only reason I give this 4 instead of 5 stars is I wanted more!

Why did the Spanish flu kill 25 million people worldwide? Why did it kill those in the prime of life more efficiently than the usual flu victims, the very young or the very old? Where did it go after its nine month run through the world in 1918-1919? Can it strike again? Why has it been largely forgotten by historians? Engaging questions all, and Alfred Crosby asks them and to a greater or lesser extent seeks to answer them. Still, this book is less than it could be, written for too much of its length as if he were keeping his narrative powers deliberately in check. For those that doubt he is capable of powerful writing, the last chapter stands as rebuttal, with its tribute to Katherine Anne Porter -- to whom the book is dedicated -- and an adult's recollection of how the flu brought home at age seven the early realization that "life was not a perpetual present, and that even tomorrow would be part of the past, and that for all my days and years to come I too must one day die." I'd like to have seen more of those personal close-ups of the impact of the flu instead of the grim numbers in Philadelphia, then the grim numbers in San Francisco, then the grim numbers in Alaska. It is as if Crosby wanted to write a history of the era as it was lived with the flu and wound up writing a journal of morbidity and mortality, and the virus sleuthing that followed. He aimed for a vision and achieved a laboratory slide -- no mean accomplishment, but not, I think, what we or he were finally after.

Between Alfred Crosby and Richard Collier, these two men have written the definitive works on the Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918. Subsequent writers like Iezzoni and Kolata heavily use the primary reseach done by both Crosby and Collier.

Crosby's work does, to some degree, lack eloquent narrative, but it is a superbly researched book on the pandemic. Crosby sticks to the facts and statistics and has achieved a work that is well written history. I would recommend reading Richard Collier's work in conjunction with this work to get the full impact of the pandemic. Crosby focuses on the pandemic's impact in America while Collier focuses on the more global experience. While Collier may have a better flowing narrative, Crosby includes all of the hard statistics which lends a different, more concrete feeling to the subject matter. Overall, if Crosby's work is the left shoe, Collier's is the right shoe. You can read one without the other, but, why would you want to?

The title of this exceptional book is the understatement of the 20th century. This was not your average killer flu! The handful of other killer flu's of the century (defined as 20,000+ deaths, a small fraction of the number who died in 1918), the kind with which we're all familiar, look mighty miniscule beside this virus that took its victims in a most painful and violent manner. This pandemic, which killed more soldiers than World War I, seems to have completely escaped the attention of America's under-informed and virus- and biological warfare-obsessed media today. So much so that Crosby devotes a chapter to the fact that this major event--which, by the way, has never been fully explained--disappeared from the collective conscience as soon as it was over. Some of this undoubtedly was due to (1) no television, and (2) very little radio due to the war, and (3) the war. Because I assure you, if anything even remotely of this magnitude happened today, there would be absolute mass panic and hysteria: the economy might well come crashing to the ground for good. And well there should be. This mysterious and deadly virus remains unique in several ways, including the weird fact that it mostly attacked and killed people in the prime of their lives (20s and 30s). So devastated was port-city Philadelphia that coffins were stacked in the street. Coffin-makers naturally took advantage and price-gauged to the extent the US government had to intervene (kind of like gas immedately shooting up to $5 a gallon on September 11th in Indianapolis, Indiana). And on and on. There is nothing about this subject or this book that isn't simply shocking. As for the data, well, that's how good academic research is done for crying out loud. If the author hadn't included the statistics, everyone would have denounced this as shoddy pseudoscience. Moreover, the startling mortality data are fascinating in their own right. Exceptionally well-written and WELL WORTH THE READ!!!