You're Cordially Invited - 30 Jan
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Buy new:
-13% £11.35
£3.99 delivery Saturday, 25 January
Dispatches from: Amazon
Sold by: Amazon
£11.35 with 13 percent savings
RRP: £12.99
FREE Returns
£3.99 delivery Saturday, 25 January. Order within 1 hr 4 mins. Details
In stock
££11.35 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
££11.35
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Delivery cost, delivery date and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Dispatches from
Amazon
Amazon
Dispatches from
Amazon
Sold by
Amazon
Amazon
Sold by
Amazon
Returns
Returnable within 30 days of receipt
Returnable within 30 days of receipt
Item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund within 30 days of receipt
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
£7.06
This book has been looked after very well and will have minimal signs of use, if any. This book has been looked after very well and will have minimal signs of use, if any. See less
FREE delivery 27 - 30 January. Details
Only 1 left in stock.
££11.35 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
££11.35
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Delivery cost, delivery date and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Dispatched from and sold by The Cotswold Library.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Knowledge: How To Rebuild Our World After An Apocalypse Paperback – 5 Mar. 2015

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,556 ratings

on any 4 Qualifying items | Terms
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"£11.35","priceAmount":11.35,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"35","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"8Ck8K3hDDox7t0PZxPhkxxmSk9DNzW7URrkKlwDYukCMyTRVpKPUPKRKKfVvCXq1YLulxvqogFiZDRizwxWDYrNeCzenXttTpntvDE4s7ch%2BW15qd%2BfWFMuWhSo1aDkY","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"£7.06","priceAmount":7.06,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"06","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"8Ck8K3hDDox7t0PZxPhkxxmSk9DNzW7Uueqh4uFnRwpWPV5KUpRUZL9g9SQaMd5CXFnEv3OQsyExgj1FyZ7yAG3kGSv4eyMhFlcdLwrTRI823pHwv6TUV2BREYgwQES0nC1SSKYQXl0PRUh5opnYL31bBwMNz7DjT1dGehQ0cA%2FaVrHrLwyxA3NRIAwVbfdQ","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

If the world as we know it ended tomorrow, how would you survive?

A nuclear war, viral pandemic or asteroid strike. The world as we know it has ended. You and the other survivors must start again. What knowledge would you need to start rebuilding civilisation from scratch?
How do you grow food, generate power, prepare medicines, or get metal out of rocks? Could you avert another Dark Ages, or take shortcuts to accelerate redevelopment? Living in the modern world, we have become disconnected from the basic processes and key fundamentals of science that sustain our lives.

Ingenious and groundbreaking,
The Knowledge explains everything you need to know about everything, revolutionising your understanding of the world.

‘A glorious compendium of the knowledge we have lost in the living…the most inspiring book I’ve read in a long time’ Independent

‘A terrifically engrossing history of science and technology’
Guardian

http://the-knowledge.org/

Frequently bought together

This item: The Knowledge: How To Rebuild Our World After An Apocalypse
£11.35
Get it as soon as Saturday, Jan 25
In stock
Sent from and sold by Amazon.
+
£22.79
Get it as soon as Sunday, Jan 26
In stock
Sold by Dear Books UK and sent from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your basket.
Details
Added to Basket
spCSRF_Treatment
These items are dispatched from and sold by different sellers.
Choose items to buy together.

From the Publisher

Vintage Brand: Read Boldly, Think Differently.

Product description

Review

As the scouts say – be prepared! Say your prayers that you never need this book -- Bear Grylls

A glorious compendium of the knowledge we have lost in the living… This is the most inspiring book I’ve read in a long time -- Peter Forbes ―
Independent

An extraordinary achievement... It is a great read even if civilisation does not collapse. If it does, it will be the sacred text of the new world ― Dartnell that world’s first great prophet ―
The Times

The ultimate do-it-yourself guide to ‘rebooting’ human civilization ―
Nature

A terrifically engrossing history of science and technology -- Steven Poole ―
Guardian

About the Author

Lewis Dartnell is an astrobiology researcher and professor at the University of Westminster, and also an Honorary Research Associate at University College London (UCL). He is the author of the bestselling books The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch and Origins: How the Earth Shaped Human History, which has been translated into 26 languages. He writes for the Guardian, The Times and New Scientist. Copies of The Knowledge exist on the surface of the Moon, and in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage (5 Mar. 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0099575833
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0099575832
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 2.4 x 19.7 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,556 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Lewis Dartnell
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,556 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book an engaging read with good information. They say it provides basic ideas and is well-researched. However, opinions differ on the encyclopedia content - some find it well-written and informative, while others feel it gets too technical and feels like school.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

70 customers mention ‘Readability’65 positive5 negative

Customers find the book engaging and interesting. They say it's a good read, with great fantasies and a unique second-person future. Readers appreciate the resource list and additional reading points. The book is described as a comforting read and Dartnell writes well.

"...In one way, it can also be read as a novel in a unique (to me) second person future tense format- "you are going to............", although don't..." Read more

"...But it was still very interesting and I learned a lot. I would cautiously recommend it." Read more

"...A really interesting book and a handy guide that I how we never have to use!" Read more

"...history of technology, rather than a survival manual, this book is quite interesting, although not helped by the small number of illustrations and..." Read more

67 customers mention ‘Information quality’59 positive8 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They say it provides basic ideas on how to do things and gives a fascinating insight into what underpins our way of life. The book explains the science and technology that is the basis of much of modern civilization. The approach makes a lot of sense and customers commend the author for sticking to a logical, interesting approach.

"...for it would have been infeasibly large in that case, but it is a great guide, and being reasonably educated in technology and science, I still..." Read more

"...but it’s absolutely fascinating! It’s realistic in that although nobody actually knows what would happen if there was armaggedon, it gives an idea..." Read more

"...So, full marks to the author for his ambition and for studying a very wide range of sources, but I am far from convinced that a programme based on..." Read more

"...From a purely interest point of view it explains the science and technology that is the basis of much of the development of the 20th & 21st..." Read more

11 customers mention ‘Encyclopedia content’5 positive6 negative

Customers have different views on the encyclopedia's content. Some find it well-written and informative, with a resource list and additional reading points. They appreciate that it breaks down science into understandable terms and provides a guide to essentials a group would need to start again from scratch. Others feel it gets too technical and feels like school. The book is described as a guide, not an instruction manual with blueprints or schematics.

"...However, not all chapters were easy to read as technology becomes complicated. Well worth a read though...." Read more

"...As it is, it comes across like an extremely well written textbook about essential manufacturing, instead of the tightly-written primer it aspires to..." Read more

"This is NOT a DIY book with blueprints or schematics and a step-by-step checklist to be able to survive...." Read more

"...From simple engineering like weaves and crop harvesting, it tell how society could start again from scratch with just the most basic processes,..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2014
    Lewis Dartnell has put into one volume more useful information on the underpinnings of our society than I have ever seen in one place. Every schoolchild should read this.

    It's not a complete manual, for it would have been infeasibly large in that case, but it is a great guide, and being reasonably educated in technology and science, I still learned a lot. In a few cases, you'd like just a bit more explanation, but again, it's one small volume.

    In one way, it can also be read as a novel in a unique (to me) second person future tense format- "you are going to............", although don't take that analogy too far.

    Later on in the book, it does seem as if LD has got a bit bored, and one or two items are a bit peremptory, but it remains highly enjoyable.

    I checked a few numbers which seemed Ok, but I think I spotted one mistake. On p280, he requires that the tube in a glass barometer be a constant diameter- I don't think that's right, as the pressure is affected only by height of a fluid column, not volume. Any thoughts out there? Oh, I think I see now, calibration would be hard if not constant diameter-it wouldn't be linear. Too pedantic as ever.....
    12 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 April 2020
    The knowledge is a primer on how to reboot civilisation after a cataclysmic event. It gives no details as to what the event might be: it could be a pandemic, nuclear winter, or some kind of Black Swan. It takes an unapologetic science focus — there is no explanation of how to return to the rule of law or establish a simple government. But I found the story of rebooting civilisation an excellent way to smuggle in vital information that would otherwise be drab — how to churn butter, or make a blast furnace, for example.

    It is important to note the knowledge is a popular science book first, and a primer on rebooting civilisation second. It doesn’t give many good tips on how to prepare for serious disaster, and the possible disaster it imagines is quite a rosy one. The author assumes a terrible pandemic wipes out all save ~2% of the population. These 2% then have an extended grace period during which they can live off the decaying capitalist wreck that surrounds them. The cans in one supermarket are enough to feed a family of 4 for 50 years or so.

    A real disaster, were it to occur, would probably leave more people alive and have a shorter grace period, if any. So preparing for one would be much more important.

    The book references several great works, some of which I had already read, and some which I was pointed to. One of these, the essay “I, Pencil”, was excellent, and much better than the book. It is an account of how a modern wooden HB pencil came to be in this world, as told to the writer by the pencil. It is a meditation on the complexity of global supply chains and the decentralised brain at the heart of capitalism. The book’s author refers to it as an example of what we would lose when the economy collapses, and to his credit he does emphasise the importance of re-starting economic activity as soon as possible.

    The knowledge doesn’t quite live up to its potential. If it were written with a more expansive style, it might’ve explored ideas like how bands of survivors might meet and go about setting up a post-apocalyptic society. The book could then explore the roles of the members of such a society, and smuggle the science in this way. As it is, it comes across like an extremely well written textbook about essential manufacturing, instead of the tightly-written primer it aspires to be. But it was still very interesting and I learned a lot. I would cautiously recommend it.
    11 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 July 2021
    I’m only half way through this (I’m a slow reader!) but it’s absolutely fascinating! It’s realistic in that although nobody actually knows what would happen if there was armaggedon, it gives an idea as to what would happen in regards to the natural habitat. From simple engineering like weaves and crop harvesting, it tell how society could start again from scratch with just the most basic processes, including making chemicals like charcoal, how to make materials for clothes, crop harvesting and so on. I’m only half way through so I can’t suggest anything else, and knowing me, it will be a little while longer yet before I finish!

    A really interesting book and a handy guide that I how we never have to use!
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2025
    Bought as a present-recipient very happy.

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Lavender Honey
    5.0 out of 5 stars From Collapse to Creation: How to Rebuild Everything
    Reviewed in Canada on 4 December 2024
    Very awe-inspiring and sobering at the same time. The book lays out how humanity could rebuild civilization after a global collapse. I was fascinated by the idea that so much of what we take for granted -- like clean water or electricity -- is the result of centuries of collective knowledge that could vanish without proper preservation. At the same time, it’s a bit depressing to realize how fragile our world really is and how little I, or most people, actually know about the basics of survival. This book is like a survival guide for humanity itself making you appreciate how far we’ve come and how quickly it could all unravel. Empowering, depressing, and fascinating all at the same time. Highly recommended.
  • Geórgia Alves
    5.0 out of 5 stars Desaster Literature
    Reviewed in Brazil on 23 January 2023
    A Literatura da catástrofe é um ponto importante para compreender a pós-modernidade. Partir da destruição é sempre melhor para qualquer recomeço. A pós-modernidade nos legou um mundo caótico, de desarranjos e complexidades. É preciso aprender a importância do conhecimento. The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm é um livro completo, amplo, com uma visão igualmente ampla e complexa do que é possível fazer para ressurgir das cinzas de um mundo catastrófico e em destruição.
  • Pralay Mukherjee
    5.0 out of 5 stars a good read
    Reviewed in India on 27 January 2022
    nicely crafted
  • carlos
    5.0 out of 5 stars Smart geek
    Reviewed in Mexico on 29 December 2019
    If you are a geek and also like building things then be a smart building geek so now I am a smart building doomsday ready geek!
  • Vito
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un buon punto di partenza
    Reviewed in Italy on 28 December 2018
    Un buon punto di partenza per -eventualmente- ricostruire la civiltà. Come chiarito nel libro stesso, un libro solo non basta, infatti uno dei primi suggerimenti è andare a recuperare dalle biblioteche ancora in piedi alcuni libri - scienze, medicina, etc) per metterli in salvo; ma per i primi tempi, e per impostare la rotta, sembra adeguato (fortunatamente non ho ancora avuto modo di verificarlo in una situazione reale...)