The Savage Wars of Peace - by A MacFarlane (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This book aims to solve the problem of how parts of mankind escaped from an apparently inevitable trap of war, famine and disease in the last three hundred years. Through a detailed comparative analysis of English and Japanese history it explores such matters as the destruction of war, decline of famine, importance of certain drinks (especially tea), the use of human excrement and the effects of housing, clothing and bathing on human health. It also shows how the English and Japanese controlled fertility through marriage and sexual patterns, biological and contraceptive factors, abortion and infanticide.

Review Quotes

'It gave me great pleasure, not least because it is so elegantly written; and above all it did what all splendid books should do, it whetted my curiosity' - Roy Porter

'Rewarding and innovative.' - The Times Higher

'The crescendo of a highly successful writing career...a very remarkable book by a very remarkable man.' - Peter Laslett, The American Historical Review

'In The Savage Wars of Peace, we have a rare work combining highly dense and detailed scholarship with both lucid prose and an intriguing argument for students of both demography and politics.' - Bethany Lacina, Journal of Peace Research

About the Author

ALAN MACFARLANE is Professor of Anthropological Science at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of King's College. In 1986 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. His previous books include The Making of the Modern World and The Riddle of the Modern World, both published by Palgrave.