Speed

Name: Speed
Price: 28.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781405977494

How it Explains the World

Vaclav Smil

$28.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Penguin
25 August 2026

Interdisciplinary studies; Mathematics & Sciences; Probability & statistics; Scientific standards; Mensuration & systems of measurement; Popular science

Prepare to view the world through a new lens - SPEED - a groundbreaking exploration that challenges your perceptions of life's driving force, from the internationally bestselling author

'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.

By: Vaclav Smil
Imprint: Penguin
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 197mm, Width: 128mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 256g
ISBN: 9781405977494
ISBN 10: 1405977493
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 25 August 2026
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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.