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The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm

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The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a CataclysmHow would you go about rebuilding a technological society from scratch? If our technological society collapsed tomorrow what would be the one book you would want to press into the hands of the postapocalyptic survivors? What crucial knowledge would they need to survive in the immediate aftermath and to rebuild civilization as quickly as possible? Human knowledge is collective, distributed across the population. It has built on itself for centuries,

How would you go about rebuilding a technological society from scratch?

If our technological society collapsed tomorrow what would be the one book you would want to press into the hands of the postapocalyptic survivors? What crucial knowledge would they need to survive in the immediate aftermath and to rebuild civilization as quickly as possible?

Human knowledge is collective, distributed across the population. It has built on itself for centuries, becoming vast and increasingly specialized. Most of us are ignorant about the fundamental principles of the civilization that supports us, happily utilizing the latest--or even the most basic--technology without having the slightest idea of why it works or how it came to be. If you had to go back to absolute basics, like some sort of postcataclysmic Robinson Crusoe, would you know how to re-create an internal combustion engine, put together a microscope, get metals out of rock, or even how to produce food for yourself?


Lewis Dartnell proposes that the key to preserving civilization in an apocalyptic scenario is to provide a quickstart guide, adapted to cataclysmic circumstances. The Knowledge describes many of the modern technologies we employ, but first it explains the fundamentals upon which they are built. Every piece of technology rests on an enormous support network of other technologies, all interlinked and mutually dependent. You can't hope to build a radio, for example, without understanding how to acquire the raw materials it requires, as well as generate the electricity needed to run it. But Dartnell doesn't just provide specific information for starting over; he also reveals the greatest invention of them all--the phenomenal knowledge-generating machine that is the scientific method itself.


The Knowledge is a brilliantly original guide to the fundamentals of science and how it built our modern world.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 03/10/2015
ISBN: 9780143127048
Pages: 352
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 0.90d
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SKU: 77424452250

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Primarilus
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 1
Shelf is nice, bracing is garbage.
Color: Black, Size: 35.6W x 11.6D x 2H, 2 Pack
Just like all the other reviews, it sags. Regardless of how its mounted to the wall, the bracing itself is weak. Shelf is nice though, definitely would have to get different brackets to make this worth it.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2026
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Gina R.
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 3
Decent shelf
Color: Walnut, Size: 35.6W x 11.6D x 2H, 2 Pack, Color: Walnut, Size: 35.6W x 11.6D x 2H, 2 Pack
They look great and come exactly as described. They were super easy to install and came with everything you need. Sizing is exactly as described. For the price they’re all around a great purchase. I bought these to mount under our tv for video game consoles and they are perfect. However, they do not sit well on the wall. There’s only two mounting points when they should definitely have 3. We had to go get a shelf bracket from lowe’s to get it to sit right and not lean forward. So just beware if you want it to sit flush, you’re going to need something additional. Still worth it for the price!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2026
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Paiger
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Thanks to Amazon
Color: White, Size: 35.6W x 11.6D x 2H, 2 Pack
Well, one thing I have to say is we got one white shelf and one brown shelf and it did look like the box had been opened. But that being said Amazon was very wonderful and told us to keep it took it off my bill. They didn’t even charge me for it. The assembly was super easy. My husband said it was very easy to install. All he did was paint the brown and white and put it on the wall so we lucked out on that one thank you
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
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Amazon Customer
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 4
Works well with new hardware.
Color: White, Size: 24W x 11.6D x 2H, 2 Pack
The product is good and strong if you install the bracket securely to the wall. Do not use the supplied fasteners for sheet rock. Buy new fasteners at Home Depot that clamp tightly to the sheet rock and everything will be fine.
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Wayne Hawksley
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Black floating shelves
Color: Black, Size: 24W x 11.6D x 2H, 2 Pack, Color: Black, Size: 24W x 11.6D x 2H, 2 Pack
Look nice, not solid wood, but for the price they do the job!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2026

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