Global Crisis

"Enormous research efforts have gone into the writing of this book, an incisive analysis of historical and climatological events during the seventeenth century. . . This is a fascinating book that every politician and bureaucrat should read to in past mistakes things that must be avoided."--Madra Sivaraman, Environmental Studies "Mr. Parker tells [the story] with verve. . . . [his] novel interpretation, emphasizing climate instead of individual agency, helps to explain socio-economic change and revolution in ways that future historians will inevitably have to take into account."--Wall Street Journal "The author sets out to examine a century in which weather patterns radically altered and political, social and economic crises seemed to engulf every part of the world. What relationship does a changing climate bear to global stability? There could scarcely be a more timely question to ask. Parker deploys a dazzling breadth of scholarship in answering it."--Dan Jones, Times "In his monumental new book . . . Parker's approach is systematic and painstaking . . . giv[ing] us a rich and emotionally intense sense of how it felt to live through chaotic times."--Lisa Jardine, Financial Times "Global Crisis is a magnum opus that will remain a touchstone in three areas for at least a generation: the history of the entire globe, the role of climate in history, and the identification of a major historical crisis in the seventeenth century. . . . Wide-ranging, monumental works of history are rare; this is one of them."--Theodore K. Rabb, Times Literary Supplement "In this vast, superbly researched and utterly engrossing book, Parker shows how climate change pushed the world towards chaos. . . . Parker's book is not merely powerful and convincing, it is a monument to scholarly dedication."--Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times "[A] milestone in our understanding of early modern history."--Theodore K. Rabb, Times Literary Supplement "[A] staggeringly researched, rivetingly written and intellectually dazzling book. . . . I expect it to be read and debated for decades to come."--Sunday Times "A work of formidable erudition and scope from a renowned British authority on early modern history."--Financial Times "My big book of the year has been Geoffrey Parker's Global Crisis on the disastrous war-torn 17th century. It fills in gaps, gives different perspectives--not least on Scotland during the Civil War--and opens new areas of history to explore."--Catriona Graham, The Guardian "Enormous research efforts have gone into the writing of this book, an incisive analysis of historical and climatological events during the seventeenth century. . . This is a fascinating book that every politician and bureaucrat should read to see in past mistakes things that must be avoided." --Madra Sivaraman, Environmental Studies "This is an extraordinary and seminal book. . . . Harnessing an enormously impressive range of sources from across the planet, this macro-study of the period has to be recognized as a tremendous achievement. . . . This is a truly pathbreaking work, which really is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the history of the seventeenth century."--Conor Kostick, Journal of Historical Geography "One of the books I found most informative and most perversely enjoyable this year is Geoffrey Parker's Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century. It deserves, and rewards, careful reading."--Jane Smiley, Harper's "The clarity with which Parker, a British historian, has assembled a wealth of material makes this long book difficult to put down. The entire world of the 1660s seems only a heartbeat away."--Patricia Anderson, Australian "A must read that shows how climate change 350 years ago can serve as a harbinger of the possible human consequences of today's rapidly changin

Geoffrey Parker is Andreas Dorpalen Professor of History and associate of the Mershon Center at The Ohio State University, and the 2012 winner of the Heineken Prize for History. He lives in Columbus, OH.