The Knowledge
#650 of 2,654 all-time
The Knowledge
Lewis Dartnell
10 people recommended it in 8 threads, 2015–2025.
2 commenters pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
What it says on the tin. Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.
This book made me realize the fragility of modern technology and how it is funded on chemical industry, shipping, oil, and the exploitation of natural resources.
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm, Lewis Dartnell
If all people were to suddenly disappear leaving the current world infrastructure still in place, how you could go about restarting civilization.
This explains the first principles of a lot of things we take for granted in the modern world, from agriculture to food and clothing, medicine, chemistry and more.
It's a mix of history and how-to describing how (and when.. which is often extremely surprising) developed the technology that we have, and how it might be recreated starting from scratch.
Where it comes up
- How These Things Work – A book about CS from first principles (2016) 2020 · 2 recommendations
- Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently? 2017 · 2 recommendations
- Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things 2025 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in? 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift? 2016 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016? 2016 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Books you read in 2015? 2015 · 1 recommendation