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Book Review
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Book Review: Planet Hydrogen: The Taming of the Proton. (August 2008)
Reviewed by Richard Engel
Joseph Conrad notwithstanding, most of us just shouldn’t write books in languages other than our mother tongue. This new book from Icelandic physicist and long-time hydrogen advocate Thorsteinn Sigfusson is a case in point. Planet Hydrogen: The Taming of the Proton, Sigfusson’s ambitious attempt to give us a historic, scientific, and policy overview of the nascent global hydrogen economy does have its merits. Ultimately, however, it falls flat due to his less-than-perfect command of English and some sloppy editing
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Book Review: Smelling Land: The Hydrogen Defense Against Climate Catastrophe (January 2008)
Reviewed by Richard Engel
Smelling Land opens with an eighteenth century seafaring tale of a cabin boy who repeatedly warns his captain to change course, claiming he can smell land nearby. The boy is first ignored, then hanged for his insolence, upon which the ship promptly runs aground. David Sanborn Scott’s new book uses the idea of smelling land while at sea as a metaphor for looking at familiar things from a new perspective, an act that brings with it both opportunity and danger. Scott’s mission in Smelling Land is to deconstruct our relationship with energy down to its most basic principles, then use these principles to weave his detailed vision of a clean and sustainable energy future. As he does so, he tells the story of energy in a sweeping, literary manner reminiscent of books like Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel.
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Book Report: Simple Solutions for Planet Earth - Book 1 (December 2007)
By Peter Hoffmann
Maybe it’s far-fetched and a bit off the wall, but I couldn’t help but think of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” when I read Pat Takahashi’s new book, “Simple Solutions for Planet Earth.”
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Book Review: The Hydrogen Age: Empowering a Clean Energy Future (September 2007)
Reviewed by Richard Engel
If you’re an energy professional who wants to learn more about the science and engineering aspects of hydrogen and fuel cells, this is not the book you’re looking for. The Hydrogen Age is squarely aimed at the layperson looking for an inspiring, non-technical overview of what a hydrogen future might look like. With its engaging, magazine-like layout and extensive use of graphics, Holland and Provenzano’s book pulls the reader along for a breathless tour of all the ways hydrogen can be put to use. Despite some flaws, The Hydrogen Age does fill an important gap in the literature available on hydrogen energy.
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