Last updated on June 29th, 2026 at 10:52 pm
Book
Diamond, Jared M. 1997. Guns, Germs and Steel : A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years. London: Vintage.
Description
Why did Europe and the Near East develop into the cradle of modern society? Why, until relatively recently, were civilizations in those two areas ascendant over those in Africa, Australasia, and the Americas? Professor Diamond offered an explanation that discounts racial factors: ‘History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among people’s environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves’. In the book, Diamond examines 13,000 years of human history and finds that climate, floral diversity and the size and location of continents were the greatest influencers of social and economic development through the world. Guns, Germs and Steel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1998. ( John Adams Institute YouTube Channel | Jared Diamond on Guns, Germs and Steel – The John Adams Institute)
Parts, chapters and sections
Preface: Why Is World History Like An Onion? p. 1
Prologue: Yali’s Question – The regionally differing courses of history p. 5
Part One: From Eden To Cajamarca p. 30
- Chapter 1: Up To The Starting Line – What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C. p. 31
- Chapter 2: A Natural Experiment Of History – How geography molded societies on Polynesian islands p. 51
- Chapter 3: Collision At Cajamarca – Why the Inca emperor Atahuallpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain p. 67
Part Two: The Rise And Spread Of Food Production p. 86
- Chapter 4: Farmer Power -The roots of guns, germs, and steel p. 87
- Chapter 5: History’s Haves And Have-Nots – Geographic differences in the onset of food production p. 96
- Chapter 6: To Farm Or Not To Farm – Causes of the spread of food production p. 109
- Chapter 7: How To Make An Almond – The unconscious development of ancient crops p. 120
- Chapter 8: Apples Or Indians – Why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants? p. 139
- Chapter 9: Zebras, Unhappy Marriages, And The Anna Karenina Principle – Why were most big wild mammal species never domesticated? p. 169
- Chapter 10: Spacious Skies And Tilted Axes – Why did food production spread at different rates on different continents? p. 190
Part Three: From Food To Guns, Germs,And Steel p. 210
- Chapter 11: Lethal Gift Of Livestock – The evolution of germs p. 211
- Chapter 12: Blueprints And Borrowed Letters – The evolution of writing p. 234
- Chapter 13: Necessity’s Mother – The evolution of technology p. 260
- Chapter 14: From Egalitarianism To Kleptocracy – The evolution of government and religion p. 289
Part Four: Around The World In Six Chapters p. 322
- Chapter 15: Yali’s People – The histories of Australia and New Guinea p. 323
- Chapter I6: How China Became Chinese – The history of East Asia p. 353
- Chapter 17: Speedboat To Polynesia – The history of the Austronesian expansion p. 367
- Chapter 18: Hemispheres Colliding – The histories of Eurasia and the Americas compared p. 389
- Chapter 19: How Africa Became Black – The history of Africa p. 4I4
- Chapter 20: Who Are The Japanese? – The history of Japan p. 443
Epilogue The Future Of Human History As A Science p. 471
2017 Afterword: Rich and Poor Countries in the Light of Guns, Germs, and Steel p. 499
Acknowledgments p. 513
Further Readings p. 515
Credits p. 549
Index p. 551
About the Author
Jared Diamond is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, which was named one of TIME’s best non-fiction books of all time, the number one international bestseller Collapse and most recently The World Until Yesterday. A professor of geography at UCLA and noted polymath, Diamond’s work has been influential in the fields of anthropology, biology, ornithology, ecology and history, among others. (Amazon UK | Jared M. Diamond)
Where to find
Borrow
The South Australian public library network holds multiple copies. Although not within Alexandrina libraries, it is available as an inter-library loan: See Source at Libraries SA.
buy
Guns, Germs and Steel is available through the publishing house, local bookstores, and online resellers.
Additional information
Video: Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
This 1 hour and 10 minute video, produced circa 2000, was uploaded to YouTube in 2017. It discusses the themes of Jared’s 1997 book, Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Diamond, professor of physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, will uncover the history of human society in light of the evolution of writing, germs, technology, government and religion — all of which, he says, are not the ultimate explanation as to why Eurasian society has dominated other cultures for so long. Diamond’s theories include a definitive refutation of racism and revolutionary ideas about the fate of societies whose resources are fading due to the current population explosion and the advancement of technology. (Hall Center, Univeristy of Kansas |
Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies)
Critical review
- Teagan Wolter 2026, Guns, Germs, and Steel book by Diamond . This Britannica article by Teagan Wolter, anthropologist, provides a critical review of the book.
References
- Amazon.co.uk 2026, About the Author: Jared M. Diamond, viewed on 26 June, 2026, https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jared-M.-Diamond/author/B000AQ01ZS?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true. This is a biography of Jared Diamond.
- Amazon.co.uk 2026, About the Author: Jared M. Diamond, viewed on 26 June, 2026, <https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31sFyG2AwVL._SX300_CR0%2C0%2C300%2C300_.jpg>. This is a photo located at the Amazon.co.uk page for Jared Diamond.
- Amazon.co.uk, 2026, Guns, Germs and Steel: A short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guns-Germs-Steel-History-Everbody-ebook/dp/B00DQ8GDV8/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_aufs_ap_sc_dsk_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=zH2IN&content-id=amzn1.sym.f9a1288a-66fe-4587-95f9-1387021c317b&pf_rd_p=f9a1288a-66fe-4587-95f9-1387021c317b&pf_rd_r=521-3310054-8290533&pd_rd_wg=IJVlJ&pd_rd_r=06375b7a-6bbd-4405-958d-764d0b254ce3. This Amazon.co.uk search yields information about the paperback version available, which is the UK edition republished in 2017. - Hall Center 2017, Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies.”, Jared Diamond, The University of Kansas, viewed on 26 June, 2026, <https://youtu.be/oZEAf8mZkl8?si=MnaY4_a2TBUM7jkG>. This 1 hour and 10 minute video discusses the themes of his 1998 and 2017 second edition of Guns, Germs, and Steel.
- Libraries SA 2026, Jared Diamond, viewed on 26 June, 2026, <https://libraries.sa.gov.au/client/en_AU/sapubliclibraries/search/results?qu=jared+diamond&te=&dt=list>. This Libraries SA search yields a list of books authored by Jared Diamond.
- Wolter, T 2026, Guns, Germs, and Steel book by Diamond, viewed on 26 June, 2026, <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Guns-Germs-and-Steel>.This Britannica article by Teagan Wolter, anthropologist, provides a critical review of the book.
- Worldcat 2026, Guns, germs and steel : a short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years, viewed on 26 June, 2026, <https://search.worldcat.org/title/1243501528>. This Worldcat search yields book details about Guns, germs and steel by Jared Diamond.