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How the World Really Works

by Vaclav Smil · 2022

Vaclav Smil's systems-level account of energy, food, materials, globalization, risk, and the physical foundations of modern life.

1 source-backed recNo paid placementBuy links disclosed

Author signal

Vaclav Smil · Energy scholar

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Author signal

Some books matter because the author has done rare work in the real world. We show that separately from who recommended the book.

Vaclav SmilEnergy scholar

Scholar of energy, environment, food, and technical change.

Recommended by, documented so far

How the World Really Works appears in 1 currently documented source-backed recommendation.

Bill Gates Co-founder, Microsoft; philanthropist

Recommended Gates Notes reading list article

Documented citation: Gates included How the World Really Works in his 2022 summer reading list.

Documented citation Recommended article 5 books I loved reading this year

This source documents the book relationship, but the displayed text is a catalog summary rather than a verbatim quote.

Gates Notes · 2022 · accessed 2026-06-22

The first-party Gates Notes page presents these titles as Bill Gates books for summer reading in 2022; the catalog text is a summary rather than a verbatim quote.

Open source

Recommended · Gates Notes reading list · article Source 2022

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