Guns, germs, and steel: the fates of human societies

Yali's Question: The regionally differing courses of history

From Eden to Cajamarca. Up to the starting line: What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.?

A natural experiment of history: How geography molded societies on Polynesian islands

Collision at Cajamarca: Why the Inca emperor Atahuallpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain

The Rise and Spread of Food Production. Farmer power: The roots of guns, germs, and steel

History's haves and have-nots: Geographic differences in the onset of food production

To farm or not to farm: Causes of the spread of food production

How to make an almond: The unconscious development of ancient crops

Apples or Indians: Why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants?

Zebras, unhappy marriages, and the Anna Karenina principle: Why were most big wild mammal species never domesticated?

Spacious skies and tilted axes: Why did food production spread at different rates on different continents?

From Food to Guns, Germs, and Steel. Lethal gift of livestock: The evolution of germs

Blueprints and borrowed letters: The evolution of writing

Necessity's mother: The evolution of technology

From egalitarianism to kleptocracy: The evolution of government and religion

Around the World in Five Chapters. Yali's people: The histories of Australia and New Guinea

How China became Chinese: The history of East Asia

Speedboat to Polynesia: The history of Austronesian expansion

Hemispheres colliding: The histories of Eurasia and the Americas compared

How Africa became black: The history of Africa

The Future of Human History as a Science

Who are the Japanese? 2003 afterword: Guns, germs, and steel today.

Yali's question: The regionally differing courses of history

From Eden to Cajamarca. Up to the starting line: What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.?

A natural experiment of history: How geography molded societies on the Polynesian islands

Collision at Cajamarca: Why the Inca emperor Atahuallpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain

The rise and spread of food production. Farmer power: The roots of guns, germs, and steel

History's haves and have-nots: Geographic differences in the onset of food production

To farm or not to farm: Causes of the spread of food production

How to make an almond: The unconscious development of ancient crops

Apples or indians: Why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants?

Zebras, unhappy marriages, and the Anna Karenina principle: Why were most big wild mammal species never domesticated?

Spacious skies and tilted axes: Why did food production spread at different rates on different continents?

From food to guns, germs, and steel. Lethal gift of livestock: The evolution of germs

Blueprints and borrowed letters: The evolution of writing

Necessity's mother: The evolution of technology

From egalitarianism to kleptocracy: The evolution of government and religion

Around the world in five chapters. Yali's people: The histories of Australia and New Guinea

How China became Chinese: The history of East Asia

Speedboat to Polynesia: The history of Austronesian expansion

Hemispheres colliding: The histories of Eurasia and the Americas compared

How Africa became black: The history of Africa

The future of human history as a science.

Part 1. From Eden to Cajamarca.

1. Up to the starting line. What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.?

2. A natural experiment of history. How geography molded societies on Polynesian islands.

3. Collision at Cajamarca. Why the Inca emperor Atahuallpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain.

Part 2. The rise and spread of food productiton.

4. Farmer power. The roots of guns, germs, and steel.

5. History's haves and have-nots. Geographic differences in the onset of food production.

6. To farm or not to farm. Causes of the spread of food production.

7. How to make an almond. The unconscious development of ancient crops.

8. Apples or indians. Why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants?

9. Zebras, unhappy marriages, and the Anna Karenina principle. Why were most big wild mammal species never domesticated?

10. Spacious skies and tilted axes. Why did food production spread at difference rates on different continents?

Part 3. From food to guns, germs, and steel.

11. Lethal gift of livestock. The evolution of germs.

12. Blueprints and borrowed letters. The evolution of writing.

13. Necessity's mother. The evolution of technology.

14. From egalitarianism to kleptocracy. The evolution of government and region.

Part 4. Around the world in five chapters.

15. Yali's people. The histories of Australia and New Guinea.

16. How China became Chinese. The history of East Asia. -17. The speedboat to Polynesia. The history of the Austronesian expansion.

18. Hemispheres colliding. The histories of Eurasia and the Americas compared.

19. How Africa became Black. The history of Africa.