"Most informative and most perversely enjoyable. . . . It deserves, and rewards, careful reading."—Jane Smiley, Harper's
(Jane Smiley
Harper's)
"Mr. Parker tells [the story] with verve. . . . [his] novel interpretation, emphasizing climate instead of individual agency, helps to explain socio-economic change and revolution in ways that future historians will inevitably have to take into account."—Wall Street Journal
(
Wall Street Journal)
Selected as one of the best history books of the summer:
"The author sets out to examine a century in which weather patterns radically altered and political, social and economic crises seemed to engulf every part of the world. What relationship does a changing climate bear to global stability? There could scarcely be a more timely question to ask. Parker deploys a dazzling breadth of scholarship in answering it."—Dan Jones, The Times
(Dan Jones
The Times 2013-07-06)
“In his monumental new book . . . Parker’s approach is systematic and painstaking . . . giv[ing] us a rich and emotionally intense sense of how it felt to live through chaotic times.”—Lisa Jardine, Financial Times
(Lisa Jardine
Financial Times)
Winner of one of the 2012 Heineken Prizes
(Heineken Prize Laureate
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 2012-06-08)
Sunday Times History Book of the Year 2013
(
Sunday Times)
Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 in the History, Geography, & Area Studies Category.
(Outstanding Academic Title
Choice 2014-01-21)
Received an Honorable Mention for the 2013 American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE), in the European & World History category.
(PROSE Awards
American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence 2014-02-07)
Winner of the Society for Military History 2014 Distinguished Book Award for the best book-length publication in English on non-United States military history.
(Distinguished Bok Award
Society for Military History 2014-02-14)
“Global Crisis is a magnum opus that will remain a touchstone in three areas for at least a generation: the history of the entire globe, the role of climate in history, and the identification of a major historical crisis in the seventeenth century . . . Wide-ranging, monumental works of history are rare; this is one of them.”—Theodore K. Rabb, Times Literary Supplement
(Theodore K. Rabb
Times Literary Supplement)
“In this vast, superbly researched and utterly engrossing book, Parker shows how climate change pushed the world towards chaos . . . Parker’s book is not merely powerful and convincing, it is a monument to scholarly dedication.” —Dominic Sandbrook,
The Sunday Times (Dominic Sandbrook
Sunday Times 2013-03-24)
“Global Crisis is the production of a scholar. . .who has reflected on what he knows long enough to take on the double task of synthesis and breakthrough. . .Parker regales the reader with some wild and grim tales, interleaved with thoughtful reflections from those who lived through the crises. A more genial geode to disaster one couldn’t hope to find. We shall need more of these in the future.”—Timothy Brook, Literary Review
(Timothy Brook
Literary Review 2013-07-01)
“[T]his monumental work by the distinguished historian Geoffrey Parker . . . is a formidable piece of scholarship that goes beyond it’s evident grand scale and ambition as a work of synthesis . . . This book is scholarly and readable, bursting with fully documented examples and authoritative coverage of a vast swathe of 17th-century history, written on a broad canvas but accessible and compelling. It represents a worthy distillation of several decades of Parker’s scholarship, and should provide food for thought for academic historians and interested readers alike.” —Penny Roberts, BBC History Magazine
(Penny Roberts
BBC History Magazine 2013-06-01)
“This is indeed a superb and harrowing book, well worth reading for the skill with which Parker summarises the history of pretty well the whole world . . . a fascinating contribution to history.” —Christopher Booker, The Spectator
(Christopher Booker
The Spectator 2013-06-01)
“Its subject is huge, sprawling, all-encompassing and there is an almost reckless ambition about its purpose. It is a big book. It is also a brilliant one, but it requires attention, time and thought . . . This history is told with a sustained gusto by Parker but . . . it is the contemporary significance of the book that is truly breathtaking.” —Hugh MacDonald, Sunday Herald
(Hugh MacDonald
Sunday Herald 2013-03-24)
“[A] milestone in our understanding of early modern history.” —Theodore K. Rabb, Times Literary Supplement
(Theodore K. Rabb
Times Literary Supplement 2013-05-17)
“The clarity with which Parker, a British historian, has assembled a wealth of material makes this long book difficult to put down. The entire world of the 1660s seems only a heartbeat away.” —Patricia Anderson, The Australian
(Patricia Anderson
The Australian 2013-10-12)
"A must read that shows how climate change 350 years ago can serve as a harbinger of the possible human consequences of today's rapidly changing climate. Essential. All levels/libraries."—Choice
(
Choice)
“[A] staggeringly researched, rivetingly written and intellectually dazzling book. . . I expect it to be read and debated for decades to come.”—The Sunday Times
(
The Sunday Times 2013-11-24)
“A work of formidable erudition and scope from a renowned British authority on early modern history.”—The Financial Times
(
Financial Times 2013-11-30)
“My big book of the year has been Geoffrey Parker’s Global Crisis on the disastrous war-torn 17th century. It fills in gaps, gives different perspectives – not least on Scotland during the Civil War – and opens new areas of history to explore.”—Catronia Graham, The Guardian
(Catronia Graham
The Guardian 2013-12-28)