A Human History of Water

With all the recent flooding of the Mississippi River and constant drought in Southern California, it is hard not to have water on the mind.

UC Santa Barbara professor of Anthropology Brian Fagan will appear at 7:30 p.m., June 21 to discuss his latest book, Elixir: A History of Water and Humankind at in La Jolla. The book is a look at 5,000 years of history from the beginnings of civilization to the global water shortages of today.

Warwick’s explained, “Elixir illustrates that the past teaches us that technologies for solving one or another water problem are not enough. We still live at the mercy of the natural world and to solve the water crises of the future we may need to adapt the water ethos of our ancestors.”

The Wall Street Journal wrote, “As always with Mr. Fagan’s work, the range is dazzling, the focus sharp and the pictures vivid...The author holds us with his glittering eye, as he conjures a vision of a world with water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.”

And Booklist wrote, “Supplying intriguing historical background, Fagan well informs those pondering freshwater’s role in contemporary environmental problems.”

Fagan taught at UC Santa Barbara for 36 years. He now focuses on book writing and has penned numerous titles including The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History and The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations. He is also a frequent blogger for the Huffington Post.

Elixir can be purchased at Warwick's or online.