In light of the recent invasion of oil-rich Kuwait by Iraq, Mineral Resources and the Destinies of Nations is a timely volume which presents a historical and contemporary view of how oil and other minerals have influenced the courses of nations and civilizations, and how they affect each of us in myriad ways in everyday living. The author is a professional geologist who formerly served as director of the University of Oregon Museum of Natural History.
The book’s 20 chapters cover not only energy minerals, but groundwater, minerals in health and medicine, strategic minerals, and minerals in war and in economic warfare.
Recognizing the “petroleum interval” will gradually fade away, the author has a chapter on alternative energy sources, from wood to nuclear fusion. Each form of energy has its own characteristics at present, there is no known adequate substitute for oil, particularly in its vital use for transportation.
Mineral Resources and the Destinies of Nations, by Walter Youngquist. 280 pages (hardback), US$17.95 (plus postage), National Book Company, P.O. Box 8795, Portland, Ore. 97207.
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