Nature's Mutiny

How the Little Ice Age of the Long Seventeenth Century Transformed the West and Shaped the Present

By: Philipp Blom

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

An illuminating work of environmental history that chronicles the great climate crisis of the 1600s, which transformed the social and political fabric of Europe.

Although hints of a crisis appeared as early as the 1570s, the temperature by the end of the 16th century plummeted so drastically that Mediterranean harbors were covered with ice, birds literally dropped out of the sky, and "frost fairs" were erected on a frozen Thames - with kiosks, taverns, and even brothels that become a semi-permanent part of the city.

Recounting the deep legacy and far-ranging consequences of this "Little Ice Age", acclaimed historian Philipp Blom reveals how the European landscape had subtly, but ineradicably, changed by the mid-17th century. While apocalyptic weather patterns destroyed entire harvests and incited mass migrations, they gave rise to the growth of European cities, the emergence of early capitalism, and the vigorous stirrings of the Enlightenment. A timely examination of how a society responds to profound and unexpected change, Nature's Mutiny will transform the way we think about climate change in the 21st century and beyond.

©2017 Carl Hanser Verlag München; translation copyright 2019 by Carl Hanser Verlag München (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Interesting History

This was very informative but at times it was all over the place and felt unfocused. The end tried to wrap up the central premises that climate change affects human societies but unexpected ended with the proposition that climate change in the little ice age and and its affects are mostly incomparable to modern times.

I Learned a lot

My only knock on this book is there seems to be a piece missing of the recording at 7:07:46.

Other than that, very interesting reading with good flow. I thought it would delve into the science of why the little ice age more, but we don’t know the causes for certain.

A must read for anyone who cares about a future.

This is the best book I have read this year. A wonderful history of the past that we must learn by if we are to survive.

Vivid and visionary historical analysis

As a historian of early modern European Art and curator of collections drawn from the very years and places deeply impacted by the Little Ice Age, I found Blom's fluidly multivalent exploration of the cultural impacts of historical climate change entrancing and impressive. The conclusion is a particularly powerful summary and call to awareness as we navigate our own, human-generated crisis of climate. A beautifully written, well-researched, and unexpectedly inspiring book.

Mostly philosophy of the Enlightenment

This book was beautifully read, however it’s mostly about the philosophical ideas of the enlightenment forcefully connected to the events of the little ice age. Very few facts about the climate and geological changes. It’s like the only consequence of the little ice age was the new ideas of Espinoza, Locke, Descartes and others. The middle chapters of the book were pretty boring, but the narrator was so good that I was able to enjoy several naps.