I haven't read this, but supposed to be good

I haven't read the following books, don't know yet if I want to add them to my library, but wondered if anyone else has read and would recommend them in regard to this topic.

The problem with using touchstones is that they only work if the book in question is in your library.

Collapse by Jared Diamond
Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

I'm trying a touchstone even though I don't own the Tipping Point...

I've heard the book is good, but ever since it came out, the phrase has been over used. I swear it's in every editorial and on every news program. As a news junky, it means I'm bombarded on a daily basis.

I do love Jared Diamond and I just got Collapse. I don't think I've even entered it yet, but I like what I've read on the first few pages. I'll let you know when I get farther into it!

I've read The Tipping Point, and while it was interesting, I don't know that it's really all that related to "the imminent collapse of civilization".

Basically, it takes the principles of epidemiology (spread rate, infection rates, transmission, etc.) and attempts to apply them to ideas, fads, trends, etc. instead of diseases. You could probably make a case for the ideas it presents being applicable to the collapse of civilization, but the book itself is not about that.

Collapse is very good. His thesis is that the more interdependent one society is with others, the more risk there is for collapse. Also that collapse can be avoided if a civilization chooses to address the crises.

Another book along these lines is The Winds of Change by Eugene Linden, which is sometimes about climatic determinism and sometimes about societal response to changes in weather patterns. A bit unfocused but interesting.

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is head and shoulders the best book in this genre.