Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First

Nuanced, balanced and through history of consumption and consumerisim.

Particularly great on interesting country differences, the far earlier start to many trends and ideas than one would assume are modern, and refresingly clear that consumption (you could even write capitalism) are not bad per se, ratherit is essential, often a force for good and forms part of a longer history - it's never so simple.

Good thoughts on what all of this means for us today and tomorrow as we face up to our dire environmental situation - the historical evidence and current data on people's beliefs and priorities are not exactly hopeful in this respect!

It is thorough - divided into two parts with slightly different themes, there are numerous illuminating stories and tidbits, but it adds up! It's never boring but equally, never riveting.