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Title: No original contributions, poorly written
Review: Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" correctly suggests that environment is a major factor in the development of human societies. But his dismissal of all other factors involved and his inconsistent use of examples to suggest his arguements without any balanced discussion trouble this reader. The most valuable part of the book is "further readings." He cites the excellent work by the Cavalli-Sforzas on paleobotany and a number of works on the effects of disease on human society. Read the references; ignore this book.
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