Table of Contents

I. The First Taste Chapter One: Where's the Water? Chapter Two: The Font of Civilisation Chapter Three: Civilisation Bloomed from Water Chapter Four: Egypt Chapter Five: Athens and Rome Chapter Six: God, Paradise and Gardens II. The Growing Thirst Chapter Seven: God's Dry Land Chapter Eight: Fountains of Rome Chapter Nine: Taming the Rhine Chapter Ten: Health Chapter Eleven: Coal and Cotton Chapter Twelve: Dams and Politics Chapter Thirteen: America III. Peak Water Chapter Fourteen: Collapse Chapter Fifteen: Luxury Chapter Sixteen: Cities Chapter Seventeen: Irrigation Chapter Eighteen: Farming Chapter Nineteen: Trade Chapter Twenty: War Chapter Twenty-One: Dubai

About the Author

Alexander Bell worked as a journalist for the BBC, The Observer and the Herald. He reported from around the world and in the UK on conflicts and major events. Over time, he began to think that the greatest story of the age was how mankind lives on the planet. He became fascinated by water -- the way it influences the shape of so many things, and the assumption that the next big war would be over water. He wrote this book to share that fascination and introduce a wide readership to a vital issue. He lives in Edinburgh with his daughter.