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jhamel's review against another edition
3.0
I really wish that this book was either only half as long, or that I had swaths more time. the topic is fascinating, the writing academic and extremely thorough, but it isn't a fit for my current reading needs. maybe one day there will be s less scholarly "lite" version telling the epic tale, in the meantime, I'll aim to return to this periodically but infrequently.
quech87's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted to give 3.5 stars to the book but leaned towards 4 stars because of the great scholarly value of the book. It is a very important book describing an extremely important period of our history by an author who no doubt has good knowledge about the subject but is a bad editor/writer. I might have given the book 5 stars if the book was 240 pages and not 440. Its repetitive and drags on in the second half.
spookybeast's review against another edition
1.0
I guess I've been spoiled by cultural histories by Mary Roach, Bill Bryson, and Mark Kurlansky, who all write in a crisp, engaging, borderline informal style that is informative, engaging, and accessible. While I was very excited to pick up a copy of Empire of Cotton, and knew that the subject matter would require a huge scope and dense narrative, I was disappointed by the dry presentation. I wasn't expecting a little light reading, but this felt like a college textbook. I got bored and didn't finish it.
stevendedalus's review against another edition
4.0
The story of industrialisation and capitalism told through cotton, which Beckert makes a strong case as the most important driver of the modern, interconnected age.
At first seemingly esoteric, Beckert is able to apply cotton to essentially every advancement of the modern age (though the section on modern globalization is short, probably because it has been done before.)
The most interesting aspects are Beckert's advocacy for the strong role of the state in creating the cotton empire, from providing the violent resources for "war capitalism", then enforcing the exploitation that helped it evolve to industrial capitalism. He is very interested in the interplay between capital, nations, and the people, both foreign and domestic that exploit, and are exploited by the system.
It serves as a reminder that a lot of the riches of the Western world have a very dark past
The analysis of slavery, poverty, mercantilism, and innovation is deft and far more interesting than it should be.
At first seemingly esoteric, Beckert is able to apply cotton to essentially every advancement of the modern age (though the section on modern globalization is short, probably because it has been done before.)
The most interesting aspects are Beckert's advocacy for the strong role of the state in creating the cotton empire, from providing the violent resources for "war capitalism", then enforcing the exploitation that helped it evolve to industrial capitalism. He is very interested in the interplay between capital, nations, and the people, both foreign and domestic that exploit, and are exploited by the system.
It serves as a reminder that a lot of the riches of the Western world have a very dark past
The analysis of slavery, poverty, mercantilism, and innovation is deft and far more interesting than it should be.
lintu's review against another edition
See, it says I'm "finished" with this book, but I didn't complete it. It's excellently-written, convincing, important, etc., but if I see the word "cotton" one more time I might jump off a cliff.
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