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Energy and electricy in industrial nations : The sociology and technology of energy / Allan Mazur. Routledge, April 2013, 248 p. Paperback: £28.99http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415634427/Description (© Routledge) :Energy is at the top of the list of environmental problems facing industrial society, and is arguably the one that has been handled least successfully, in part because politicians and the public do not understand the physical technologies, while the engineers and industrialists do not understand the societal forces in which they operate. In this book, Allan Mazur, an engineer and a sociologist, explains energy technologies for nontechnical readers and analyses the sociology of energy.The book gives an overview of energy policy in industrialised countries including analysis of climate change, the development of electricity, forms of renewable energy and public perception of the issues. Energy is a key component to environment policy and to the workings of industrial society. This novel approach to energy technology and policy makes the book an invaluable inter-disciplinary resource for students across a range of subjects, from environmental and engineering policy, to energy technology, public administration, and environmental sociology and economics.Contents :Part 1: The Big Picture1. The Agrarian and Industrial Transformations2. Is the Malthusian Trap Imminent? Are Other Energy Problems More Worrisome?3. Energy Flow in an Industrial Society4. Energy, Electricity and Quality of LifePart 2: Energy Sources and Consumption: Using More, and More, and More…5. Fossil Fuels6. Non-carbon Sources of Energy7. Was Growth of Energy and Electricity Usage in Industrial Nations Due More to Population Growth or to Other Causes?Part 3: Electric Power8. Power Grids9. America's Three GridsPart 4: Energy Controversies10. Rationality, Pro and Con11. The Dynamics of Technical Controversy12. Mass Media and the Public Part 5: Progress and Regress13. Attempted Solutions14. What Next?