How long does it take to read Dirt?
The Erosion of Civilizations
Dirt by David R. Montgomery takes about 5 hours 26 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 5 hours 26 minutes
A weekend read
First published 2007. 296 pages, about 81,400 words.
11 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 9 hours 3 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 5 hours 26 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 3 hours 24 minutes |
The page count is the median across 6 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
Dirt, soil, call it what you want--it is the root of our existence, supporting our feet, our farms, our cities. In this natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern environmental calamities, earth scientist Montgomery explores the idea that we are--and have long been--using up Earth's soil. Once bare of protective vegetation and exposed to wind and rain, cultivated soils erode bit by bit, slowly enough to be ignored in a single lifetime but fast enough over time to limit the lifespan of civilizations. Montgomery traces the role of soil use and abuse in the history of Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China, Native American civilizations, European colonialism, and the American push westward. We see how soil has shaped history--as society after society has risen, prospered, and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt, leaving a legacy of impoverished lands.--From publisher description.
Subjects: Soils, Soil science, Soil erosion, History, Long Now Manual for Civilization, Bodemerosie
