How long does it take to read The Collapse of Complex Societies?
Joseph A. Tainter
The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph A. Tainter takes about 4 hours 35 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 4 hours 35 minutes
A weekend read
First published 1988. 250 pages, about 68,750 words.
10 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 7 hours 38 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 4 hours 35 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 2 hours 52 minutes |
The page count is the median across 6 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
A survey of complex (post-hunter-gatherer, hierarchical) societies and their collapse, and the various theories proposed to account for collapse. The author develops his own theory based on the increasing cost of managing complexity that acheives decreasing marginal benefits.
Subjects: Ancient Civilization, Civilization, Comparative civilization, Philosophy, Archaeology, Regression (Civilization)
