130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

A Concise History of World Population

Brief Description
Explores the forces that have shaped global population growth over millennia Understanding the mechanisms that govern the size and trajectory of the human population is essential to navigating today's most pressing global challenges. A Concise History of World Population, offers a sweeping overview of the key... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$12199
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Explores the forces that have shaped global population growth over millennia

Understanding the mechanisms that govern the size and trajectory of the human population is essential to navigating today's most pressing global challenges. A Concise History of World Population, offers a sweeping overview of the key demographic patterns that have defined human history and influenced the world's population structure. Drawing on disciplines as diverse as ecology, history, economics, and epidemiology, this new edition provides students and scholars with an interdisciplinary guide to the major forcesβ€”both natural and human-madeβ€”that have determined demographic growth, stagnation, or decline across civilizations.

Acclaimed demographer Massimo Livi-Bacci addresses enduring questions about the balance between people, resources, and environment through careful analysis of catastrophic disruptions, technological revolutions, and slowly evolving reproductive behaviors. Reader-friendly chapters provide the intellectual tools needed to understand the shifting dynamics of global populationβ€”paying special attention to emerging demographic trends and the sustainability challenges they pose in the twenty-first century. The result is not just a concise history, but a rich framework for thinking critically about the demographic future.

An essential resource for anyone seeking to understand how population and society co-evolveβ€”and the delicate equilibrium they must maintainβ€”A Concise History of World Population:

  • Offers a clear and accessible narrative of global population history from pre-agricultural societies to the present
  • Highlights demographic mechanisms often overlooked in traditional population studies
  • Includes in-depth analysis of catastrophic events and their demographic impact, including pandemics and climate shocks
  • Addresses sustainability and future population trends in the context of limited global resources
  • Engages with long-term patterns and short-term fluctuations in population-resource equilibrium

Employing an interdisciplinary approach that integrates history, anthropology, ecology, economics, and political science, A Concise History of World Population, Seventh Edition, is perfect for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Population Studies, Demographic History, Global History, and Political Demography within degree programs in Sociology, Political Science, History, and Development Studies.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781394295746

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 December 2025

Country: United States

Imprint: Wiley-Blackwell

Edition: 7th edition

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 150.0mm

Height: 224.0mm

Weight: 476g

Pages: 384

About the Author

MASSIMO LIVI-BACCI is Emeritus Professor of Demography at the University of Florence. He is a former President of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) and served as a Senator of the Italian Republic. Livi-Bacci is widely recognized for his work on historical demography and migration, with notable publications including The Population of Europe: A History and A Short History of Migration.

Also by Massimo Livi-Bacci

View all
  • The Population of Europe
    The Population of Europe describes the history of the inter-relationships in Europe between population, land, resources, and disease.
    Paperback
    $8599
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Geodemography
    The last hundred years have witnessed the ongoing decline of Europe’s population and the explosion of Africa’s, major changes in migratory flows, significant variations in fertility levels across different countries and ethnic groups, and the dizzying growth of large metropolises. These changes alter and sometimes disrupt relations between societies, states, and regions of the world and influence political choices with...
    Paperback
    $3599
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Conquest
    The arrival of Europeans in the Americas brought with it a demographic catastrophe of vast proportions for the native populations. What were the causes? The surviving documentation is extraordinarily rich: conquistadors, religious figures, administrators, officials, and merchants kept records, carried out inquiries, and issued edicts. The native world, for its part, has also left eloquent traces of events as well...
    Hardback
    $14399
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Over Land and Sea
    Human history has always been marked by the mobility of people and populations, from the earliest movement of human beings out of Africa to the flows of migrants and refugees today. While mobility is intrinsic to human nature, migration is not always voluntary: it can be the result of free choice, but it can also be forced, in different ways...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

More from Education & Reference

View all
  • Revenge of the Tipping Point
    Twenty-five years after the publication of his groundbreaking first book, Malcolm Gladwell returns with a brand new volume that reframes the lessons of The Tipping Point in a startling and revealing light. What does the heartbreaking fate of the cheetah tell us about the way we raise our children? Why do elite universities care so much about sports? What is...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Body Keeps the Score
    The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel van der Kolk is a compelling and compassionate exploration of the deep-seated impact of trauma on the human body and mind. This groundbreaking work delves into the complex causes of trauma and paints a vivid picture of the revolutionary treatments that are enabling countless individuals to reclaim their lives filled with purpose...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Song of the Birds
    A stunning and panoramic history of native birds in Aotearoa, from the bestselling author of The Meaning of Trees For millions of years, the song of the birds echoed throughout Aotearoa, with no one around to hear it. While the arrival of humans would transform their story forever - birds may have changed us even more. In this beautiful and...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Lucky You're Tough
    New Release
    Lucky You're Tough
    Lucky You're Tough chronicles the early life of helicopter pilot and NZSAS soldier Mark Law, from growing up in the rural wilds of Whangamōmona through to surviving a series of life-threatening events that would shape his life and career. After a career as a badged soldier in the NZSAS that led to an intriguing stint with the British SAS and...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Age Code
    What if the food you eat could rewind your biological clock? 'Clear and compelling' β€” Chris van Tulleken 'Really interesting and insightful' β€” Joe Wicks 'Fascinating' β€” Tim Spector From the rising incidence of cancer in the under-50s to increased infertility rates, there are signs everywhere that growing numbers of us are ageing too quickly. Why? Many believe there’s one...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Fungi of Aotearoa
    The complete introduction to finding, identifying and using mushrooms and other fungi in New Zealand. Enter and explore the fascinating world of fungi. In this practical and up-to-date guide, forager and fungus enthusiast Liv Sisson shares her top tips and takes the reader on a journey to discover the unique and diverse fungi Aotearoa has to offer. Discover how to...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • One Last Question, Prime Minister
    From Muldoon to Luxon, untold stories from the House of Parliament Barry Soper has spent close to five decades questioning New Zealand's prime ministers.From the imposing, larger-than-life characters of Rob Muldoon and David Lange, to the golden age of Helen Clark and John Key, and the post-Covid era of Jacinda Ardern and the 'Chrises', Soper's insight and nose for a...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Suicidal Empathy
    The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Maori Made Easy Workbook 1/Kete 1
    Maori Made Easy Workbook 1/Kete 1 by Scotty Morrison is the ultimate companion for anyone eager to learn the beautiful and complex Maori language. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to brush up on your skills, this workbook offers a structured and engaging way to immerse yourself in te reo Maori. Designed to be accessible regardless of your starting...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Hormone Health is Mental Health
    New Release
    Hormone Health is Mental Health
    Hormone Health is Mental Health is a lifechanging guide to understanding perimenopause and midlife women's mental health - and how understanding your hormones is the first step to feeling like yourself again. This book is for women in their thirties, forties, and fifties who feel like they're falling apart. Women who feel like their brains and bodies are betraying them,...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Kitchen Confidential
    The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. β€˜Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ β€” A.A. Gill β€˜Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ β€” Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Aroha
    Aroha by Dr Hinemoa Elder is an enlightening exploration of timeless Maori wisdom, intricately woven into a contemporary context. This top-selling non-fiction title from New Zealand in 2021 introduces readers to 52 traditional Maori proverbs, known as whakataukΔ«, each offering a profound lesson for every week of the year. Dr Elder, a respected Maori psychiatrist, delves into these powerful sayings...
    Hardback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.