Really important and overlooked topic. A great piece of historical nonfiction in which I learned a few things I did not previously know about American history. Well-researched, has citations and index.

One of my favorite kinds of histories: one that shows me connections I had never thought to consider before. I loved this well-researched and well-written exploration of how artificial light has affected the development of society.

Again, however, I find myself wishing for a 1-10 rating scale. Four stars seems stingy, but five stars isn't quite right, either. This is a solid 9/10.

Like the folks who got electrical lines in their homes in the 30s and 40s I still don't know exactly what electricity is. But I used it to read this book and enjoyed the different perspectives Brox explores.

Given where I work, quite an interesting book. Very American centrict though

I enjoyed this and it was very thorough if a bit preachy

Fascinating. The past is another country.

Interesting and comprehensive. It dragged in portions, loaded down with information, lumbering along. I learned a lot though. My favorite parts were the ancient times, the TVA electrification and the future of lighting. Some of it was familiar already- the disaster that lighting has caused among migratory birds, nesting turtles and astronomers- but the new information was fascinating.

Given where I work, quite an interesting book. Very American centrict though

Because this was a history of artificial light, it also touched tangentially on a lot of other topics, like the Lascaux caves and WWII. Lots of information , and the speculative bits at the end about where light and electricity will go next were very interesting.