"I recommend anything by Alexander Etkind, who is a cultural historian of Russia. His latest book is called 'Nature's Evil' and... it actually goes a very long way to explaining how Russia works."
--Masha Gessen, The New York Times

"Provocative, insightful and informative, Etkind explores the cultural, economic and political institutions built on the humble foundations of commodities such as hemp, coal and wheat. The ideas of matter and the matter of ideas leap to life in his pages. Readers will find themselves rethinking their notions of civilisation, its origins and future."
--Edward Lucas, formerly senior editor at The Economist and author of The New Cold War

"Etkind's book is a treasure trove of ideas about the material, cultural and political lives of natural resources. An utterly original and fascinating blend of intellectual, ecological and moral history. A great read, not to be missed!"
--Nancy Fraser, New School for Social Research, author of Capitalism: A Conversation in Critical Theory

"In detailed chapters on grain, animal products, sugar, hemp, metals, peat, coal and oil, historian Alexander Etkind explores how nature and its commodification has shaped states and societies, as the pursuit of power and wealth has degraded people and despoiled the planet."
--Nature

"Provocative"
--Times Literary Supplement

"eloquent"
--H-Soz-Kult

"This book is a triumph. . . . A must-read for future generations of environmentalists hoping to understand the context of environmental destruction."
--Eurasian Geography and Economics