Guns, germs, and steel: the fates of human societies

Yali's question: The regionally differing courses of history

From Eden to Cajamarca. Up to the starting line: What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.?

A natural experiment of history: How geography molded societies on Polynesian islands

Collision at Cajamarca: Why the Inca emperor Atahuallpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain

The rise and spread of food production. Farmer power: The roots of guns, germs, and steel

History's haves and have-nots: Geographic differences in the onset of food production

To farm or not to farm: Causes of the spread of food production

How to make an almond: The unconscious development of ancient crops

Apples or Indians: Why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants?

Zebras, unhappy marriages, and the Anna Karenina principle: Why were most big wild mammal species never domesticated?

Spacious skies and tilted axes: Why did food production spread at different rates on different continents?

From food to guns, germs, and steel. Lethal gift of livestock: The evolution of germs

Blueprints and borrowed letters: The evolution of writing

Necessity's mother: The evolution of technology

From egalitarianism to kleptocracy: The evolution of government and religion

Around the world in six chapters. Yali's people: The histories of Australia and New Guinea

How China became Chinese: The history of East Asia

Speedboat to Polynesia: The history of Austronesian expansion

Hemispheres colliding: The histories of Eurasia and the Americas compared

How Africa became black: The history of Africa

Who are the Japanese?: the history of Japan

The future of human history as a science

2017 afterword: Rich and poor countries in light of Guns, germs, and steel.

Prologue. Yali's question : the regionally differing courses of history

pt. 1. From Eden to Cajamarca. Up to the starting line : what happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.?

A natural experiment of history : how geography molded societies on the Polynesian islands

Collision at Cajamarca : why the Inca emperor Atahuallpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain

pt. 2. The rise and spread of food production. Farmer power : the roots of guns, germs, and steel

History's haves and have-nots : geographic differences in the onset of food production

To farm or not to farm : causes of the spread of food production

How to make an almond : the unconscious development of ancient crops

Apples or indians : why did peoples of some regions fail to domesticate plants?

Zebras, unhappy marriages, and the Anna Karenina principle : why were most big wild mammal species never domesticated?

Spacious skies and tilted axes : why did food production spread at different rates on different continents?

pt. 3. From food to guns, germs, and steel. Lethal gift of livestock : the evolution of germs

Blueprints and borrowed letters : the evolution of writing

Necessity's mother : the evolution of technology

From egalitarianism to kleptocracy : the evolution of government and religion

pt. 4. Around the world in five chapters. Yali's people : the histories of Australia and New Guinea

How China became Chinese : the history of East Asia

Speedboat to Polynesia : the history of Austronesian expansion

Hemispheres colliding : the histories of Eurasia and the Americas compared

How Africa became black : the history of Africa

Epilogue. The future of human history as a science. Who are the Japanese?

2003 afterword : Guns, Germs, and Steel today.