# Size

Canonical: https://www.bookquiver.com/vaclav-smil/size/9780241997413

![Size](https://quivercdn.com/covers/penguin/vaclav-smil/size_978-02-4199-741-3.jpg?v=2026-04-25%2019%3A20%3A05)

- Book: [Size](https://www.bookquiver.com/vaclav-smil/size) ([Size.md](https://www.bookquiver.com/vaclav-smil/size.md))
- Authors: [Václav Smil](https://www.bookquiver.com/vaclav-smil)
- Publisher: Penguin
- Medium: audio
- Length: 8 h 43 min
- ISBN: 978-02-4199-741-3
- Published: 2023-05-04
- Language: en_GB
- Binding: Audiobook · 8 h 43 min

## Description

Brought to you by Penguin. 100 words: The New York Times bestselling author returns with a mind-opening exploration of how size defines life on Earth. Explaining the key processes shaping size in nature, society and technology, Smil busts myths around proportions - from bodies to paintings and the so-called golden ratio - tells us what Jonathan Swift got wrong in Gulliver's Travels - the giant Brobdingnagian's legs would buckle under their enormous weight - and dives headfirst into the most contentious issue in ergonomics: the size of aeroplane seats. It is no exaggeration to say this fascinating and wide-ranging tour de force will change the way you look at absolutely everything. 10 words: Size, an omnipresent scalar, is the measure of all things. 1 word: Size. © Vaclav Smil 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023