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Reading order

Civilizations Rise and Fall — reading order

Jared Diamond

  1. Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997)
  2. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (2004)
  3. Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis (2019)
8.08.0 / 10
Score out of 10Series ranking →
3 volumes
Volumes
1997–2019
Published
Completed
Status

Quick answer

Guns, Germs, and Steel
Start withGuns, Germs, and Steel1997 · Volume 1 of 3
Open the volume →Buy the first volumeListen to the audiobook

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Publication order

3 volumes1997–2019Completed

  • Not a series but three related books by Jared Diamond on why societies succeed or fail.
  • Guns, Germs, and Steel (Pulitzer Prize, 1998) is the one nearly everyone reads; Collapse and Upheaval apply the same method to environmental collapse and national crises.
  • Each stands alone.

Every volume in order

Read: 0 of 3
  1. Guns, Germs, and Steel
    Guns, Germs, and Steel1997 · 874 ratingsStart here
    8.08.0 / 10
  2. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
    Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed2004 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  3. Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis
    Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis2019 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet

Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 11, 2026