This is the deluxe illustrated edition of the best-selling Massey Lecture A Short History of Progress. Ronald Wright argues that each time history repeats itself, the price goes up. The 20th century was a time of runaway growth in human population, consumption and technology, placing a colossal load on all natural systems. He demonstrates how our modern predicament is as old as civilization, a 10,000-year experiment we have participated in but seldom controlled.

Wright’s provocative text evokes striking images across time and space, starting with Paul Gauguin’s painting D’où venons nous? Que sommes nous? Où allons nous? (Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?)—three questions that perfectly summarize the focus of these lectures. My goal was to find the best way to further illustrate his text through historical illustration, photography, and numerous endnotes, which were used as full-page “manifesti” to grab the reader’s attention and complement the main text. I also opened each chapter with a provocative artwork (the aforementioned Gauguin, Anselm Kiefer, Edward Burtynsky, etc.) to enliven the visual discussion. The cover design is based on Bill Douglas’ concept for the original text-only version of the book.

“A national best-seller in Canada, this book is based on a radio series of lectures. Beautifully illustrated and annotated with quotes like this one from Gandhi on Western civilization: ‘I think it would be a very good idea.’ ”