You love most, there is one gift that will be talked about years from now
Somewhere between a luxury coffee table book and a genuine intellectual adventure, The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding Civilization has become one of those rare objects that people show to every guest who walks through the door.
of Creation
of Knowledge
Illustrations
Believers
6 languages worldwide
The people I love most already have everything they need. Every year I end up giving them something they appreciate but quickly forget. This was the first time in years I gave something that I was actually proud of.
Finding the right gift for someone who matters is harder than it sounds. The easy choices, the ones that fill the shelves of every department store, tend to disappear quickly: the candle burns down, the wine is finished, the gadget gets replaced by a newer one. Something is consumed or discarded, and by February nobody remembers what was given.
Every once in a while, though, you come across something so genuinely unexpected that it changes the atmosphere in the room the moment it is unwrapped. People lean in. They ask questions. They want to hold it, look through it, understand where it came from and how you ever thought to find it. The conversation it starts will outlast the occasion by years.
That is exactly what happens with The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding Civilization.
A Hand-Crafted Book of Everything
the Human Race Has Ever Figured Out
Imagine waking up tomorrow in a world where modern civilization had to be rebuilt from scratch. Not as a survival scenario, but as a genuine intellectual question: what would you need to know? Where would you even begin? How did humanity actually discover fire, agriculture, medicine, writing, and democracy in the first place, and could you recreate any of it if you had to?
The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding Civilization answers all of this with remarkable depth and warmth. It is a 400-page celebration of human ingenuity, crafted entirely by hand over more than 5,000 hours by a team of artists, writers, researchers, and illustrators who cared deeply about every page. Each illustration was designed by hand. Every fact was verified by scientists and subject-matter experts. The result is something that genuinely earns a permanent place on a bookshelf.
This is a book that people start reading on a Tuesday and find themselves still quoting on a Friday, then recommending to three people by the weekend.
Three Reasons This Becomes the Gift
They Never Stop Talking About
I. It reaches people who already have everything
You cannot find this book in a department store or pick it up at an airport. It carries the feeling of something genuinely sought out and chosen with care, which is exactly the signal you want to send to someone you love but struggle to buy for every year.
II. It opens conversations that last for years
Within days of receiving it, most people bring it up at dinner or call to tell you about a chapter. The question at the heart of the book, what would you do if you had to rebuild civilization from nothing, has a way of keeping people talking long after every other gift has been forgotten.
III. It earns a permanent place in their home
Books like this are kept for decades and shown to every guest. They sit on coffee tables, get pointed to during dinner parties, and travel with people when they move. Unlike most gifts that are consumed and disappear, this one becomes a part of how someone sees their own library and their own life.
TOP 2 in Kickstarter history
400k+
copies sold to curious minds of the planet Earth
A global bestseller
Gift Box
The Book in a Gift Box
The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding Civilization. English version 🇬🇧 Select The Book language
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400k+ books sold worldwide
Somewhere between sacred text and explorer's codex lies an object unlike any other ever bound between two covers - a monument five thousand hours in the making, rendered entirely by human hand.
Every word within these pages was wrestled from the world by human minds. Every illustration born from a human hand. Five thousand hours — not of processing, but of thinking, questioning, drawing, and beginning again. There is no algorithm here. Only people, and their extraordinary devotion to getting it right.
Where can I track my delivery?
You can track your delivery progress using the tracking page on our website. Input your tracking code to access the information.
Are other language options available?
For now, you can enjoy it in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French and Japanese languages. If we notice a rising demand for other languages, we will promptly work on providing them.
What type of paper are the books printed on?
The Book is printed on high-quality paper using offset printing.
How can I expedite order shipping? Do you offer express shipping or anything similar?
We don’t offer any type of express shipping or anything similar, yet you are more than welcome to reach out to support@hungryminds.com and ask our team to prioritize your order in the queue!
What is the ISBN?
978-0-578-37745-2
What are the dimensions?
Weight: 4.96lb / 2.25 kg
Size: 9.0 x 2.0 x 13.4 in / 23 x 4.9 x 34 cm
Gift box size: 10.1 x 2.6 x 14.8 in / 25.7 x 6.7 x 37.7 cm
Order Processing
All orders are processed within 5 business days. We do not ship orders on weekends or national holidays. Once the order is placed, we can only make changes before it’s entered in our processing system, which is usually within one hour of placing an order.
Order Tracking
Tracking information will be emailed to you as soon as the package ships. If you don’t have your tracking number within 5 business days after the order was placed, please contact us at support@hungryminds.com with your order number.
Shipping
Please be aware that shipping times vary by location. Shipping and taxes are calculated at checkout. For more information about delivery times and shipping costs in your country, visit our Shipping Policy page. We provide express delivery within the United States. You may select express delivery at checkout.
For further assistance or concerns regarding your order's whereabouts, feel free to reach us at support@hungryminds.com.
TOP 2 in Kickstarter history
400k+
copies sold to curious minds of the planet Earth
A global bestseller
For the People in Your Life
Who Deserve Something Real
For Your Parents
Parents who are hard to buy for are often people who have accumulated a lifetime of objects and already own everything they need. What they want, even if they would never say it, is to feel that their child really saw them. A book about the entire arc of human civilization, chosen with that kind of intention, lands differently than most things wrapped and placed under a tree.
For Your Intellectually Curious Friend
You know this person. They listen to three podcasts simultaneously, always have a book recommendation you haven't heard of, and send you articles at unusual hours. This is the gift that makes them text you at midnight saying they cannot put it down, and then tell everyone they know about it for the rest of the year.
For a Milestone Moment
Certain occasions call for a gift that matches the weight of the moment. Something that says: this chapter of your life is worth a gift as big as the world itself. A book about the entire history of human knowledge is exactly the kind of object that feels appropriate when someone you care about is starting something new or marking a significant passage of time.
For Anyone With a Bookshelf
If the person you are buying for has a real relationship with books, they will understand immediately what this is. And if they don't, it will become the object that begins one. Either way, it earns its place on the shelf in a way that most gifts never do, and it stays there long after the occasion that prompted it has passed.
What Happens When
People Receive This Book
Chapters to explore
Anatomy & Blood
The human body is a universe unto itself. Everything is interconnected, energy and nutrients flowing from one place to another through the body’s supply system — blood. Hopefully, your blood generally stays inside your own body, but in certain life-threatening situations, it can be shared with another person. And luckily, finding someone with a similar blood type is easier than finding someone with shared interests, political views or musical tastes.
Bicycles
Some inventions happen naturally, as if spontaneously willing themselves into existence, such as the wheel. Others require a chain of happy accidents to come into being. But for the most part, discovery is a long, uphill road illuminated only by brief flashes of insight. By connecting two wheels to a solid frame and throwing on a chain and a couple of pedals, you’re left with a fun and efficient vehicle suitable for both transporting heavy cargo and carrying friends in tow. Using the basic principles behind its design, you can also come up with a variety of other helpful devices and even start generating electricity.
Animation
Animation works by taking advantage of a simple optical illusion. When you present a sequence of still images in quick enough succession, the viewer’s mind interprets them as a continuous moving image. This effect is achieved by using a large number of sequential images that differ minimally from the previous image in the series. But persistence of vision is only one small part of the bigger picture. When we watch animated characters, we start to empathize and identify with them. We laugh, cry and scream in horror along with them. This is where cinematography comes into play.
Festivals
For humans, taking breaks from the daily routine and the fight for survival is vital. Otherwise, they are unable to create. Negative thoughts start to accumulate in their minds, they become more prone to conformism and society enters a period of stagnation. Festivals and carnivals help relieve the tension and reboot the creative mind. Festival culture is a living contradiction to the hierarchies, dogmas and norms meant as societal safeguards. These kinds of celebrations bestow a sense of freedom, allowing people to leave their duties and responsibilities behind for a while and immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere, becoming truly spontaneous and authentic.
Sushi
Food is, of course, important for its caloric and nutritional value. But it’s also so much more than that! Food is an opportunity for personal growth and self-expression. New flavors and sensations cause new connections to form in your brain, and a good meal can heal more than just your body. You know what they say — you are what you eat. So why not create the best version of yourself by preparing a well-balanced meal? It’s time to learn how to make sushi. The only thing you’ll have to cook is the rice. This is the main secret of sushi: do not complicate what can be done simply.
Some objects are purchased.
Others are inherited.
The Book is the kind of object that outlasts its first owner. That sits on a shelf for decades. That a child picks up one afternoon and carries into adulthood. That is passed along with a handwritten note tucked inside the cover. It was made to survive. It was made to matter. And there is, we would suggest, no finer thing to give — or to give yourself.
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