Guns, Germs, and Steel, The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond (2006). This book is somewhat controversial, at least from my perspective, as it seeks to explain why some cultures became significantly more developed than others, arguing that the disparity in development among cultures is largely due to environmental differences. Although several people have attempted to construct a comprehensive theory of human development, Diamond’s goal is notably ambitious.
According to this book, for instance, the development of agriculture around 10,000 years ago was accelerated by the use of large domesticated mammals such as sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, and horses, all of which originated in central Eurasia and were relatively easy to domesticate.
These large mammals provided their human handlers with key advantages in mobility and farming. Additionally, most of the world’s lethal diseases arose from close proximity to livestock, gradually giving Eurasians immunity to illnesses that later devastated entire societies upon first exposure.
In contrast, animals like zebras, bears, giraffes, tigers, and hippos have remained undomesticated to this day.