The Human Planet cover art

The Human Planet

How We Created the Anthropocene (A Pelican Book)

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Human Planet

By: Simon Lewis, Mark A. Maslin
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Human Planet, a Pelican Book, by Simon L. Lewis and Mark A. Maslin, read by Roy McMillan.

Meteorites, methane, mega-volcanoes and now human beings; the old forces of nature that transformed Earth many millions of years ago are joined by another: us. Our actions have driven Earth into a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. For the first time in our home planet's 4.5-billion year history a single species is dictating Earth's future.

To some the Anthropocene symbolises a future of superlative control of our environment. To others it is the height of hubris, the illusion of our mastery over nature. Whatever your view, just below the surface of this odd-sounding scientific word, the Anthropocene, is a heady mix of science, philosophy, religion and politics linked to our deepest fears and utopian visions. Tracing our environmental impact through time to reveal when humans began to dominate Earth, Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin show what the new epoch means for the future of humanity, the planet and life itself.

©2019 Simon Lewis (P)2019 Penguin Audio Earth Sciences Ecology Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science Solar System Natural History

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The New Climate War cover art
Silent Spring cover art
Braiding Sweetgrass cover art
Peak Everything cover art
Ancestors cover art
Where Are We Heading? cover art
This Is the Way the World Ends cover art
Staying with the Trouble cover art
Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency cover art
The Ecotechnic Future cover art
The Tyrannosaur Chronicles cover art
Overshoot cover art
Origin Story cover art
In Search of the Dark Ages cover art
Timefulness cover art

Critic reviews

"Brilliantly written and genuinely one of the most important books I have ever read." (Ellie Mae O'Hagan)

All stars
Most relevant
This book is a must-read (or must-listen) for any inhabitant of the human planet who is interested in finding out about how today's society evolved, what have been its impacts on the environment and basically the whole story of the modern human race.

The only downside is that since it is a nonfiction book where facts and numbers play a major role, it is sometimes easy to get lost and lose focus - some visual aid would be helpful.

A Must Read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An excellent book detailing how humans have become a geological force. This book covers a vast number of topics from evolution and geology through history and politics. All this under the framework of determining when and how the world transitioned into the Anthropocene.

It's succinct and well read. I've listened to it twice now and gifted a copy to a friend. Definitely worth getting.

Probably the best Science book on Audible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you've read and enjoyed Yuval Noah Harari then this is next, a deep dive behind the science behind our human drive.

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
there's much more to climate change than rising temperatures and sea levels, I learned so much more a thought provoking book.

a thought provoking book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Gripping, well written, heartbreaking and well researched. Voice was calm and reassuring too for a heavy subject. Big topic but broken up well for non scientists.

So in depth, makes everything fit together.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews