The Sixth Extinction cover art

The Sixth Extinction

An Unnatural History

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 Sixth Extinction

By: Elizabeth Kolbert
Narrated by: Anne Twomey
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

Bloomsbury presents The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, read by Anne Twomey
________________

WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR GENERAL NON-FICTION
________________

'An invaluable contribution to our understanding of present circumstances, just as the paradigm shift she calls for is sorely needed' - Al Gore, New York Times

'Compelling ... It is a disquieting tale, related with rigour and restraint by Kolbert' - Observer

'Passionate ... This is the big story of our age' - Sunday Times
________________

A major book about the future of the world, blending natural history, field reporting and the history of ideas and into a powerful account of the mass extinction happening today

Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions of life on earth.

Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Elizabeth Kolbert combines brilliant field reporting, the history of ideas and the work of geologists, botanists and marine biologists to tell the gripping stories of a dozen species – including the Panamanian golden frog and the Sumatran rhino – some already gone, others at the point of vanishing.

The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind’s most lasting legacy and Elizabeth Kolbert’s book urgently compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.

©2014 Elizabeth Kolbert (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Biological Sciences Endangered Species Environment Evolution Evolution & Genetics Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science Natural History

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Better Angels of Our Nature cover art
Peak Human cover art
Prisoners of Geography cover art
Guns, Germs and Steel cover art
Capital in the Twenty-First Century cover art
Goethe cover art
Between the World and Me cover art
Kindred cover art
Domination cover art
The World for Sale cover art
Flow cover art
The Planets cover art
The Demon-Haunted World cover art
On the Origin of Species cover art
All stars
Most relevant
Brilliant book which sadly in 2025 reflects how little humans change. Interesting well written without bias or agenda other than to highlight this growing issue of extinction on our planet

Important book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Wonderfully written with a seamless balance between anecdote, history and science, approachable for anyone of any background.

Even 10 years on, it remains as relevant and pressing as ever, a must-read for anyone interested in life on this planet — and its sustained existence.

Still remains relevant 10 years on

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.