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which britax car seat Britax Galaxy 360 Slim Rotating Convertible Car Seat Teak

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Description

which britax car seat Britax Galaxy 360 Slim Rotating Convertible Car Seat TeakBritax Galaxy360 Slim Rotating Convertible Car Seat Parents considering the Britax Galaxy360 are usually drawn to the convenience of loading and unloading their little one without straining their back or awkwardly climbing into the car. The Galaxy360 Slim is engineered as a fully rotating (360) convertible car seat. It begins as a rear facing seat for babies and toddlers, seamlessly switching to a forward facing configuration when the time comesall

Britax Galaxy360™ Slim Rotating Convertible Car Seat

Parents considering the Britax Galaxy360 are usually drawn to the convenience of loading and unloading their little one without straining their back or awkwardly climbing into the car. The Galaxy360 Slim is engineered as a fully rotating (360°) convertible car seat. It begins as a rear-facing seat for babies and toddlers, seamlessly switching to a forward-facing configuration when the time comes—all without the need to reinstall the base. The design centers on three core benefits: single-handed rotation, a quick and straightforward installation (via ClickTight + QuickStand), and a narrow 17-inch profile to maximize room in your back seat.

  • Manufacturer size limits: 5–50 lbs. for rear-facing, 30–65 lbs. for forward-facing, with a maximum standing height of under 49” for both modes. The seat accommodates an overall weight range of 5–65 lbs., features a 10-year expiration lifespan, and includes a 1-year limited manufacturer warranty.
  • Space footprint: The Galaxy360 Slim measures precisely 17” across, with overall dimensions of 21.5” x 17” x 22”. That 17-inch width is often the deciding factor for families configuring a cramped back seat or installing multiple car seats side-by-side.

Highlights & Features

  • One-handed 360° rotation: This convertible seat spins a complete 360 degrees using just one hand, making buckling and loading effortless. Simply swivel the seat to face the open door, secure your child, and smoothly rotate it back into a locked travel position.
  • Two harnessed convertible stages: The Galaxy360 accommodates two primary growth phases: rear-facing for infants and toddlers (5–50 lbs.), followed by forward-facing (30–65 lbs.) when they are big enough to turn around. (Note: Britax strongly advises keeping children rear-facing until they reach the maximum weight or height limit specified for the seat).
  • ClickTight® installation & QuickStand™ prop: Featuring an easily accessible belt path and a simple buckle-and-click setup, installing this seat is a breeze. The built-in QuickStand™ prop keeps the seat elevated and out of your way as you work, while ClickTight® technology automatically tensions and locks the vehicle's seat belt for a fast, secure fit.
  • SwivelSmooth™ steel ring: Utilizing a wheels-on-steel mechanism, the SwivelSmooth™ ring ensures the seat rotates with a fluid, controlled, and stable glide.
  • Integrated one-piece design: The car seat and its base are constructed as a single, continuous unit that remains securely attached to one another at all times, including during the installation process.
  • 17” SpaceSaver™ profile: The seat's narrow 17-inch width is purposefully crafted to save valuable space in your back seat and fit more easily into various vehicles, all without sacrificing child comfort or safety.
  • ReboundReduce™ stability panel: When used in rear-facing mode, the base features a ReboundReduce™ panel designed to limit excessive movement during a crash.
  • Reinforced base & impact absorption: Constructed with a high-strength steel-reinforced base, the seat also boasts dual layers of energy management: a durable outer shell and a foam-lined headrest to help absorb crash forces.
  • Adjustability and recline: The seat offers a 6-position recline equipped with a simple-to-read indicator. It also includes an 11-position, no-rethread harness and headrest system that move together to easily adjust as your child grows.
  • Fabrics and cleaning: Everyday spills are easy to manage thanks to a smooth, wipeable outer shell and a SafeWash® cover that is completely washer and dryer safe. Select fashions also feature naturally flame-retardant materials crafted without added FR chemicals.
  • Dual cup holders: Includes two dishwasher-safe cup holders that securely click into place for travel and slide right out when it's time to wash them.
  • Testing & safety standards: The Galaxy360 meets FMVSS 213 standards for frontal impacts and is side-impact tested to FMVSS 213a guidelines. (Please note that FMVSS 213a side-impact standards apply strictly to harnessed children up to 43” and 40 lbs., and do not cover testing for kids exceeding those metrics).

Product Details

The appeal of the "rotating convertible"

Recognized as one of the most popular baby gear trends of the 2020s, the rotating car seat concept allows parents to pivot the seat toward the car door for easy harnessing, then lock it back into a safe travel position. Britax highlights "one-hand" operation specifically because a rotating seat is only useful if the turning mechanism is actually effortless to use.

This rotation feature is a game-changer for real-world scenarios: squeezing into tight parking spots, navigating small car doors, lifting a child into a tall SUV, or managing multiple kids simultaneously while trying to buckle one in.

Rear-facing stage (5–50 lbs., under 49”)

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises keeping toddlers and infants rear-facing for as long as possible, up to the maximum height or weight limits of their specific car seat.

Britax designates the Galaxy360’s rear-facing harnessed limits at 5–50 lbs. and a standing height under 49 inches. This is often the most extended phase of a car seat's lifespan, and historically the most physically demanding for parents loading kids at a low, awkward angle.

Forward-facing harness stage (30–65 lbs., under 49”)

Once a child exceeds the rear-facing parameters, caregivers generally transition them to a forward-facing setup, adhering to general passenger safety guidelines and the manual. Britax allows forward-facing harnessed use for kids weighing 30–65 lbs. and measuring under 49 inches tall. Since this is a 2-in-1 convertible (not a booster), the child remains in a 5-point harness during this stage, and these generous limits ensure it will accommodate most kids for several years.

Switch directions without reinstalling A major perk of the Galaxy360 is that transitioning from rear-facing to forward-facing only requires rotating the seat—you do not have to completely uninstall and reinstall the base. This is crucial because reinstallations are often when parents worry about getting the belt routing, tension, and lock-offs perfectly right again.

You still must follow standard instructions for mode-specific indicators, recline settings, and headrest positions. However, the actual directional shift is handled purely via the swivel mechanism.

ClickTight® + QuickStand™ Installation

The ClickTight® system centers on an accessible belt path inside an auto-opening seat. The process is remarkably straightforward: open the compartment, thread the seat belt through, buckle it, and snap the seat closed. A handy QuickStand™ prop keeps the seat out of your way while you work, and the ClickTight® mechanism actively tensions and locks the belt as you press it shut.

Space and Fit Planning

At just 17 inches wide, the Galaxy360 features a highly sought-after slim footprint—a critical metric for families attempting to maximize space or fit three car seats across a single row. For complete spatial planning, the official dimensions are 21.5” x 17” x 22”, alongside an 11” x 12.5” seat area (depth/width) and buckle strap depths ranging from 4” to 7.25”.

Keep in mind that while these measurements are a great baseline, actual fit varies depending on your specific vehicle. Door shapes, back seat contours, and front-to-back clearance all impact the final installation. Always verify the fit in your car and consult the manual.

Recline and Proper-Use Indicators

To help you achieve the perfect angle for your car's back seat, the Galaxy360 includes a 6-position recline with a clear indicator. It also features visual proper-use indicators for the recline, rotation, ClickTight system, and tether, removing the guesswork and providing visual confirmation that the seat is correctly locked in.

11-Position No-Rethread Harness

As your little one grows, the Galaxy360’s headrest and harness easily adjust together across 11 different positions without the hassle of rethreading the straps. Proper harness height is a frequent adjustment, so this convenience is key. For forward-facing riders, NHTSA guidelines remind parents to keep straps untwisted and flat, routing them at or slightly above the shoulders (be sure to check the seat’s manual for any specific forward-facing top-slot rules).

Safety and Energy Management

The Galaxy360 is engineered with targeted impact-management technology to maintain stability and absorb crash forces:

  • Reinforced foundation: A high-strength steel-reinforced base ensures structural integrity.
  • Rear-facing stability: The built-in anti-rebound panel, combined with the ReboundReduce™ stability panel, is crafted to reduce seat motion during a collision in rear-facing mode.
  • Energy absorption: A foam-lined headrest and protective outer shell work together to dissipate impact energy.
  • Testing criteria: The seat is tested against FMVSS 213 frontal impact regulations, as well as FMVSS 213a side-impact standards (note: the 213a side-impact standard applies exclusively to harnessed children up to 43” and 40 lbs).
Fabric Care and Cleaning

The included SafeWash® cover is completely washer and dryer safe, and select Galaxy360 fashions feature naturally flame-retardant fabrics with no added FR chemicals. For the best longevity, always brush off loose crumbs before washing and follow the specific care label instructions. For quick, on-the-go maintenance, the seat's shell is smooth and easy to wipe down after inevitable backseat spills.

Specifications

  • Seat type: 2-in-1 rotating convertible car seat (rear-facing and forward-facing harnessed).
  • Rear-facing: 5–50 lbs.; standing height under 49”.
  • Forward-facing: 30–65 lbs.; standing height under 49”.
  • Recline: 6 positions with an easy-read angle indicator.
  • Harness/headrest: 11-position no-rethread system (both adjust simultaneously).
  • Cup holders: 2 removable, dishwasher-safe cup holders.
  • Fabric/cover: Machine washable and dryer-friendly SafeWash® cover. Select fashions offer naturally flame-retardant fabric without added FR chemicals.
  • Lifespan: 10-year expiration.
  • Warranty: 1-year limited manufacturer warranty.

Dimensions

  • Product dimensions: 21.5” x 17” x 22”
  • Width: 17” (SpaceSaver™ profile)
  • Seat area (depth/width): 11” / 12.5”
  • Shoulder width: 12”
  • Buckle strap depths: 4”–7.25”
  • Harness slot heights (in): 9.75, 10.5, 11.25, 12, 12.75, 13.5, 14.25, 15, 15.75, 16.5, 17.25

What’s Included

The Britax Galaxy360 Slim box contains the car seat itself, an infant insert, and two cup holders.

Britax Galaxy360 FAQ

Shopping Questions

Is the Galaxy360 a booster?

No. It is a 2-in-1 rotating convertible seat designed for harnessed use in both forward- and rear-facing modes. It does not transition into a belt-positioning booster.

What are the size limits?

Rear-facing (harnessed): 5–50 lbs. Forward-facing (harnessed): 30–65 lbs. Standing height limit (both modes): under 49”

How wide is it?

The seat measures 17” across, with total dimensions of 21.5” x 17” x 22”.

What comes in the box?

You will receive the car seat, an infant insert, and two cup holders.

What is Albee Baby’s return policy?

We accept returns of unused, new merchandise within 60 days of delivery, provided they meet conditions such as having the original packaging. Certain special-order products are non-returnable, which will be explicitly noted on the item page.

Do I earn rewards at Albee Baby?

Absolutely. Through the Albee Baby rewards program, you can earn up to 20% back on eligible full-price gear (subject to program terms and exclusions).

General Questions

How long should my child ride rear-facing?

Experts recommend keeping your child rear-facing for as long as possible—until they max out the height or weight constraints of their seat. The Galaxy360 accommodates rear-facing riders up to 49” tall or 50 lbs.

What does “FMVSS 213a side-impact tested” mean?

FMVSS 213a is the federal safety benchmark for side-impact protection in the US. This specific standard applies to 5-point harness restraints used for children up to 43” tall or approximately 40 lbs.; it does not currently dictate side-impact testing for kids exceeding those limits.

Functionality Questions

Does the seat rotate 360 degrees?

Yes, the Galaxy360 is engineered to spin a complete 360°.

Can it switch from rear-facing to forward-facing without a reinstall?

Yes. You can transition between the two modes simply by rotating the seat, eliminating the need to completely reinstall the base. (Remember, rear-facing is highly recommended until your child hits the seat's maximum rear-facing size limits).

How many recline positions does it have?

It features 6 unique recline positions, complete with an easy-to-read indicator.

How does the harness adjust?

It utilizes a no-rethread system that allows you to adjust the headrest and harness together across 11 different height positions.

Post-Purchase & Care Questions

How do I know the installation is tight enough?

When properly installed, the car seat should not shift more than 1 inch from front-to-back or side-to-side when tested at the belt path.

Do I need to use the top tether forward-facing?

Yes, when forward-facing, you must connect and tighten the top tether to your vehicle's designated anchor. This critical step minimizes forward head excursion during a collision. Always cross-reference your vehicle's manual and the car seat user guide.

Can I machine wash the cover?

Yes. The SafeWash® cover is completely safe for both your washing machine and dryer. Be sure to check your specific cover's care label and the manual for precise washing instructions.

How long can I use the seat?

The Galaxy360 carries a 10-year expiration date. Always verify this on your specific seat's label and consult the manual.

What is the warranty?

Britax provides a 1-year limited manufacturer warranty for this model.

Shop the Britax Galaxy360 at Albee Baby

If the Galaxy360 is a top contender for you, the key metrics to remember are its single-handed 360° rotation, its narrow 17-inch width, and its robust size limits (rear-facing up to 50 lbs., forward-facing up to 65 lbs., and up to 49” tall).

When you shop with Albee Baby, you benefit from the best rewards program in the business, fast and free shipping on orders over $99, and the confidence of buying from a family retailer that has been serving parents since 1933. We’ve dedicated nearly a century to helping families, and we are so glad you are here with us today.

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Tyler aldrich
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 4
An Invaluable Book
Format: Hardcover, Format: Hardcover
Game Engine Architecture" by Jason Gregory has proven to be a treasure trove of knowledge, especially in the realms of lower-level computer programming and the inner workings of CPUs. The first third of the book, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, dives deep into the intricacies of memory management and concurrent programming. Gregory’s explanations are so lucid and engaging that the complex concepts of memory orders such as relaxed, release, and acquire have become clear to me, showcasing their critical roles in programming. What is particularly remarkable is how the book's first 400 pages serve not just as a guide to game engine architecture, but also stand on their own as an excellent introduction to computer science. It's a testament to the author's skill in distilling complex material into digestible content that even those without a vested interest in game development would find immense value in. However, a caveat I must mention is the book's physical heft. Its size and bulk make it somewhat unwieldy, and I learned this the hard way when it fell from my desk. The impact caused the page binding to tear away from the hard cover, which was disappointing considering the book's cost. Nevertheless, with some craftiness involving thick drawing paper and glue, I managed to repair it. If the author adds any more information to the next edition, it'd probably be best to turn this into a 2-3 volume set to manage the size. Despite this setback, the book remains an invaluable resource. Its depth and clarity are unmatched, making it a worthy addition to any tech enthusiast's library. Just be sure to handle it with care.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023
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ghostwriter
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Much thicker than I expected!
Format: Hardcover
This book is massive and could easily be split into two or three volumes, which is great because it covers a very deep topic. It will be a while before I read the book from cover to cover, but the few chapters I've skipped to were able to help me immediately on some problem areas in a game engine that I built last year. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in video game development.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2021
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Jessica Jarrett
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Kickstarts your knowledge of game dev
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This book hits on all cylinders, condensing decades of actionable knowledge about game development into a single source. There's a lot more to game dev than what's in this book, but this gives fantastic usable detail on many subjects and gets you oriented with and pointed in the right directions for the few it doesn't.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2021
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gloine36
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
One of my favorite books and the inspiration for my World Regional Geography courses that I teach.
Format: Hardcover
Two decades ago when I served in the Missouri National Guard we had an extended drill weekend at Ft. Leonard Wood for a live fire artillery exercise. This was a three day drill and I remember it clearly because it was the same weekend as Princess Diana’s funeral on September 6, 1997. I had been at the local library the day before we rolled out and saw an interesting book that promised to explain why western civilization had been the one to colonize the New World and rise to ascendency over much of the world for a long period of time. That had always been an interesting question for me and one which many people do not know the answer to. I checked out the book and during some downtime I began to read. To say that the book grabbed my attention is an understatement. I started it on Friday and finished it on Saturday. My whole conception of how history had seen the rise of Western Civilization was fundamentally altered and would never be the same. At the time I thought that using Guns, Germs, and Steel as an educational tool would be a great idea. My dream of teaching history had never been realized and in 1997 seemed like it would never happen. However, history is full of strange things and in 2009 I got the chance to return to college and pick up my degrees. I began teaching American History in 2013 and was then asked to teach World Regional Geography for the Spring 2014 semester. They handed me a textbook and said, “Good luck.” As I drove back home I considered how I would teach this course and my mind recalled Jared Diamond and his Pulitzer Prize winning book. To make the story short, I built a course that used the textbook, Diamond’s book, and the National Geographic series based on the book. Obviously I take what Diamond said in Guns, Germs, and Steel seriously. I think Diamond did some outstanding work in doing three decades of research and then writing a book which to me is resonates with readers. For many years the idea that Western Civilization was superior to any other form has been the dominant world view. Diamond rejects that completely by saying Western Civilization had advantages that others did not have due to geography, or literally where it was. When you stop and think about it, why were the Europeans so superior to others for so long? Was it their race, their ideals, or what? Diamond said it was because of where they started that they developed into the world spanning civilization we know. What advantages did the Europeans have over others? They arrived with technology superior to all others, were better organized, and had the lethal gift of germs which in the Americas killed over half the population and was the biggest reason as to why the Europeans took those lands over. When Diamond explored the germ theory he realized that these germs came from contact with domesticated mammals such as horses, cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, and goats. These same mammals were what enabled Europeans to transport materials as well as have a convenient food supply and a power source such as horses pulling plows. This idea works when you look at the Americas and Australia, but not when you look at Africa and Asia. The lethality of germs did not affect the people in those regions like it did the Americas. In fact, some of the diseases in Africa killed the Europeans and prevented them for exploiting Sub-Saharan Africa for centuries. Some of these germs are now known to have come from Asia as well along with domestic animals that came from there. Many of the larger mammals Europe had were also found in Asia. In fact, some of the technology such as gunpowder came from Asia as well. Diamond acknowledged this in his book and sought to explain why Europe was able to expand while Asia did not. This is something I really stress in my class and it is something which the book and National Geographic series does not explore as deeply as it should. Diamond saw a decision made in the 15th century by a Chinese emperor as being the decisive event that altered human history. At that point China was the leading power in the world. It had a great navy, the largest country, gunpowder, advanced technology and far more people thanks to its agricultural practices than any other nation at that time. The decision by emperors in China’s Ming dynasty led to China losing its technological advantage over Europe although no one had any idea that this was happening. These decisions or orders are called Haijin. Diamond did not explore this in any depth other than to point to it and say that China’s inward looking policies which had existed for centuries were the result of its location, its geography. Its singular form of government used Haijin to build up its power at the expense of expanding China’s culture and boundaries. There is a lot here to work with, but Diamond seems to casually bring it up in the book’s epilogue. Instead he focuses heavily on the Americas where his theory of environmental determinism is the strongest. I think he gets the theory right, but in the case of Asia he needed to go deeper. Since Diamond is an ornithologist by education, and his world journey’s focused on New Guinea, I think his point of view was heavily influenced through his contact with hunter-gatherers. His theory is at its weakest in Asia and specifically China. That again reflects his preference for focusing on one type of people versus another. This does not mean his theory is wrong. It just needs expansion and I do not think Diamond will be doing that any time soon. His recent works have dealt with different ideas. Even with this glaring problem, I think this book is outstanding. It does answer the question of why Western Civilization dominated the world for the most part. For my geography class it is a wonderful tool. I focus heavily on how man domesticated two grains from the Middle East, wheat and barley, and built Western Civilization upon them. Coupled with the domestication of large mammals, the forerunners of Western Civilization spread through Europe. Geography played a huge role in why it went west and why there are so many differences between East and West on a cultural level. It also explains why there are such huge differences between North Africa and the lands to the south of the Sahara. The role of geography in shaping mankind is without a doubt the single underlying reason as to why history occurred like it did. This is really hard for students to understand because they seem to have been taught a much different concept prior to taking a geography course. Only by explaining the human-environment interaction do students begin to realize that geography caused man to make decisions which would reverberate for millennia. The people of the Middle East followed the Tigris and Euphrates rivers northwest into Anatolia and out of the desert. Man’s movement west, north, and south with the crops and animals of the Middle East were shaped by geographical barriers. Diamond points out how man overcame these barriers over time. The civilization that was able to do so developed greater technologies than others. He points to both European and Chinese naval developments in this regard. China’s need to continue to build its naval forces was negligible due to a lack of naval enemies while in Europe those enemies were often themselves as nations competed for resources and trade. Since China controlled all of its trade which was mostly internal or land based, its need for a navy was reduced. Europe surged ahead while China languished. In my classes I point to the barriers as we explore the world’s regions. I show how these barriers played such big roles. We play a board game by Avalon Hill that helps to illustrate this as well. Diamond’s book plays a big role in my class and so do his theories. I find it really helps students take the principles and ideas from the first part of the class and begin to apply them to the world regions we study. They are able to make the mental leap to the realization that the people of the world are different for many reasons, the foremost being the place in which they live more than anything else. It helps them to break down and discard the erroneous belief which many of them have regarding their place in the world. Using Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel I am able to use Transformative Learning Theory to overcome the disorientating dilemma they find themselves in at the beginning of class. I could build a new class out of Diamond’s book that encompasses geography, history, and sociology if my school would let me. In fact, I could build two classes out of it. One would focus on why Western Civilization developed like it did and expanded to the Americas while the second one would focus on the development of Eastern Civilization and its failure to expand beyond Asia itself. While courses exist that dive into those ideas, they are built around history more than anything else. Few instructors use environmental determinism in explaining how early mankind developed in the places it did. The ultimate objectives of these courses would be why they developed like they did, not just their history. Diamond has written several other books such as Collapse, The Third Chimpanzee, and The World Until Yesterday. He is Professor of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been awarded all kinds of prizes and awards for his research and work in multiple fields. I find it interesting that he began to study environmental history in his fifties which led to this book and many others. This to me is proof that you are not bound by formal rules regarding your education, but rather by using your interests coupled with the research capabilities your education has provided you new careers beckon. This book is a testament to following one’s interests and using one’s intellect. I highly recommend it to all readers. It is one of my favorite books and I have read through it multiple times.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2015
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Tim F. Martin
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
Outstanding work of history, one of the best ever
_Guns, Germs, and Steel_ by Jared Diamond is one of the most informative, epic, well-written, and fascinating "macrohistory" books I have ever read. In this book, Diamond discussed the rise of complex human societies in the last 13,000 years, seeking to answer one fundamental question; why did some civilizations come to dominate others? Why did the Fertile Crescent and China for instance develop advanced societies with, as the title suggests, guns, germs, and steel, while other areas of the world, such as Polynesia, Australia, and the Americas, did not? Or in those cases where some civilizations were beginning to acquire such things, why did they get off to such a late start? Why did the Spanish conquer the Incans instead of vice versa? In a nutshell, he concluded that societies developed differently on different continents not because of racial differences in attitudes or intelligence, but because of differences in continental environments. Advanced technology, centralized political organizations, writing, and professional armies (or simply put the military advantage of simply having large numbers of people), etc. could only emerge in dense, sedentary populations capable of accumulating food surpluses. Unfortunately, domesticable wild plant and animal species needed for agriculture to arise were very unevenly distributed around the world, with the most valuable species concentrated in only nine small areas of the globe (Southwest Asia, China, Mesoamerica, the Andes and the adjacent Amazon basin, the eastern U.S., Africa's Sahel, West Africa, Ethiopia, and New Guinea), all of which became the earliest homelands of agriculture and thus regions that got a head start on developing guns, germs, and steel. Animals were vital to a society as a source of meat, milk products, fertilizer, transportation, leather, for military use, plow traction, and wool and those areas that lacked suitable animals to domesticate suffered accordingly in terms of societal development. The Late Pleistocene extinctions of large mammals in the Americas and Australia deprived humanity in those areas of potentially very valuable domesticable species. Of the big (over 100 pound) herbivores and omnivores, 148 potential candidates for domestication, they are mostly located in Eurasia (72 candidate species, versus 51 in Sub-Saharan Africa, 24 in the Americas, and 1 in Australia). Further, out of those candidates, only 14 were actually domesticated, 13 of them in Eurasia; what he called the "Major Five" - sheep, the goat, cow, pig, and horse, and the "Minor Nine" - the Arabian camel, Bactrian camel, donkey, reindeer, water buffalo, yak, Bali cattle, mithan (wild ancestor the gaur, found primarily in India and Burma), and the one American one, the llama and alpaca (two well-differentiated breeds of the same species). The other 134 potential candidates were eliminated due to problems with diet, growth rate, problems of captive breeding, nasty disposition, tendency to panic, and/or social structure, any one problem enough to preclude domestication even in modern times. Of further interest, Southwest Asia had seven of the wild ancestors naturally occurring, a huge advantage. In the world of plants there were similar disparities in distribution; of the 56 species of grass with the heaviest seeds, at least 10 times heavier than median species, Eurasia's Mediterranean zone had 32 of them, with barley and emmer wheat 3rd and 13th respectively in seed size. In contrast, of the 56 species, only 6 were found in East Asia, 4 in Sub-Saharan Africa, 11 in the Americas, and 2 in Australia. Another set of differences lead to a variation in societal evolution in the case of plant and animal domestications as well as in technological innovations and political institutions, as most societies acquire much more from other societies than they invent themselves (his discussion on the evolution of writing and in particular the alphabet in this regard was fascinating). Diffusion and migration within and between continents played a very important role in the development of a society, and in some continents diffusion and migration was considerably easier, most rapid in Eurasia because of its east-west major axis and its relatively modest ecological and geographical barriers. As crops and animals depended strongly on climate and hence on latitude, huge areas ranging almost from the Atlantic to the Pacific were open to the movement of domesticated plants and animals. Diffusion was slower in Africa and especially in the Americas due to those continents north-south major axes (traveling just a few hundred or a thousand miles north or south can render a society's crops and animals completely unsuitable for use) and much more pronounced geographic and ecological barriers (such as the Sahara Desert in Africa). Similarly, diffusion in the last 6,000 years has been easiest from Eurasia to sub-Saharan Africa, while long completely absent between Eurasia and the Americas (isolated at low latitudes by broad oceans and at high latitudes by geography and by a climate suitable just for hunter-gatherers). The last set of major factors he analyzed related to continental differences in area or total population size. A larger area or population meant more inventors, more competing societies, more innovations that exist to be adopted, and more pressure to adopt and retain those innovations, as those societies that fail to do so tend to be eliminated or absorbed by competing societies. Among the world's landmasses, area and the number of competing societies were greatest for Eurasia, while considerably smaller for Australia for instance. The Americas, despite their rather large total land area, were in effect fragmented by ecology and geography into a series of poorly connected smaller continents. Relating to both population size and the "Eurasians' long intimacy with domestic animals" was the development of germs. Crowd diseases could not sustain themselves in small bands of hunter-gatherers or slash-and-burn farmers, nor perhaps would they develop at all, as only human association with cattle gave us for instance measles (evolved from rinderpest) and smallpox (evolved from cowpox). Obviously I have just scratched the surface in my review. This is an excellent book that ties together findings in history, archaeology, paleontology, epidemiology, and linguistics in an extremely readable and informative format.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2005

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