About Steady State Press
Steady State Press (SSP) is the publishing arm of CASSE. The mission of SSP is to publish nonfiction books that display themes related to limits to growth, degrowth, and/or steady-state economics. By publishing such books, Steady State Press aims to advance the CASSE mission of establishing a steady state economy.
If you want to become a member instead and get a free book with your membership, please sign up here. CASSE membership speaks loudly to policymakers!
The Age of Humachines: Big Tech and the Battle for Humanity’s Future – Michael Harvey
In The Age of Humachines, Michael D.B. Harvey argues that technological capitalism has entered a reckless new phase, focused on the fusion of humans and machines. This fusion—“humachination”—is enabled by artificial intelligence and a cultish belief in perpetual economic growth.
Yet Humachines is decidedly a book about hope. Harvey counters the Big Tech assault on prudence by demonstrating how steady-state economics, the degrowth movement, participatory democracy, life sciences, and radical psychology can inspire us to make the best possible choices. Limits to growth, it turns out, has a substantial upside, as it may be the last defense against unbridled humachination.
Gag-Ordered No More: The 800-Pound Gorilla in the U.S. Government — Brian Czech
As the first Conservation Biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Brian Czech brought to headquarters an unusual expertise: deep knowledge about the conflict between economic growth and biodiversity conservation.
Czech’s insights were welcomed—until they threatened the win-win rhetoric that “there is no conflict between growing the economy and protecting the environment.” Before long, Czech received his first gag order, prohibiting him from talking about the conflict between growth and conservation. Economic growth became the “800-pound gorilla” on the conservation policy table.
Gag-Ordered No More is a fascinating account of one man’s efforts to speak truth to power, advance the principles of ecological economics, and lead the U.S. government to embrace limits to growth.
If Thoreau Had a Bicycle: The Art of the Ride — Mark Cramer
In this delightful book of reflective essays, Mark Cramer leads readers on 39 bicycling day trips through the environs of Paris, his adopted home. Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s daily walks in nature, Cramer pedals through forests, along rivers, and into French towns, each trek prompting fresh reflections on the environment, economic growth, simplicity, and wellbeing. His key takeaway: A life of adventure is well within reach, locally. We need only travel lightly, observe with eyes of wonder, and be open to surprise encounters.
Supply Shock: Economic Growth at the Crossroads and the Steady State Solution — Brian Czech
Politicians, economists, and Wall Street would have us believe that economic growth is the Holy Grail and that there’s no conflict between growing the economy and protecting the environment. Supply Shock debunks these widely accepted myths and demonstrates that the only sustainable alternative is a steady state economy.
Supply Shock demonstrates that the biggest idea of the twentieth century—economic growth—has become the biggest problem of the twenty-first. Required reading for anyone concerned about the world our children and grandchildren will inherit, this landmark work lays a solid foundation for a new economic model, perhaps in time for preventing the worst global catastrophes, certainly in time for lessening the damages.
Supply Shock was originally published by New Society Publishers in 2013. Reprinted by Steady State Press in 2021.
Uncommon Sense: Shortcomings of the Human Mind for Handling Big-Picture, Long-Term Challenges — Peter Seidel
Plenty of evidence points to environmental catastrophe, economic collapse, and resultant human misery in the decades to come, yet we fail to respond in rational, meaningful ways. Uncommon Sense identifies the root cause of most of our problems: ourselves. Beyond the typical surveys of immediate threats, Uncommon Sense delves instead into the shortcomings of the human mind for dealing with big-picture, long-term problems like climate change, biodiversity loss, and overcrowding. Only by acknowledging and exploring these shortcomings do we have a chance to correct them before it’s too late for millions of people, thousands of species, and hundreds of cultures.
Best of The Daly News: Selected Essays from the Leading Blog in Steady State Economics, 2010-2018
From 2010-2018, The Daly News was the leading blog in steady-state economics. What The Wall Street Journal was to economic growth, The Daly News was to the steady state economy. Named after the leading figure in steady-state economics, Herman Daly, The Daly News hosted 46 authors and published 304 articles. These are the best.
Featured authors include Herman Daly, Brian Czech, Brent Blackwelder, Rob Dietz, James Magnus-Johnston, and Eric Zencey.
2145: A Journey Into the Future — Peter Seidel
In 2145, Ron Neuwirth, a privileged young man from Tang, is offered a trip around the USA for his twentieth birthday. Curious about the state of the world outside of his Tangian bubble of the world’s 100 richest families, he discovers the harsh realities of the world after the Wasteful Century. Much of the planet—especially the sprawling and spreading Mesoland—is uninhabitable due to global heating. The people he encounters are struggling; in many cases desperately. With the help of his new friends, Ron begins to learn about the environmental impact of unfettered economic growth and makes memories he won’t soon forget, much to the chagrin of a devious Lu Ming who censors those who threaten the Tangian way of life.
Check out the first cli-fi novel from the Steady State Press and take a journey to the year 2145…if you dare.
Submissions & Inquiries
Steady State Press is currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts. All author queries should be emailed to brianczech@steadystate.org with the subject line Book Proposal: [Title of Work]. Additionally, please include a book proposal and two sample chapters.
We review each submission, but will only respond if we wish to move forward with your project. Response times vary. Please avoid sending submissions via snail mail, if possible.
All other inquiries should be addressed to brianczech@steadystate.org with the subject line SSP Inquiry.