An Essay on the Principle of Population

This book was first published anonymously in 1798, but the author was soon identified as Thomas Robert Malthus. The book predicted a grim future, as population would increase geometrically, doubling every 25 years, but food production would only grow arithmetically, which would result in famine and starvation, unless births were controlled. The book overlooked potential improvements in farming such as steam-powered machines, chemical fertilizers, drip irrigation, night lighting, or genetically modified organisms.