Grounded

Life on land could not exist without soil. Almost everything we need can be traced to the soil: food, fibre, medicines – even oxygen produced by plants. What would we be without it? Certainly not a planet worthy of the name Earth.

There are already plenty of books about agriculture, ecology or how to grow tomatoes. This book is about the other stuff. Like…
how soil evidence can nail a murderer
the ingredients that make a Test cricket pitch
how the soil affects the taste of your favourite wine
the soil microbes that could be the next wonder drug
tips for digging a POW camp escape tunnel (disclaimer: don’t try it at home) or mounting an invasion of Normandy (ditto)
how to be ecofriendly when you’re dead


In the unputdownable Grounded, soil scientist Alisa Bryce gives you the dirt on all this—and much, much more.

Alisa Bryce is a soil scientist with a BSc in agriculture from the University of Sydney and a Masters from the University of Cambridge. She likes digging holes, analysing soil, playing with soil, writing about soil and patting dogs.