Under a Metal Sky
A Journey Through Minerals, Greed and Wonder
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
Discover the wonders and perils of the earth’s precious metals—what they have offered us as humans, and how they’ve forever changed our relationship with the world around us
The ground beneath our feet is full of riches: the ocher that allowed prehistoric humans to paint on cave walls; the tin that drove the early Industrial Revolution; radium, the source of Marie Curie’s wonder; and lithium, the essential mineral of modern life found in our mobile phones and laptops. Each of these minerals has a story to tell, and each has its place in the broader story of human history.
Under a Metal Sky takes us on a journey across the peat-rich Dutch lowlands, through Prague and Bohemia, and on to the gold-rich mountains of Georgia. Along the way, Philip Marsden uncovers the strange and colorful histories of alchemy, scientific revolution, industrialization, and technological innovation, peopled by figures like the Habsburg Emperor Rudolf II, Goethe, Marie Curie, and William Blake. But alongside wonder and inspiration, there has also been plunder and heedless exploitation, the consequences of which have set us on a path toward our own extinction.
Beautifully written and wildly mind-expanding, Under a Metal Sky seamlessly blends travel writing, cultural history, and geology. Who knew the history of rocks could be such a page-turner?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Novelist and travel writer Marsden (The Summer Isles) offers a dazzling account of humanity's mystical and perilous relationship with rocks, minerals, and metals. He begins with his own fascination with Earth's minerals, describing how, as a young boy, he spotted glittering stones amid a truckload of gravel dumped in his family's driveway. He started collecting muddy rocks and breaking them open to reveal beautiful geodes, imbuing in him the belief "that another world lay hidden inside this one." He goes on to trace humanity's enchantment with these materials—as well as its tendency to exploit them—detailing how ochre, a rock that can be ground and mixed into a paste, allowed early humans to make art; metals like tin and copper could be forged into tools and weapons, which facilitated agriculture, construction, and warfare; and lithium revolutionized modern technology, powering cars, laptops, and mobile phones. To help bring these materials' histories to life, Marsden travels across Europe, rappelling down copper mines in England and sifting for gold in Georgian rivers. His passion for geology shines in his accessible explanations and lyrical prose ("Beneath our feet, if we look closely, are shards of heaven"). This is a wonder.
