The Substance of Civilization The Substance of Civilization

The Substance of Civilization

Materials and Human History from the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon

    • 3.3 • 4 Ratings
    • $10.99
    • $10.99

Publisher Description

The story of human civilization can be read most deeply in the materials we have found or created, used or abused. They have dictated how we build, eat, communicate, wage war, create art, travel, and worship. Some, such as stone, iron, and bronze, lend their names to the ages. Others, such as gold, silver, and diamond, contributed to the rise and fall of great empires. How would history have unfolded without glass, paper, steel, cement, or gunpowder?

The impulse to master the properties of our material world and to invent new substances has remained unchanged from the dawn of time; it has guided and shaped the course of history. Sass shows us how substances and civilizations have evolved together. In antiquity, iron was considered more precious than gold. The celluloid used in movie film had its origins in the search for a substitute for ivory billiard balls. The same clay used in the pottery of antiquity has its uses in today’s computer chips.

Moving from the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon, from the days of prehistoric survival to the cutting edge of nanotechnology, this fascinating and accessible book connects the worlds of minerals and molecules to the sweep of human history, and shows what materials will dominate the century ahead.

GENRE
History
RELEASED
2011
September 28
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
328
Pages
PUBLISHER
Arcade
SELLER
Simon & Schuster Digital Sales LLC
SIZE
2.5
MB

Customer Reviews

Bluefoxw ,

The Substance of Civilization

This book is full of rich details about how the resources provided by the earth defined the development of civilization from ancient times through the 21st century. The book is not an easy read. To maintain interest you must be a history buff and a person who likes math, chemistry and physics. The author loses the average reader in descriptive formulas, computations and chemical reactions. However he successfully tells the story of how each of earth’s gifts contributed to the development of civilization.

More Books Like This

Cræft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts Cræft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts
2018
Oak Island Mystery: Solved Oak Island Mystery: Solved
2019
Iron Age Wales - Daily Life of the Celts Iron Age Wales - Daily Life of the Celts
2020
A Mudlark's Treasures A Mudlark's Treasures
2016
Daily Life in the Middle Ages Daily Life in the Middle Ages
2001
History of the Impossible: Earth Before the Pyramids History of the Impossible: Earth Before the Pyramids
2011

Customers Also Bought

Here on Earth Here on Earth
2011
Unbound Unbound
2015
The Invention of News The Invention of News
2014
Origins Origins
2011
The Dance of Time The Dance of Time
2011
Who Invented Underpants? Who Invented Underpants?
2020