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A Journey Through Minerals, Greed, and Wonder
by Philip Marsden
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?
"A dazzling account of humanity's mystical and perilous relationship with rocks, minerals, and metals ... His passion for geology shines in his accessible explanations and lyrical prose. This is a wonder." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An exploration of minerals that gleams with substance and authority." —Kirkus Reviews
"Absorbing ... It is a vast subject, and Marsden has a prospector's eye for finding glitter." ―The Times Literary Supplement (UK)
"[Marsden's] enthusiasm for the subject is contagious, and he writes with a rock-collector's eye for glittering details. One senses this is a book he has been longing to write for years." ―The Guardian (UK)
This information about Under a Metal Sky was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Philip Marsden is the award-winning author of a number of works of travel writing, fiction, and nonfiction, including The Bronski House, The Spirit-Wrestlers, The Levelling Sea, and, for Granta, Rising Ground and The Summer Isles. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and his work has been translated into fifteen languages. He lives in Cornwall, England, on an old farm beside a tidal creek, and much of his time is now taken up trying to restore its biodiversity.
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