The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization

The World in a Grain

The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization

2018 • 304 pages

Ratings1

Average rating5

15

The gripping story of the most important overlooked commodity in the world -- sand -- and the crucial role it plays in our lives. After water and air, sand is the natural resource that we consume more than any other -- even more than oil. Every concrete building and paved road on Earth, every computer screen and silicon chip, is made from sand. From Egypt's pyramids to the Hubble telescope, from the world's tallest skyscraper to the sidewalk below it, from Chartres' stained-glass windows to the smartphone in your hand, sand shelters us, connects us, and inspires us. It's the ingredient that makes possible our cities, our science, our lives -- and our future. And, incredibly, we're running out of it. The World in a Grain is the compelling true story of the hugely important and diminishing natural resource that grows more essential every day, and of the people who mine it, sell it, build with it -- and sometimes, even kill for it. It's also a provocative examination of the little-noticed, but deadly serious human and environmental costs incurred by our dependence on sand.

Become a Librarian

Tags

Genre


Reviews

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

There are no reviews for this book. Add yours and it'll show up right here!


Top Lists

See all (4)

List

257 books

300

Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours
Poor Economics
10% Less Democracy
Zoom
Starquake
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
La Fee Carabine