Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World

This book introduced so many new concepts to me that it is hard to sum it all up. Thinking about the world in terms of materials is never a thing I’ve done, but one that o now catch myself doing. This book really will change the way you look at everything around you and will inspire a desire to learn more about the material world.

This is a good book that discusses important aspects of materials science in clear language. You don't have to be an engineer or scientist to appreciate this book. This is a pretty quick read. I purchased an additional copy as a gift for a colleague.

An enjoyable way to learn about, well, stuff. And the author is so right to identify the importance of our ability to make stuff to improve our lives. One of the most intriguing stuff is self-healing cement. I won't give it away, you will have to read the book.

Learnt about this book from the Triangulation podcast - very good interview with the author.
This book is full of useful information and helps in one's understanding of the stuff around us.
What a fantastic read - I've been recommending this book to everyone I know and meet.

I really enjoyed Mark's writing and description of stuff. He not only gives you a fairly uncomplicated scientific description of common materials that we use or see or feel everyday, but elaborates and sometimes creates very interesting dialogues.
I highly recommend this book.

Full of interesting historical and scientific anectodes and interesting facts.
Provides many thought provoking insights about the material world surrounding us, and how materials literally and metaphorically shape, and are getting shaped by, our lives.

Earlier this week, I stabbed myself with an exposed staple hanging under a tabletop, and I didn't even mind. Instead, I took a page from Mark Miodownik thought to myself 'Wow, staples <I>are</I> pretty amazing.

That's because I had just read Miodownik's book (of which <a href="http://extratextuals.com/notes-from-stuff-matters/">my notes are here</a>), where he manages to describe the stainless steel that makes a staple with such appreciation that even sharing his experiences of <I>being stabbed</I> sound pretty impressive, on the material's part.

So in the week after I read the book, when I received a slight wound from one of these bits of 'stuff', I didn't mind as much. In the book, the author devotes a chapter to each material he considers emblematic of a time, giving each (concrete, steel, plastic, foam, chocolate) a bit of history, a unique story story, and a hint of personality. Each material described made me realize how intimately familiar it is in our lives, and how fortunate we are as a society to have them. Stainless steel forks that don't leave a taste in our mouths. Totally transparent glass that's meant to shatter harmlessly. Chocolate that melts in the mouth. Concrete that provides the solid foundation for each building in our cities.

As I read Miodownik's words of appreciation, that appreciation transferred over to me. As he described that laminated safety glass that shatters without jagged edges, I recalled a mirror I had recently received in the mail that arrived in a thousand of these pieces, and how they fell harmlessly out of the box and into my hands. The experience became less annoying, and more fascinating.

Perhaps this frame of mind would be beneficial for all of us. As the author says himself; “We may like to think of ourselves as civilized, but that civilization is in large part bestowed by material wealth. Without this stuff, we would quickly be confronted by the same basic struggle for survival that animals are faced with. To some extent, then, what allows us to behave as humans are our clothes, our homes, our cities, our stuff, which we animate through our customs and language…The material world is not just a display of our technology and culture, it is part of us. We invented it, we made it, and in turn it makes us who we are.”

That's a good lens through which to view the world.

There was a television show produced by the BBC a few years back called Connections with James Burke. It inspired me to learn more about history and science and how the two can drive one another. This book often reminded me of the best of that series. It is relatable, interesting, and put things in a light that I think are relatable to many. There were chapters when I started thinking I knew everything about the topic but was happy to find there was more to it.

I highly recommend this book. If you would like to know more about why and how things work, along with the reasons behind them, this is a great read.

For someone interested in the details surrounding everyday things we come into contact with, and having them explained in an understandable way, this book is for you. It's so interesting to see the underlying chemistry and molecular explanations, and it enables one to see the world in a slightly different way. So much trial and error research has led to amazing advancements, but it has only been recently that the underlying explanations have come to light. A fascinating read.

Good book on materials and materials science. Much of the real modern advances are due to innovations and inventions in material science. Wish we have more quality material scientists than apps/games writers.

Amazing how the author can explain everything that’s interesting about an element. He goes down to the detail without being boring, explaining in everyday language exactly what we want to know. I loved especially the chapters about steel, glass and graphite.

Great book! Full of interesting materials trivia and some photos. Really cool read. Good for a novel and for a coffee table book. Someone has a question about chocolate? Pull out the book. Chalk? Pull out the book!

For someone interested in the details surrounding everyday things we come into contact with, and having them explained in an understandable way, this book is for you. It's so interesting to see the underlying chemistry and molecular explanations, and it enables one to see the world in a slightly different way. So much trial and error research has led to amazing advancements, but it has only been recently that the underlying explanations have come to light. A fascinating read.

Good book on materials and materials science. Much of the real modern advances are due to innovations and inventions in material science. Wish we have more quality material scientists than apps/games writers.

Amazing how the author can explain everything that’s interesting about an element. He goes down to the detail without being boring, explaining in everyday language exactly what we want to know. I loved especially the chapters about steel, glass and graphite.

Great book! Full of interesting materials trivia and some photos. Really cool read. Good for a novel and for a coffee table book. Someone has a question about chocolate? Pull out the book. Chalk? Pull out the book!

Mr Miodownik has an engaging manner of mixing story telling into his description of the materials we use and share our world. Very enjoyable as he makes sense of physics, chemistry and general science accessible to the lay person. I'd still need to retread many pieces to fully comprehend the science and I'm glad there's no test at the end, but a totally worthwhile read. His use of personal antidotes makes it all real and even charming in a cuddly kind of way. I recommend it highly.

As a "manufacturing guy" materials interest me so I found most of this book very informative. There were a couple of chapters that seemed to drag on a bit. Probably not a good book for the "general" reader.

The author has presented some excellent history and detail on a number of items that a lot of us have wondered about but never asked.
In particular, after reading about chocolate, I realized that I was not enjoying chocolate as much as I could so I tried using the method of eating in the way that it was developed.
I will never go back to the old way.
Easy read for for some complex science.

absolutely fascinating book, beautifully written by an expert in this field of materials science. I've read it twice immediately because it's rare to find an account so well-crafted on this subject. I'll be looking for other stuff by Mark Miodownik

Miodownik explains how the stuff we use everyday, from paper to silicon chips to chocolate, is made. Technologies millenniums old or developed last year are clearly explained in a lively readable manner.

A must for any science teacher who has to answer the proverbial question "Why do we have to learn this stuff?"

I enjoyed this book while on a deployment with the US Army. When surrounded by 10 meter reinforced concrete barriers, automatic weapons made of steel and veterans with hip replacements, I have a better appreciation for the book's subject matter. I'll have to admit, the book's cursorily drawn figures take some getting used to. However, they explain their point just as well as the ornate CG that's en vogue in nonfiction books today.
The reason I gave a 3 star rating is because I felt that some sections were a bit thin on evidence and could use some fleshing out. In addition, the chapter named 'Imaginitive' seemed to miss the mark. I Skipped over the sections written like a screenplay and found that the explanatory sections following the scenes sufficiently explained the subject at hand.
Nonetheless, I would recommend this book to fans of a good science read. Despite its shortcomings, the book is well worth the buy. I now see things like concrete, steel, porcelain, and even baking soda from a different perspective.

Filled to the brim with nuggets of information, the author explains why glass is transparent, talks about the different forms of carbon all while keeping the subject light and as easy to digest as a good piece of chocolate.

This book provides a nice level of detail to many of the things we use in our daily lives. If you've ever been curious about the nature of the material around you, this book provides a great overview.

Fantastic read!
I am a materials engineer by profession and this book just reinforced my interest and enthusiasm for the subject.

It is also general enough that someone without much background in the subject will thoroughly enjoy reading this.

Great book! really fun to read, and explain complicated material structures in a simple way that general people can understand. It motivated me to think about the existence of all the different materials we use daily. Very educational and entertaining.

This is a wonderful book to read. Miodownik writes about "stuff" with the same glee that Simon Winchester wrote about words in "The Professor and the Madman". Terrific fun to read, and unless you are very, very careful, you are going to learn something!