Material World

The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization

By: Ed Conway

Narrated by: Ed Conway

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE

• AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

• Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. These fundamental materials have created empires, razed civilizations, and fed our ingenuity and greed for thousands of years. Without them, our modern world would not exist, and the battle to control them will determine our future.

• Finalist for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award

The fiber-optic cables that weave the World Wide Web, the copper veins of our electric grids, the silicon chips and lithium batteries that power our phones and cars: though it can feel like we now live in a weightless world of information—what Ed Conway calls “the ethereal world”—our twenty-first-century lives are still very much rooted in the material.

In fact, we dug more stuff out of the earth in 2017 than in all of human history before 1950. For every ton of fossil fuels, we extract six tons of other materials, from sand to stone to wood to metal. And in Material World, Conway embarks on an epic journey across continents, cultures, and epochs to reveal the underpinnings of modern life on Earth—traveling from the sweltering depths of the deepest mine in Europe to spotless silicon chip factories in Taiwan to the eerie green pools where lithium originates.

Material World is a celebration of the humans and the human networks, the miraculous processes and the little-known companies, that combine to turn raw materials into things of wonder. This is the story of human civilization from an entirely new perspective: the ground up.

©2023 Ed Conway (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

*Named one of the "Best Books of 2023" by The Economist*

“Rich in revelations . . . [Conway’s] analogies bring the scientific processes to life . . . Offers a fascinating lens on the intricacies of the modern supply chain, the underappreciated science behind everyday objects, and the ways that subtle—and not so subtle—changes in governmental policies shift the role of these materials in the global economy.”—Bronwen Everill, Foreign Policy

"Compelling . . . Material World [makes] strong points . . . These days, Conway reckons, humanity mines, drains, and blasts more stuff out of the ground each year than it did in total during the roughly three hundred millennia between the birth of the species and the start of the Korean War. This comes with immense consequences, both ecological and social, even if we don’t attend to them."—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker

"A spirited tour of six material things on which our lives depend. . . [Conway] ably describes how commodities interact . . . Lively and impeccably written—a welcome addition to the way-the-world-works literature."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Excellent history of the global materials that run the earth

The author did a great job telling the stories of the 6 most important materials on the planet. Their history , evolution, importance and impact on the planet going forward. I learned a lot!

Guaranteed to learn something

Resource claims are central to an understanding of geopolitics. This book helps provide context on essential elements for the 21st century.

Fantastic

Excellent, engaging overview of the six materials that make up our modern world. As a chemist, I found this deeply insightful and interesting. Conway delves into the histories, economics, and implications for these materials. Fascinating throughout. 10/10

Must read for any citizen of the world

This books was well written and fascinating. The subject matter were well researched and efficiently presented to the reader. The examples help me understand the scope and scale of the reality of today and the challenges of tomorrow.

I can’t recommend this book enough.

Fascinating

The author/narrator’s enthusiasm for his subject makes this book approachable and fun. Even a materials scientist will enjoy reading about this history of turning sand into glass, WW I secret exchanges of vital materials and the relationship between petrochemicals and tomatoes.

Incredible research and communication

One of the best books I’ve listened to in the last year. Excellent narrative and excellent narration

Informative and beautifully written

It's hard to communicate this wealth of information in an engaging way. The author did an incredible job. This book should interest anyone interested in learning about how the world works, particularly the built world.

Engaging and entertaining

Great look at materials that make up modern life without being boring or overly detailed. Great historical context and ability to make everything very relevant

the stuff we use to build our world

I would also like to hear about the next six most used materials in our world! maybe a trilogy

See more information on the book's Substack

The blog posts at edconway.substack.com include useful visuals and information that didn't make it into the book.