Transparency: The Material History of an Idea

A wide—ranging illustrated history of transparency as told through the evolution of the glass window

“With impressive detail and wide—ranging erudition, Jütte charts the history of a single material, glass, as a product of human ingenuity developed across centuries.”—James Gleick, New York Review of Books

Transparency is a mantra of our day. It is key to the Western understanding of a liberal society. We expect transparency from, for instance, political institutions, corporations, and the ...