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Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization

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Notes From Your Bookseller
Notes From Your Bookseller

The entirety of modern civilization boiled down to six elements that power the world. It's a unique and dynamic lens to telling a massive story — the story of everything.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE • AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • Finalist for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award

Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium.

These fundamental materials have created empires, razed civilizations and fed our ingenuity and our greed for thousands of years. Without them, our modern world would not exist, and the battle to control them will determine our future.
The fiber-optic cables that weave the World Wide Web...

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