Book description
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 AwardThe 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.
About the Author
ED CONWAY is economics and data editor of Sky News and a columnist for the Times (London). He has won numerous awards for his journalism, including most recently the 2018 Wincott Foundation Journalist of the Year Award. He lives in London.
Succubus In Training
Unlocking a world of literary possibilities, this app's extensive compatibility and user-friendly controls have made audiobook enjoyment an everyday joy. 📱🔊 ListenBook has revolutionized my audiobook experience. I can't imagine going back! CUE playlist support helps me organize my audiobooks efficiently. It's a great organizational tool.
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Switch
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Bug Fire
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Toolmaker
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Hightower
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Ba1t
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ThreadTrail
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Indigo Red
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Kickstart
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Nola
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Sherm
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Rummy Stickers
Audiobook pleasure simplified – this app's design is a standout. The audio filters in ListenBook allow me to customize my listening experience. Speed up or slow down playback—it's all up to me! The statistics feature in ListenBook adds an element of self-awareness to my audiobook consumption. The layout is not only beautiful but also intuitive. Controls are easy to access. Quick access to chapters is a blessing. No more scrolling through endless content.
New York Mood
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Gullyway
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Swedish Pixie
I'm in awe of this app's ability to make reading so accessible and convenient. Bookmarks are a must-have for any audiobook lover. They help me stay organized and engaged. Sharing audiobooks with friends is a bonding experience made easy through AirDrop and sharing options. Automated artwork and metadata extraction make my library look organized and visually appealing.
Playing a wide variety of audio formats
Works on all devices with iOS 13 and newer
Huge amount of features for a small price
Frequent updates to add new features and improve existing ones
Advanced playback controls
Live sound processing
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice and noise reduction
Translated into more than 20 languages
If you love listening to fiction audiobooks, ListenBook has features to make the process easier.
Edit book data: title, author, cover
Use equalizer to make the sound comfortable for you
Adjust the playback speed
Enjoy dark and light app themes
Supported formats: MP3, M4B, AWB, FLAC, OGG audio files and many more (must be DRM free)
Auto-Bookmarks make it easy to find your place
AirPlay support allows redirection of audio output.
VoiceOver support
Dark mode for night owls
Convenient bookmarking system helps you mark the most important places.
Unlimited bookmarks for each audiobook
Put your own cover on the wager
Share your audiobook with friends
Lock-screen control
Customise app with extensive options
Sleep timer with shake to reset, set custom notification sounds, and a few unique options
Auto rewind depending on paused time, customize rewind times to your liking
Removing background noise from recordings made in classrooms and meetings
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice for a better listening experience