My first post of the year is about the books I read about the key material in our studio: Sand. I have a list of reading recommendations to widen your perspective in sand industry, erosion, glass manufacturing and related environmental issues.
The World In A Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization by Vince Beiser, 2018
I discovered this book following an article published by the same author in the BBC about illegal sand mining. Timing was perfect as we were working on developing the Arenophile project about desert sands as an alternative material for interior tiles in glass and ceramics.
The book covers sand erosion, construction industry, history and cultural significances of this material. The most interesting part was the different grades of quartz used glass manufacturing such as lenses, durable gorilla glass for phone screens and fiber optics. As modern civilisation is built on sand, this book shares valuable insights for the future of this material.
Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane, 2019
This book got my attention at a bookstore while shuffling through the pages and glimpsing the chapters. Macfarlane, traveled to northern UK to old mines which is now Boulby Underground Laboratory for scientific experiements, Catacombs in Paris, cave systems and sink holes in Europe such as Mendips and glacier caves in Greenland.
The writing language of the book takes you along to his explorations as he also includes extensive research on Anthropocene and history. While this book is a non fiction, the writing is similar to Cormac McCarthy's the Road. It keeps you suspended, at the edge of your seat to follow what will happen next.
The book is a great inspiration for those who are researching on geology, fungi and material history. The literary references are inspirational and evoke curiosity to learn more.
Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future by Ed Conway, 2024
This book was one of the best reads of 2024 (after Underland). I discovered this book while strolling in Barbican Library. It immediately got my attention with the research reference and easy readable language.
Ed Conway selected 6 materials. As the book description quotes 'Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium. They built our world, and they will transform our future.' The first chapter is about sand industry.
Similar to Beiser's book, the author emphasises same issues for the limitations of sand for the future and how it will affect civilisation. The other 5 materials are explained with their historical references but also the significance of these resources in the current politics, finances, energy crisis and climate change. As a very recently published book, it holds contemporary analysis and insights.
Paper: A World History: Paging Through History by Mark Kurlansky, 2017
This book was my summer read few years ago. Reading about a material which is often overlooked was enticing curiosity to learn more. The book includes the history of paper from the invention of it to adaptation of the plant fibers into textiles, how animal skins were made into writing surfaces. The material is vital to developments in language, culture, arts and communication, the book explains throughly different uses of this material in various cultures.
As the modern technology pushes industries to go paperless, the book shows evidences that paper is still significant in printing, currency and freedom in the digital world.
How To Read Water: Clues & Patterns from Puddles to the Sea by Tristan Gooley, 2016
This book was another summer read while spending time on the Mediterranean coast and watching waves and currents most of the day. The book covers topics on oceaonography, fishing industries, way finding, coral bleaching, maritime industries.
The structure of the chapters help to understand complex issues on climate change. It highlights various examples of environmental and geopolitical issues. However, there are also good parts: there is a small nation in Marshall islands who navigates though small islands only by reading surface water patterns and creating stick charts. these charts were exhibited in Royal Academy during the Oceania exhibition. It was fascinating to see these lo-tech examples which are efficient and sustainable as a design inspiration.
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky, 2003
This book is slightly older but still relevant to today's environmental issues. The book covers topics on history of salt, inventions in food preservations, how it was a part of trading routes, financial systems and political issues. Kurlansky's research and writing approach is similar to the 'Paper' book.
In history, this substance was as valuable as currency (salary comes from salt, latin salarium). The author connects fishing industries, cultural exchanges to financial systems with references to history of salt. This book also overlaps in parts with Material World, though giving more in depth information about this material.
I hope you enjoyed this selection of books. You can view our range of designs based on research which include these books. Our blog page will cover more books on travel and research as our theme for 2025. You can subscribe to our newsletter (from the form at the footer) to get once a month notifications about studio news, events and blog posts.
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