Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-made World

Mark Miodownik

Jul 2014 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Michael Page

About this audiobook

Why is glass see-through? What makes elastic stretchy? Why does a paper clip bend? These are the sorts of questions that Mark Miodownik is constantly asking himself. A globally renowned materials scientist, Miodownik has spent his life exploring objects as ordinary as an envelope and as unexpected as concrete cloth, uncovering the fascinating secrets that hold together our physical world. From the teacup to the jet engine, the silicon chip to the paper clip, the plastic in our appliances to the elastic in our underpants, our lives are overflowing with materials. Full of enthralling tales of the miracles of engineering that permeate our lives, Stuff Matters will make you see stuff in a whole new way.

Ratings and reviews

This was just an awesome fun book that I came across and wanted to read. I love how passionate Mark is about material science and how great he is at explaining really complex phenomena in a easy way. He draws you in and makes you see the beauty, wonder and awesome microscopic world in everyday materials. This was a light-hearted but super fun read!

About the author

Mark Miodownik is a professor of materials and society at University College London. He is the director of the Institute of Making, which is home to a materials library containing some of the most wondrous matter on earth. Visit Mark at markmiodownik.net.

Michael Page has been recording audiobooks since the mid-1980s and now has nearly 500 titles to his credit. He has won two Audie Awards and several AudioFile Earphones Awards. A PhD and a professional actor, Michael is also a retired professor of theater.