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  • Stuff Matters

  • Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World
  • Written by: Mark Miodownik
  • Narrated by: Michael Page
  • Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (88 ratings)

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Stuff Matters cover art

Stuff Matters

Written by: Mark Miodownik
Narrated by: Michael Page
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2014 Mark Miodownik (P)2014 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What the critics say

"Miodownik's infectious curiosity and explanatory gifts will inspire [listeners] to take a closer look at the materials around them." ( Publishers Weekly Starred Review)

What listeners say about Stuff Matters

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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome overview of materials science for scientists and non-commercial experts alike

This book is a wonderful mix of interesting science about the material world we live in and our physical/emotional connection to it. It's cleverly written and very entertaining (very good performance too). It's geared toward the general public, but I also thoroughly enjoyed it as a materials scientist myself.

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    5 out of 5 stars

great book

excellent, helps grasp concepts of scale, unique properties of materials, and more. the narrator is fitting and engaging.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it!

this audiobook was fantastic. I recommend to all my friends. narrator was amazing as well!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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excellent livre

les sujets abordés dans ce livre sont très intéressant ils m'ont permis de mieux comprendre le monde autour de moi

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  • MD
  • 2020-06-06

fascinating and nice story

A nice light yet interesting topic. Gave me a new appreciation for many everyday things.

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Astounding journey into the interatomic world

I appreciated every bit of this book and was able to relate with the author on many mentioned occassions.
It's writen in a bright, captivating manner, promoting one's imagination and curiosity. I litterally saw how Japanese swordsmiths crafted the katana blades and weighted shards of metal to determine its firmness while reading "Stuff Matters". As a biologist, I especially liked how Mark described the living matter as an intricate interactome of different scales, that it closely regulates itself by the feedback from miniscule and to the macro. I recommend it to those who are fond of mind sparks.

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A pleasure

This was a great combination of science and history. It provides a nice amount of detail.

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