The Substance of Civilization: Materials and Human History from the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon

by Stephen L. Sass

Demonstrates the way in which the discovery, application, and adaptation of materials has shaped the course of human history and the routines of our daily existence

Genres: History, Science, Nonfiction, Technology, Audiobook, World History, Ebooks

221 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 1905

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like guns germ and steel, but from a chemist point of view.
You will need some good understand in chemistry (not high school chemistry).
Even trough the author provides good explanation on the chemical and physical properties I still had to google or just scratch my head.
The books provides good explanation from historical stand point and also provides quotes from the bible and other resources from that time.

[John Martindale · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of the huge role that the discovery of and the manipulation of materials has had in the the progress and stagnation of civilizations throughout mankind's story. I liked the author's many references to biblical examples of various materials that effected the Israelis and their relation to their neighbors. There was some more technical chemistry stuff throughout the book that was completely beyond my comprehension, I am sure those with a basic chemistry education could likely get more out of it.

[Elentarri · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Substance of Civilization: Materials and Human History from the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon Superficial and bland. If the author teaches the way he writes, I'm not surprised his students were sitting in class with glazed eyes. Also, all the religious references are damned annoying.A better book that covers some of the topics discussed in this book is: Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History

[Soup Dragon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely HATE it when books make use of the Christian Bible as a reference - like its history rather than a work of literature. This book is full of those references in the early chapter.

Warning - books was written in the 1990s so is pretty dated in terms of material discoveries. e.g Nanomaterials, semi conductor advances, Smart material.

[B. Rule · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting overview of the physical substances upon which human civilizations have relied. However, it never quite gains its footing in terms of the balance of scientific technical detail and humanistic anthropological ruminations.

[Judith Lund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely interesting

A bit thin in parts but always interesting. It seemed to move from the over simple to the rather complex somewhat abruptly. Still I found it a very clear and informative book. I recommend it highly.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love pop science books but this one misses the mark.

I have a library of books on different items such as salt, paper, and other commodities, their origins, and trading history. So I thought this book would make a great addition.

O.K. I confess I was listening to the audio sample of the book to see if I wanted to buy it. The audio might not have done justice to the book but it was enough to see that the author keeps missing the mark.

He mentions changing iron to steel. Then he mentions the Bessemer process which is to the steel industry the equivalent of the assembly line to the auto industry; this is all well and good. Then he starts talking about railroad tracks. Earlywood, iron, and steel tracks did have a problem but they were not corrected because there is a Bessemer process. The correction was to use Maganal an alloy that gets stronger with stress. The same material safes are made with.

O.K. so he is trying to make a point without detail. However, this is misleading.

His next foray is into silicon where he tries to equate industrial strength with pounds of sand. Oops, I mean the number of silicon chips which has no meaning in itself. I am sure he meant computing power or maybe cognitive capability. However, those are not materials and the book is about materials in history.

O.K. so the author is trying to make a point. However, he chooses an irrelevant product or substance that is misleading.

Again the audio might not do the rest of the book justice however if he can miss the mark twice in just the introduction then how can we trust the balance?

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another reading for some college elective on materials science and archaeology but the class was literally exactly the contents of the book so I coulda just read this and not wasted a semester lol. It was interesting content but nothing that wasn’t covered in class so I got bored reading it. It definitely needed diagrams when talking about the structures of different materials and other sciency things. Also the random personal anecdotes in the beginning of each chapter as “hooks” felt wildly unnecessary and read like something a middle schooler would write when they learn to write essays. It is also pretty bibliocentric which isn’t necessarily a problem just something you note. I also did not realize until the end that this book was written in like the 90s so some of the information is not updated. Why they’re still using this for a materials science class in 2023 I have no idea.

[Reid Burroughs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent college level reading. If you are a chemist or student of chemistry this book would probably be very enjoyable. Sentences such as :’ the three- dimensional network of tetrahedrally arranged covalent bonds gives diamond its remarkable properties.” And words like octahedral describe the chemical makeup of so many substances. Most physics students, and computer scientists would enjoy. There is a fortune of history with notes and references. A real prize of the names, times and places of innovation. And the work of problem solving. I’m delighted to be informed I’m flying in an aluminum can, not a tin can when I board an airplane. The book ends with the forecast of manufacturing lighter weight cars for fuel efficiency. And nano technology though I don’t think the author used that phrase.

[Richard Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book most compelling where it deals with ancient discoveries and advancements. The author does well to put those simple but profound leaps into context.

The science of the almost-present (written in 1998) is pretty well done, mostly readable, but is less compelling. I took a long hiatus and eventually came back to finish it, pushing through some parts that don't quite sparkle.

All in all, a decent popularization of science and useful general overview of the importance of pottery and bronze and iron and steel and polymers and the like for people who enjoy such things--writers and wide readers and who knows who all.

Lots to learn, still.

[Ivan Savić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wery good summary of all the materials humans use, from prehistoric times, stone and clay, to modern composite materials and alloys. There is short history of how the material is found, how the ore is prosessed, and the material properties explained on molecular level, and of course what is metarial used for mostly.

[Sheila Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

The discovery, refining, manufacture and use of everything from gold and silver to rubber, diamond, teflon and other difficult to pronounce polymers. And of course silicon chips. Some fascinating stuff. But some, such as the explanation of the binary numbering system, really doesn’t work at all on an audiobook.

[Hind · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is similar to Conway’s more recent book The Material World, which I will admit I preferred slightly to this book, although this one does a better job including a historic point of view. The two books are complimentary on some ways.

[Erion Prometheus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating passage through the history of materials and how sometimes it changed the world or left the inventors a nervous wreck.

[Maneesh Goel · Rating 2 out of 5]

much too religious for a science book

[Jonathan Van Heest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely interesting but difficult to get through at points. I like engineering but I’m not sure I like it this much

[R Moba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really material science packaged as history. Very limited on the history and a bit over technical on the materials side. It badly needs a new edition, and not just because it seems dated now.

[Brian Donald William Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love being educated about strange things. This book was a real education and lots of fun to read. Sass takes us from the beginnings of substance sand, clay and bone to the final and most consequential substance, sand again, this time silicon. Throughout the ages Sass lays out how he believes these substances were and are, used, for the betterment of civilization. I got a little bogged down in the chemistry but thats just me; I'm sure others will find the diagrams and formulae easy to understand. I highly recomment this book.

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting perspective of the march of civilization based on the substances critical to progress. The author makes clear that the substances used by humans, such as bronze, copper, iron, & silicon, are not necessarily the driving forces of history, but through his examination of the material used throughout history the author provides a different perspective. Never again will the reader look at glass and cement, as well as the other substances covered, in the same way, or simply take these substances for granted. I found the chapters on cement and glass most interesting, as all as the chapter on how substances drove - or supported - the growth of capitalism. This book was first published in 1998. For a more current exploration of materials, read STUFF MATTERS: EXPLORING THE MARVELOUS MATERIALS THAT SHAPE OUR MAN-MADE WORLD by Mark Miodownik

[Jandle Bearer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been looking for a book that covered the history, and the science behind, the development of materials by civilisation, this book meet those needs. Although its a dry read I wasn't looking for a fantastical adventure through the history of materials, or to be entertained by the stories of eccentric scientists. This is probably best suited for people who want to learn more about materials science but would like some context before committing to the theory. There are biblical references throughout the book, but these are not leaned on as actual references for history; the author has used them as the bible is an important historical artefact that may give us glimpses of the progression of materials science.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 3 out of 5]

History of substances is not an easy one to produce but the author's enthusiasm and excitement has certainly made this hard subject fairly easy one to finish. Though there were long passages detailing scientific explanation which were hard to follow but generally the author has managed to produce a pretty enjoyable account. It seems that innovation becomes necessary when a process becomes unmanageable or hits consistent snags. The book is proves this narrative with a of examples. Also the value in each substance seems to be dictated by two factors, its aesthetic value and its useability, which can vary with time.

[Janet Zehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of materials that provided the basis for the advance of technology from the Stone Age to the present.

This book is a very thorough account of each stage of civilization and how increasing complexity in the use of materials facilitated advances in technology throughout human history. I liked the way the author described in detail each increment in materials used for tools, weapons and infrastructure. It got increasingly complex toward the end, making it more difficult to thoroughly understand, but that only emphasized the incredible ingenuity of the human mind.

[Gmaharriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I loved this book. The author describes the discovery and uses of various materials from the bone and stone of prehistoric man to today's silicon chips. Well...almost today. This was published in 1999, and he gets pretty "gee whiz" about computers and Intel's brand new Pentium chip, but he expects to future to produce smaller and faster computers.

He does a great job of describing chemical reactions for a lay person like me. I'd probably have gotten more out of it if I'd paid better attention in my high school chemistry class, but he was able to describe visually what microscopic substances look like. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

[Dylan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2025: Well as proof this book is forgettable, I apparently completely forgot that I read it 2015, didn’t like it again, and came here to write exactly the same review I wrote a decade ago…

2015: Clumsy and clunky, Sass' book does a poor job highlighting his strengths (materials science and chemistry) and ends up leaning heavily on what he is weakest in (history and anthropology). Worth skimming and flipping through to find some of the more interesting facts but a disappointing result for a topic and book I was so excited to read.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, even for the materials science major. Actually it was pretty interesting. The last chapter, on Si, is awful though. Obviously Sass is a metals guy and should've just stuck with that or gotten help for the last chapter.

[Tommy Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book and well written. Sass does a very good job of making the complex simple, such as describing how Damascus Steel is made, and the chemistry behind its amazing properties.

[Carl Mayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about the stuff we build things with.
Some passages require a rudimentary understanding of chemistry, but overall very readable and informative.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story of materials and history. The biblical quotes and references helped really add a literary flair. Fun read

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good and informative book. I found that I understood most of the information, but at times there was some science explanations I didn't fully understand.

[Jim Manis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative. Best for the educated lay person, although the book is a bit dated, published some 18 years ago.