Overview

"From individual grains to desert dunes, from the bottom of the sea to the landscapes of Mars, and from billions of years in the past to the future, this is the extraordinary story of one of nature's humblest, most powerful, and most ubiquitous materials. Told by a geologist with a novelist's sense of language and narrative, ""Sand"" examines the science - sand forensics, the physics of granular materials, sedimentology, paleontology and archaeology, planetary exploration - and at the same time explores the rich human context of sand. Interwoven with tales of artists, mathematicians, explorers, and even a vampire, the story of sand is an epic of environmental construction and destruction, an adventure in staggering scales of time and distance, yet a tale that encompasses the ordinary and everyday. Sand, in fact, is all around us - it has made possible our computers, buildings and windows, toothpaste, cosmetics, and paper, and it has played dramatic roles in human history, commerce, and imagination. In this luminous, kinetic, revelatory account, we do indeed find the world in a grain of sand."

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9780520265974

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Reviews

"""Anyone who has walked on a beach, run up a sand dune, or built a sand castle will be fascinated."" STARRED REVIEW Library Journal 20081201 Welland's multidisciplinary portrait is as versatile as the element itself. Chronicle Review 20090109 ""Relevant and fascinating ... Fun-to-read ... A worthy science title for the masses."" STARRED REVIEW Publishers Weekly 20090127 ""There are worlds to see in a grain of sand, and a world of fascinating information in this book."" Science News 20090228 ""There have been many ""single subject"" books, but Welland's is a masterpiece of readability...Accessible, charming, and full of story."" Orion 20090501 ""Few of us are lucky enough to know sand as well as Michael Welland, but with this book, we can begin to learn."" Earth Magazine 20090601 ""An exploration of the ubiquitous granules in all their glory."" Bookforum 20091215 ""Welland has touched seemingly all of history, Earth and space ... a rare achievement that guarantees the pleasure of learning with every rereading."" About.com 20100204 ""An awareness book, opening readers' eyes to the many sides of sand, (and) its importance to our quality of life."" Science (AAAS) 20090306 ""A fascinating book... Masterful, imaginative and thoughtful... extraordinary."" Aeolian Research 20091119 ""Fascinating."" The Link 20091020"

Anyone who has walked on a beach, run up a sand dune, or built a sand castle will be fascinated. STARRED REVIEW--Library Journal Welland's multidisciplinary portrait is as versatile as the element itself.--Chronicle Review Relevant and fascinating ... Fun-to-read ... A worthy science title for the masses. STARRED REVIEW--Publishers Weekly There are worlds to see in a grain of sand, and a world of fascinating information in this book. --Science News An awareness book, opening readers' eyes to the many sides of sand, (and) its importance to our quality of life. --Science (Aaas)

Anyone who has walked on a beach, run up a sand dune, or built a sand castle will be fascinated. STARRED REVIEW--Library Journal Welland's multidisciplinary portrait is as versatile as the element itself.--Chronicle Review Relevant and fascinating ... Fun-to-read ... A worthy science title for the masses. STARRED REVIEW--Publishers Weekly There are worlds to see in a grain of sand, and a world of fascinating information in this book. --Science News An awareness book, opening readers' eyes to the many sides of sand, (and) its importance to our quality of life. --Science (Aaas)

Author Information

Michael Welland is a geologist who has worked around the world in the energy industry. He is a fellow of the Geological Societies of America and London and the Royal Society for the Arts and Commerce.

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