The discovery of minerals beneath our feet has transformed our species. The paleolithic first inspired humans to express themselves artistically. Tin and copper helped usher in the Bronze Age and later the Industrial Revolution. Silver fueled the engines of global trade. Each of these substances has created a leap forward in technology, broadened the imagination, and brought with it a series of unforeseen dangers.

"Under A Metal Sky" begins and ends in Philip Marsden's homeland, Cornwall, one of the world's great geological hotspots. Traveling east to Europe, it examines how peat extraction propelled the Netherlands to global recognition, yet at the same time threatened its very existence. Continuing down the Rhine by boat, at the continent's heart, it unravels more stories of powerful and alluring resources, from iron-rich meteorites to radium and mercury, as well as the golden mountains of Georgia. It simultaneously explores precious cuts of ideas, from science to alchemy, mysticism to ecology - and the questing souls who followed them, such as Paracelsus, the Habsburg Emperor Rudolf II, Goethe, William Blake, and Marie Curie.

Rich in revelations, "Under A Metal Sky" traces the brilliant achievements and dark consequences of our ability to extract whatever we want from the earth and presents an intriguing new perspective on European history and our troubled relationship with the natural world.

Pages: 352, Dimensions: 15.6x15.6cm