Everything is made of something . . . From the everyday objects in our homes to the most extraordinary new materials that will shape our future, Stuff Matters reveals the miracles of craft, design, engineering and ingenuity that surround us every day. From the tea-cup to the jet engine, the silicon chip to the paper clip, from the ancient technologies of fabrics and ceramic to today's self-healing metals and bionic implants, this is a book to inspire amazement and delight at mankind's material creativity. 'Enthralling. A mission to re-acquaint us with the wonders of the fabric that sustains our lives.' Guardian 'A certain sort of madness may be necessary to pull of what he has attempted here, which is a wholesale animation of the inanimate: Miodownik achieves precisely what he sets out to.' The Times 'Insightful, fascinating. The futuristic materials will elicit gasps. Makes even the most everyday substance seem exciting.' Sunday Times 'Wonderful. Miodownik writes well enough to make even concrete sparkle.' Financial Times 'Expert, deftly written, immensely enjoyable.' Observer