It's a Gas
The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World

Look, I really enjoyed Stuff Matters and Liquid Rules. However, while this is in a similar style, it's less captivating. Miodownik focused more on short histories and less on science compared to his previous books. The overall premise (ghosts/memories) is less compact than the previous ones of sight......more

It's on par with Stuff Matters, organizing narratives better than Liquid Rules. Kind of hilarious to talk about "narratives" in a pop-sci? But that's what Miodownik has tried in SM and then again, much harder but somewhat less satisfactorily, in LR. Third time's a charm. 4+......more

Too many charismatic television personalities try to break into the book publishing world. Most of them falter because the charisma does not translate onto the written page very well. The anecdotes and tangents look like filler on a page rather than ancillary information. Miodownik performs better t......more

"It's A Gas" is a fascinating and entertaining exploration of the hidden world of gases and their profound impact on our lives. Mark Miodownik, a materials scientist and author of the New York Times bestseller "Stuff Matters," takes readers on a journey through the history, science, and cultural sig......more

What gas provided inspiration for a 1930s thriller play? Why does laundry dried in the sun have a smell? How do you prove the existence of a gas that has no colour, no smell, and does not react with anything? Learn the answer to these and more in Mark Miodownik’s book on the fascinating history and soc......more