Nonfiction

The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization

The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization

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  • Create Date：2022-09-17 09:57:49
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Vince Beiser
  • ISBN：0399576444
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Summary

A finalist for the PEN/E。 O。 Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

The gripping story of the most important overlooked commodity in the world--sand--and the crucial role it plays in our lives。

After water and air， sand is the natural resource that we consume more than any other--even more than oil。 Every concrete building and paved road on Earth， every computer screen and silicon chip， is made from sand。 From Egypt's pyramids to the Hubble telescope， from the world's tallest skyscraper to the sidewalk below it， from Chartres' stained-glass windows to your iPhone， sand shelters us， empowers us， engages us， and inspires us。 It's the ingredient that makes possible our cities， our science， our lives--and our future。

And， incredibly， we're running out of it。

The World in a Grain is the compelling true story of the hugely important and diminishing natural resource that grows more essential every day， and of the people who mine it， sell it， build with it--and sometimes， even kill for it。 It's also a provocative examination of the serious human and environmental costs incurred by our dependence on sand， which has received little public attention。 Not all sand is created equal: Some of the easiest sand to get to is the least useful。 Award-winning journalist Vince Beiser delves deep into this world， taking readers on a journey across the globe， from the United States to remote corners of India， China， and Dubai to explain why sand is so crucial to modern life。 Along the way， readers encounter world-changing innovators， island-building entrepreneurs， desert fighters， and murderous sand pirates。 The result is an entertaining and eye-opening work， one that is both unexpected and involving， rippling with fascinating detail and filled with surprising characters。

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Reviews

Lakshman ，

A very accessible book all about。。。sand。 And a pretty fascinating read too。 Some new things that I learned:1。 After water， sand is our most consumed natural resource （never would have guessed this）。 Much of what we use is built on sand: concrete （which is sand + gravel）， glass （which is just melted sand）， paint， etc。2。 This wasn't always the case though — before 20th century， most buildings were made of brick/clay/wood instead of concrete。3。 Turning point was early 20th century — they discovered A very accessible book all about。。。sand。 And a pretty fascinating read too。 Some new things that I learned:1。 After water， sand is our most consumed natural resource （never would have guessed this）。 Much of what we use is built on sand: concrete （which is sand + gravel）， glass （which is just melted sand）， paint， etc。2。 This wasn't always the case though — before 20th century， most buildings were made of brick/clay/wood instead of concrete。3。 Turning point was early 20th century — they discovered how to reinforce concrete with steel/iron to make it strong。 Made it the best/cheapest ingredient for buildings + roads。 4。 Concrete vs asphalt roads: both are sand + gravel， but asphalt uses bitumen instead of cement as the glue agent （this is what makes asphalt black instead of grey）。 Whichever you're driving on， it's still mostly sand。5。 How sand originates: things grinding against each other （e。g。， rocks）。 Most originates in mountains， forms as rivers bring it into oceans。6。 Almost all sand on earth is made of quartz， there’s just many types of quartz sand:6a。 Silica is the purest type （95%+ pure quartz）， only type that can be used to make glass， silicone chips， and for fracking 6b。 Desert sand is the least useful type of sand， because it’s shaped by wind instead of water （makes it hard for the sand to bind together） and because it’s round instead of angular （makes it hard to stack — imagine stacking marbles vs stacking bricks） 6c。 Construction sand is in between the two， not as pure as silica， but strong + useful。 7。 Sand is what enabled fracking to take off （blasting sand + water to break up shale rocks）。 Made US largest source of oil （over Russia + Saudi Arabia）， highly controverisal due to environmental effects。 7a。 Shocking: 75% of silica consumption in the world is for fracking， only 7% is for glass production。 8。 Sand use has 3x’d in the last 2 decades， so there’s a looming sand shortage， creating black market for sand + “sand pirates”。 Even the middle east imports sand from Australia for construction （since desert sand isn’t useful）。9。 Sand through mining or dredging （setting up boats along shore） can tear up habitats， causes beaches to disappear， and hurts water supplies —> our overconsumption of sand is now leading to environmental challenges。 。。。more

Rhianna ，

A surprisingly fascinating account of the history of the use of sand in our society， and all of the crime that comes associated with it。 Highly recommend this read。 Very well-written， well-researched， and informative。

Cinzia ，

A very depressing but worthwhile read。

Elizabeth ，

3。5 stars

Elizabeth Robbins ，

Read like a stack of index cards from 8th grade social studies research project。 Interesting but dull。

Lian Mittendorf ，

Wow wow wow。 If you know me you know I love this book。 As strange as it sounds this book on sand is an eye opening discovery of our civilization。 Not only is sand the key ingredient of industrialization and our technology today， its necessity illuminates the every growing consumer population and the extent of human greed。 And one can’t forget to mention that the extraction of it is a source of great environmental concern。 Everyone should read this book， it’s well written， intriguing， and easy to Wow wow wow。 If you know me you know I love this book。 As strange as it sounds this book on sand is an eye opening discovery of our civilization。 Not only is sand the key ingredient of industrialization and our technology today， its necessity illuminates the every growing consumer population and the extent of human greed。 And one can’t forget to mention that the extraction of it is a source of great environmental concern。 Everyone should read this book， it’s well written， intriguing， and easy to digest！ 。。。more

Nick ，

I didn’t know much about this topic！！ But I do now！

Ben ，

Pretty good， though after about the midpoint， this got slow and repetitive。 The beginning was very informative and well-paced but as the book wore on， the editing got worse。 I don’t need to know in detail， the minute differences in how 17 different cities all have the same unsustainable relationship with sand。Author frequently provides no denominator and no frame of reference for large numbers， simply relying on repetition and weasel words to prove a point。 Book would have earned a 5/5 easily if Pretty good， though after about the midpoint， this got slow and repetitive。 The beginning was very informative and well-paced but as the book wore on， the editing got worse。 I don’t need to know in detail， the minute differences in how 17 different cities all have the same unsustainable relationship with sand。Author frequently provides no denominator and no frame of reference for large numbers， simply relying on repetition and weasel words to prove a point。 Book would have earned a 5/5 easily if the back half were chopped off， and maybe marginally up to 5。5/5 were it edited well in the back half。 。。。more

Philip ，

Never would I have thought that a book about something as simple as sand would be so extremely fascinating。 After air and water， sand is the most consumed natural resource on the planet。 Beiser takes the reader on a tour around the world， from the construction of the US interstate （built using massive amounts of concrete， and thus ultimately sand）， the countries making new land such as Dubai， the Netherlands， Singapore and more， to the east Asian nations of Mongolia and China doing all they can Never would I have thought that a book about something as simple as sand would be so extremely fascinating。 After air and water， sand is the most consumed natural resource on the planet。 Beiser takes the reader on a tour around the world， from the construction of the US interstate （built using massive amounts of concrete， and thus ultimately sand）， the countries making new land such as Dubai， the Netherlands， Singapore and more， to the east Asian nations of Mongolia and China doing all they can to plant thousands of trees to limit the expansion of sand on their land。What struck me the most is that a country like Saudi Arabia is importing sand from far away countries such as Canada and Australia。 Why， I thought to myself， would a desert country ever have to import sand？ That is because the vast amount of sand in Arabia （as well as other deserts） cannot be utilized for concrete， as the grains are too fine。 That is why so much sand is getting dredged from the bottoms of the oceans。Sand is a source for many things， such as:• Minerals such as titanium， uranium， thorium and silica。• Silicon dioxide， a mineral that is part of many things such as paper， cosmetics， toothpaste， and even wine。• Glass， reinforced concrete， asphalt and some plastics。Sand is a highly sought after resource and not entirely easy to acquire。 Surprisingly enough， this is where sand pirates come in。 It sounds like something from a science fiction book， but they do exist。 Gangs and smugglers have been taking sand from beaches and selling it to buyers - sometimes with deadly consequences。 The global demand for sand is increasing gradually day by day， but at the same time the sources of the material are becoming more and more limited。 Our planet simply cannot keep up with our immense consumption of sand。In short， The World in a Grain is an eye-opening， insightful look at the basic material that is all around us and is definitely worth a read as it provides valuable information into the surprisingly vast amount of different ways sand has and is being utilized。 。。。more

Ashley Clubb ，

My favorite type of book- when you get to learn about seemingly simple objects or things that expound as to why things are the way they are。 This topic- sand！

Dan Contreras ，

Pues nunca me imaginé que leeria un libro sobre la ARENA， pero aqui estoy。 Tal parece que la arena es la sustancia solida más importante del mundo， y el autor dedica 250 paginas a demostrartelo。 Concreto para nuestras casas y edificios， pavimento para nuestras carreteras， vidrio para ventanas， botellas y medicinas， silicón para nuestros chips， material para el Fracking - la arena hace la vida moderna posible de una manera desmedida。 Y es un recurso natural no renovable que se está acabando。 Resu Pues nunca me imaginé que leeria un libro sobre la ARENA， pero aqui estoy。 Tal parece que la arena es la sustancia solida más importante del mundo， y el autor dedica 250 paginas a demostrartelo。 Concreto para nuestras casas y edificios， pavimento para nuestras carreteras， vidrio para ventanas， botellas y medicinas， silicón para nuestros chips， material para el Fracking - la arena hace la vida moderna posible de una manera desmedida。 Y es un recurso natural no renovable que se está acabando。 Resulta necesitamos montón de arena para todo y la arena del desierto no sirve。。。 asi que solo podemos usar la de rios y mares。 Un aspecto ambiental mas del cual preocuparse que no sabias que habia que preocuparse。 El libro es ameno， aunque solo es descriptivo。 Solo te platica de la historia de la arena en sus diferentes usos。 Al final plantea que se está haciendo para poder reciclarla o reducir su uso， pero no te deja muy contento - la conclusión es que la escasez de arena se viene en este siglo， y las playas mas hermosas del mundo van a desaparecer。 No pos wow。 Gracias por el optimismo carnal。 Recomendado。 。。。more

Kathryn Ovenden ，

Some interesting bits， some that dragged on a bit

Ken Smith ，

WOW， until you read the book you have no idea the importance of sand and its impact on the whole of civilization。

arkadi cloud ，

https://blog。arkadi。one/p/the-world-i。。。 https://blog。arkadi。one/p/the-world-i。。。 。。。more

BookSweetie ，

Pen/ EO Wilson Literary Science Writing Shortlist 2019。 Not many of us know nearly enough about the world around us and I am no different。 I do try to read for different purposes including fiction or mysteries for entertainment but I also read nonfiction for the enriching joy of learning more about the world。 The World in a Grain by Vince Beiser turned out to be much more interesting and informative than I’d have predicted from the title and topic alone。 Sand？ Sand！ Could I really read a whole b Pen/ EO Wilson Literary Science Writing Shortlist 2019。 Not many of us know nearly enough about the world around us and I am no different。 I do try to read for different purposes including fiction or mysteries for entertainment but I also read nonfiction for the enriching joy of learning more about the world。 The World in a Grain by Vince Beiser turned out to be much more interesting and informative than I’d have predicted from the title and topic alone。 Sand？ Sand！ Could I really read a whole book about sand？ Well， I thought I’d give it a try since it appeared on a Pen/EO Wilson Literary Science book award list and that is one place I look for well-written options to add to my want-to-read self-education list。 The World in a Grain didn’t immediately jump to my priority list， I must confess， but I am very glad I eventually gave this one a shot。 Wow！ This sand book was plenty interesting - a sort of overview of this common resource combined with related history and current journalistic investigations and information gathering。 Sometimes books reveal to me that I don’t even know there is much of anything to know。 This is one of those books。 The chapters are easy to read， and while not all chapters were equally interesting topically for me， my curiosity kept me reading。 I’m glad I did。 In sum: plenty interesting， informative， and readable。 I give it my “I did not know that” award; the info is highly relevant to understanding the changes happening right now in our global， growing world — and the challenges。 。。。more

Ron ，

An informative， wide-ranging and satisfying discussion of the manifold uses of sand。 It is the major binding element in concrete， developed in antiquity and still the most used construction material。 It is what glass is made of， again developed in antiquity， but then only as a material for small decorative objects; it took millennia to figure out how to make transparent sheet glass。 Silicone， which comprises most of sand， is the material for semi-conductors， and tons and tons of slushy sand is u An informative， wide-ranging and satisfying discussion of the manifold uses of sand。 It is the major binding element in concrete， developed in antiquity and still the most used construction material。 It is what glass is made of， again developed in antiquity， but then only as a material for small decorative objects; it took millennia to figure out how to make transparent sheet glass。 Silicone， which comprises most of sand， is the material for semi-conductors， and tons and tons of slushy sand is used to frack shale to release oil and gas。 And by dredging up oceanic sand， the Emirates are creating the land on which to build extravagant homes for the uber-wealthy。 The sudden explosion of building in China and the future needs of other growing urban nations， make sand an internationally desirable resource， and one that is running out of easily mined sources。A very interesting read， clear and compelling in style and content。I'll remember the wide and varied uses of sand from microelectronics to fracking to construction of vast Chinese cities to making new land out of the seabed。 。。。more

أبو فاطمة 14 ，

هذا الكتاب هو مثال عن كيف يؤلف الصحفي كتاباًيختار موضوع يصلح كمقالة ممتازة ثم يحشوه بقصص وتحقيقات أو دراسات ذات علاقة حتى يصبح بالحجم المناسب للنشر ككتابوفي حالة هذا الكتاب كانت القصص التي اختارها الكاتب جيدة وكتبت بأسلوب جيد 。。 شيء موجز عن الرمل ممزوجاً بالكثير من قصص رواد الأعمال الذين كانت أعمالهم متعلقة به وتحقيقات محدودة اجراها الكاتب خصوصا في أماكن تعدين الرمل والشواطئ الرملية في أمريكا مع عناوين أخرى متعلقة بالموضوعلكن لن يرفع ذلك من مستوى الكتاب عن تصنيف أعلى من جيديكتب المؤلف في بداية ا هذا الكتاب هو مثال عن كيف يؤلف الصحفي كتاباًيختار موضوع يصلح كمقالة ممتازة ثم يحشوه بقصص وتحقيقات أو دراسات ذات علاقة حتى يصبح بالحجم المناسب للنشر ككتابوفي حالة هذا الكتاب كانت القصص التي اختارها الكاتب جيدة وكتبت بأسلوب جيد 。。 شيء موجز عن الرمل ممزوجاً بالكثير من قصص رواد الأعمال الذين كانت أعمالهم متعلقة به وتحقيقات محدودة اجراها الكاتب خصوصا في أماكن تعدين الرمل والشواطئ الرملية في أمريكا مع عناوين أخرى متعلقة بالموضوعلكن لن يرفع ذلك من مستوى الكتاب عن تصنيف أعلى من جيديكتب المؤلف في بداية الكتاب أن الرمل هو أهم مادة صلبة على الأرض والأساس الفعلي للمدنية الحديثةالفصل الأول:ما هو الرمل؟ مصطلح الرمل يشمل الحبات الطليقة من أي مادة صلبة بقطر يتراوح بين 2 و0。0625 مليمتر （حسب مقياس أدن- ونتوورث， أكثر المقاييس الجيولوجية شيوعاً）سبعين بالمئة تقريباً من كل حبات الرمل على الأرض عبارة عن كوارتز الذي هو شكل من ثاني أكسيد السليكون المعروف بالسيليكاهناك أنواع عديدة من حبات الرمل لكل منها خصائص ونقاط قوة وضعف مختلفة تحدد بدورها الاستعمالات الملائمة لكل نوع。 فالبعض منها مقدراً لصلابته والآخر لمرونته أو لونه او نقائه او استداريته وهكذارمال البناء: الحبات الصلبة الزاوية المستخدمة أساسا في صنع الخرسانةالرمال البحرية: التي تسحب من قيعان البحار والمفيدة لبناء الأراضي الاصطناعيةالرمال الصناعية: الأكثر نقاء – 95% على الأقل سيليكا- التي نحتاجها لصنع الزجاج، وبعض أنواعها （رمل التكسير ） تستخدم للتكسير الهيدروليكي للنفط والغازفي أغلب الأحوال نحن لا نسحب رمال الصحراء لخدمتنا。 أغلب حبات الرمال الموجودة في الصحراء مستديرة جداً الى حد لا يسمح باستخدامها في البناء。صدق او لا تصدق: الاستراليون يبيعون رمل البناء الى دبي التي تقع على حافة الصحراء الهائلة في شبه الجزيرة العربيةثم في الأقسام اللاحقة من الكتاب يحكي الكاتب قصصا عن الخرسانة والاسفلت والزجاج ويروي السير الذاتية عن رواد الاعمال المتعلقة بكل منها。 ثم تحقيقات عن تصنيع السيليكون المستخدم في صناعة رقائق الحاسوب。 ثم يتحدث عن الشواطئ الرملية خصوصا الامريكية منها و الأراضي الاصطناعية و يركز على امارة دبي و التصحر ومكافحته ويركز على إقليم دولون بالصين ثم يعرج على الخرسانة مجدداأخيرا يعنون الفصل الحادي عشر والأخير بـ: ما وراء الرمل حيث أن مواردنا محدودة وهناك ثمن لاستخدامها وإساءة استخدامها و يجب أن نفهم أن القضية الأكبر تتعلق بإيجاد طريقة لبناء حياة لسبعة مليارات شخص على أساس أكثر متانة من الرمل。 。。。more

Boris ，

Was disappointed by this one。 I expected something similar to 'the prize' but about sand instead of oil。 Instead， this book is about all sorts of anecdotes about how same is used everywhere （concrete， silicon， glass， etc。） with not much meaning。 Was disappointed by this one。 I expected something similar to 'the prize' but about sand instead of oil。 Instead， this book is about all sorts of anecdotes about how same is used everywhere （concrete， silicon， glass， etc。） with not much meaning。 。。。more

Alberto Castillo ，

Un libro acerca de la arena。 Ósea del concreto de nuestros edificios， el asfalto de nuestras carreteras， los chips de nuestros teléfonos （y sus pantallas）， las playas en donde vacacionamos， y las islas artificiales de los millonarios。 Muy interesante， objetivo， y muy factual。 Casi no hay paja aquí。 Puros datos。 Y， como se podrán imaginar， muy preocupante。

Sam ，

Prior to this book I had no idea how important sand is to our modern lifestyle。 I loved learning about the history of sand use as well as seeing the environmental and social impacts of human sand use。 Beiser's writing was engaging， especially for a topic that might not be thought of as interesting。 Prior to this book I had no idea how important sand is to our modern lifestyle。 I loved learning about the history of sand use as well as seeing the environmental and social impacts of human sand use。 Beiser's writing was engaging， especially for a topic that might not be thought of as interesting。 。。。more

Clayton ，

The history of sand and its contemporary uses: this book is way more interesting than it sounds。 Once you realize the ubiquity of sand and how it comes in more forms than we think， you will appreciate its importance and why the global decline of sand supplies threatens our modern way of life。 It is a cautionary book and somewhat alarmist， but the author does present some hopeful perspectives and possible solutions。 Overconsumption of sand by modern society is presented as an allegory to how we c The history of sand and its contemporary uses: this book is way more interesting than it sounds。 Once you realize the ubiquity of sand and how it comes in more forms than we think， you will appreciate its importance and why the global decline of sand supplies threatens our modern way of life。 It is a cautionary book and somewhat alarmist， but the author does present some hopeful perspectives and possible solutions。 Overconsumption of sand by modern society is presented as an allegory to how we consume all natural resources at alarming rates。 。。。more

Simon Parent ，

It blew my mind。 I knew sand was important， but this book explored the subject far beyond what I thought possible。 Honestly， I disliked his conclusion， which went in a Capitalist direction （recommending we share more， build less， and leverage the Uberization of everything to share better）。。。 It was written in 2018， and although I agree about sharing and uber-like apps for this， I dislike the idea of parasitic Capitalist companies that skim profits off our own organization， by vertue of being "pl It blew my mind。 I knew sand was important， but this book explored the subject far beyond what I thought possible。 Honestly， I disliked his conclusion， which went in a Capitalist direction （recommending we share more， build less， and leverage the Uberization of everything to share better）。。。 It was written in 2018， and although I agree about sharing and uber-like apps for this， I dislike the idea of parasitic Capitalist companies that skim profits off our own organization， by vertue of being "platforms"。 But the more decentralized it is， the better。 Anyway， for the book。 It linked really well the extraction of sand with mafias， ISIS， corrupt officials， IMF loans， the destruction of ecosystems and whole beaches， erosion of soils， the urban boom， the use of sand in nearly everything， the development of modern science， climate change and pollution。 To realize that without glass we would not have had lenses so no microscope （and all that derived from discovering bacterias）， and would not be able to explore the cosmos and validate relativist physics。 Lasers， satellite， optic fibers， microchips， the transistor， screens， and many more were only possible with glass。 Heck， even the refining if silicon involve a world of geopolitics because of the need to melt the silicon in a foundry lined with pure quartz crystals only found in the Appalachian mountains。 But by far it's cement （concrete） that uses the most sand。 Desert sand is worthless in most applications， especially for construction， which require beach/river sand of specific grain size and strength。 This means some countries have only a few years of supplies left， and it means beaches being destroyed to create roads and foundations。 Sooner or later， we'll need to go beyond sand for this。 We can create sand with water and electricity， but it's far less cost effective， and the grains are too sharp for many applications。 In any case， it highlighted the need for an industry-wide planification of production and extraction， as well as the real need to re-appropriate ourselves the extraction from the hands of criminal syndicates （or ISIS）。 Activists and journalists get killed， while officials are bribed or too afraid to disrupt the operation。 Just another reason to get to a socialist worldwide planification of production ASAP， or at least start capturing the environmental price into the price of sand， as the externalities generated are currently staggering and not addressed in most cases。 。。。more

Tery ，

"Today， your life depends on sand。 You may not realize it， but sand is there， making the way you live possible， in almost every minute of your day。 We live in it， travel on it， communicate with it， surround ourselves with it。" "And yet， sand is about the most taken-for-granted natural resource in the world。 Hardly anyone thinks about it—where it comes from or what we do to get it。" Sand is something I have never given much thought about except for when I am lying on it at some tropical bea "Today， your life depends on sand。 You may not realize it， but sand is there， making the way you live possible， in almost every minute of your day。 We live in it， travel on it， communicate with it， surround ourselves with it。" "And yet， sand is about the most taken-for-granted natural resource in the world。 Hardly anyone thinks about it—where it comes from or what we do to get it。" Sand is something I have never given much thought about except for when I am lying on it at some tropical beach。 The fact that this natural resource is being used up at a rapid pace is also not something I would have thought possible。 I mean the Sahara Desert is as large as China - that's a lot of sand right there。 Unfortunately， not all sand is created equal and the stuff we need for all of the stuff we need is fancy stuff。 Even fracking requires fancy sand。 So， where does all of this desirable sand come from？ Riverbeds and beaches are a couple of sources， however， these areas are being depleted rapidly with disastrous effects to habitats and ecosystems。 Sand， like natural gas and oil， is also being mined; stripping farmlands and forests， creating yet more environmental destruction。Basically， humans suck and we are using up Earth's natural resources at an alarming rate。 I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book。 It was more of an education on concrete （sand being a main ingredient） and how bad it is for the environment。Vince Beiser does write well， so the book is interesting and he keeps the doom and gloom to a minimum。 I learned some new things， which is always good。 。。。more

Brianna ，

i talk about this book genuinely every day and think about it every time i look at concrete now。

Claire ，

I’ve actually had this book since 2019。 It was a featured read at the Society of Environmental Journalists’ conference （god， I miss in-person conferences） and I can see why it earned top billing。 No joke， this is one of those books that will change the way you see EVERYTHING around you。 If you don’t think a book about sand could be completely captivating: prepare to have your mind blown。 "The World in a Grain" is a thoroughly researched， brilliantly reported and well-written narrative nonfiction I’ve actually had this book since 2019。 It was a featured read at the Society of Environmental Journalists’ conference （god， I miss in-person conferences） and I can see why it earned top billing。 No joke， this is one of those books that will change the way you see EVERYTHING around you。 If you don’t think a book about sand could be completely captivating: prepare to have your mind blown。 "The World in a Grain" is a thoroughly researched， brilliantly reported and well-written narrative nonfiction。 It would make a great gift for anyone interested in construction or the environment。 。。。more

Semih ，

Excellent narrative about an overlooked perspective of global trade。

Ryan Geer ，

I really enjoy books like this， generally。 This book was well written， engaging， and had some really great information。 However， it was about 2x as long as it needed to be because the author engaged in an awful lot of social commentary related to the environment throughout。 What he had to say wasn't unnecessary but the book probably should be retitled to something like "。。。: The Story of Sand and How Civilization is Transforming the Planet （Negatively）。" Let me be clear， I'm not offended by what I really enjoy books like this， generally。 This book was well written， engaging， and had some really great information。 However， it was about 2x as long as it needed to be because the author engaged in an awful lot of social commentary related to the environment throughout。 What he had to say wasn't unnecessary but the book probably should be retitled to something like "。。。: The Story of Sand and How Civilization is Transforming the Planet （Negatively）。" Let me be clear， I'm not offended by what was said， the book just seems like a bit of a bait and switch。 A better approach， and more meaningful， might have been to have a chapter devoted to the effects of all the different kinds of sand mining on the environment and people。 。。。more

Tobin South ，

Interesting， thorough yet to-the-point， and very readable。 This is a great subject matter book that hits the key points it's looking for and leaves the reader with a better understanding of the field。 Interesting， thorough yet to-the-point， and very readable。 This is a great subject matter book that hits the key points it's looking for and leaves the reader with a better understanding of the field。 。。。more

Mark ，

Very interesting book focused more on the actual usage of sand over the past century rather than in its entire history， which turned out to be actually for the best。 The author attempts to go beyond the obvious and has clearly put a lot of thought， research， and visited several relevant places to come to the conclusions that he does。 At one point or another he is a little too hyperbolic， but it's understandable。 I don't think a lot of people have ever considered how reliant on sand we are as a c Very interesting book focused more on the actual usage of sand over the past century rather than in its entire history， which turned out to be actually for the best。 The author attempts to go beyond the obvious and has clearly put a lot of thought， research， and visited several relevant places to come to the conclusions that he does。 At one point or another he is a little too hyperbolic， but it's understandable。 I don't think a lot of people have ever considered how reliant on sand we are as a civilization， but after reading this book， you certainly will。 。。。more

Leah ，

Who knew just how many ways sand is used in our modern world？ It is hard to imagine living in the way we have become accustomed without the glass and concrete that form the structure of our homes and buildings。 And yet， as this book points out so vividly， harvesting sand from riverbeds， hillsides and beaches has devastated ecosystems and economies around the world。 This book doesn't offer any solutions， but it does illustrate the many ways something so tiny has shaped our world。 Who knew just how many ways sand is used in our modern world？ It is hard to imagine living in the way we have become accustomed without the glass and concrete that form the structure of our homes and buildings。 And yet， as this book points out so vividly， harvesting sand from riverbeds， hillsides and beaches has devastated ecosystems and economies around the world。 This book doesn't offer any solutions， but it does illustrate the many ways something so tiny has shaped our world。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0