Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium — these foundational materials are literally what the modern world is built on. Without sand for glass, say goodbye to our fiber optic internet. No copper means no conductive wiring. And a world without lithium is a world without rechargeable batteries. For the final installment of Hitting the Books for 2023, we're bringing you an excerpt from the fantastic Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway. A finalist for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year award, Material World walks readers through the seismic impacts these six substances have had on human civilization throughout history, using a masterful mix of narrative storytelling and clear-eyed technical explanation. In the excerpt below, Conway discusses how the lithium ion battery technology that is currently powering the EV revolution came into existence. Thanks very much for reading Hitting the Books this year, we'll be back with more of the best excerpts from new and upcoming technology titles in post-CES January, 2024! Penguin Random House Excerpted from Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway. Published by Knopf. Copyright © 2023 by Ed Conway. All rights reserved. A Better Battery The first engineer to use lithium in a battery was none other than Thomas Edison. Having mastered the manufacture of concrete by focusing religiously on improving the recipe and... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2023-12-24 15:30:10 UTC ]
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Bookselling Without Borders, which is sponsored by five independent publishers, is looking to raise $30,000 on Kickstarter. The funds will be used to send booksellers to three international book fairs next year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In late September a group of alt right activists stormed the Berkeley-Calif.-based Revolution Books. Since then, owner Reiko Redmonde said the indie has sustained harassment by a group that claims to be an arm of the "right-wing media." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Less than a fortnight after launching his novel on crowdfunding platform Unbound, rights to Matt Cain’s The Madonna of Bolton are being sold at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Octopus imprint Aster has bought a book on self-care by psychologist, yoga teacher and personal trainer Suzy Reading, one of the latest in a slew of book signings in the wellness trend. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Repeater is to publish Nincompoopolis: The Follies of Boris Johnson, a new book by writer and architect Douglas Murphy examining the built legacy of Boris Johnson's tenure as Mayor of London. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As schools turn to open digital resources to cut student costs, reeling college book makers are looking for ways to monetize the free content. The digital revolution has been rocking the academic publishing applecart for years. Students bristling at the price of books—an intro biology text can... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The publisher claims its proprietary tech helps it react fast to algorithm changes in Facebook's News Feed. The post Sports publisher GiveMeSport built a tech platform to Facebook-proof its audience appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 22nd annual Audies Gala featured awards in 27 categories, with a behind-the-scenes audiobook look at Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway hit nabbing 'Audiobook of the Year' honors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a BookExpo presentation, Goodreads explicated a publisher's elevation of a title to 'Times' bestseller status using the platform's amplification. The post Marketing: Anatomy of a St. Martin’s Hit Built on the Goodreads Platform appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scribe has signed Revolution, a memoir and political testament by France's recently-elected president Emmanuel Macron. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing discovered the utility of scannable bar codes early. Just ask the 13-digit ISBN. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Midia InkBook 8 has similar dimensions to Kobo’s Aura One, measuring 6.5 by 1.3 by 8.9 inches and sporting an eight inch e-ink display. It weighs just a bit more than its Kobo counterpart, coming it at just under nine ounces. In exchange for the e-reader’s extra heft, you’ll gain a microSD... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Puffin is to publish a picture book edition of Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species, retold by qualified molecular biologist Sabina Radeva, after the book raised more than £49,000 through a Kickstarter campaign. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tech culture has the reputation for long hours, intense competition, and little time for reflection. But Asana, a workplace-productivity management company founded by former Facebookers and Googlers, couldn’t be further from this stereotype. The company is built on the idea that mindfulness,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2017-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The coauthors of 'Black Comix,' a pioneering 2010 African-American comics compilation, have tapped Kickstarter to fund an expanded version of the book, and teamed with Magnetic Press to release it to the trade. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since its launch in 2009, Kickstarter has raised over $100 million for publishing projects, $21 million of which was raised last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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African-American self-publishers are using Kickstarter to meet the demand for comics with diverse stories and characters. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers need to move away from thinking about digital as a silo and instead focus on cultivating the mindset and behaviours needed to thrive in the digital age, Eva Appelbaum, digital strategy specialist at Digital Talent @Work has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Science fiction and fantasy novelist China Miéville is to make a rare foray into non-fiction to pen a “labour of love” history of the Russian revolution for indie press Verso. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How the husband and daughter of food writer and historian Joy Santlofer helped complete Joy's book, 'Food City,' after she died suddenly in 2013. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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