It's a Gas

Praise for IT’S A GAS and Mark Miodownik: “A science writer and materials scientist takes readers on a lively journey … from the proliferation of steam power in the 1700s to our changing relationship with carbon dioxide.” – New York Times Book Review

“Miodownik fizzes with enthusiasm…a compelling read.” – Financial Times

“It’s not just a gas, it’s a blast. A brilliant, bracing journey though the past, present and future of the invisible stuff you can’t see, but is everywhere. Read this book and you’ll never see, smell or inhale the world quite the same again.” – Ed Conway, author of Material World

“Captivating… Miodownik combines a specialist’s erudition with a generalist’s broad scope, producing an expansive inquiry that bounds from human history to natural science and climate research without missing a beat. It’s an exemplary work of pop science.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

”[Miodownik] never lets hard science get in the way of an engrossing narrative, but neither does he scrimp on substance. It would be hard to imagine a more comprehensive guide to gases for the lay reader, or one that made their crucial, interactive role in Earth’s history more apparent. Miodownik blends top-drawer expertise with a sprightly style that commands the reader’s attention first word to last.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Miodownik’s breezy commentary, delivered in an appealing and conversational tone, is certain to elevate our appreciation for the gaseous sphere.” – Booklist

“A witty, smart writer who has a great talent for imparting his love for the subject.” – Bill Gates on Stuff Matters

“Miodownik writes with such knowledge, such enthusiasm, such a palpable love for his subject.” – Oliver Sacks on Stuff Matters

“An exhilarating journey through the invisible wonders that shape our world. With seamless storytelling and scientific flair, Mark unveils the captivating personalities of gases that fizz, pop, numb, smell, warm, and soar, illuminating the extraordinary role they play in our lives.” – Roger Highfield, author of Virtual You

“Mark Miodownik is an exceptionally talented scientist, writer and communicator, and in this book he brings the invisible world of gas to vivid, visible life.” – Sophie Scott, author of The Brain: 10 Things You Should Know

Mark Miodownik is professor of materials and society at University College London, where he is also director of the Institute of Making. He is the author of Stuff Matters, a New York Times bestseller which won the National Academy of Sciences Communication Award for Books and the Royal Society Winton Prize, and Liquid Rules, a finalist for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize. Mark is a frequent guest on podcasts and NPR, hosts regular shows on the BBC, and was chosen by the Times as one of the one hundred most influential scientists in the UK.