Review : Material worlds

26 July 1997

Because everything has to be made of something, materials can seem
downright boring. But Stuff forces you to marvel at the wonders that steel,
plastics and more exotic creations such as shape memory alloys can perform these
days. Unfortunately, Ivan Amato’s enthusiasm for advanced materials makes for a
slightly narrow view of reality: that widely used wonder material wood, for
instance, barely gets a mention. Published by Basic Books (USA), $25,
ISBN 0465083285.