Glass

Alan Macfarlane

"Picture, if you can, a world without glass. There would be no microscopes or telescopes, no sciences of microbiology or astronomy. People with poor vision would grope in the shadows, and planes, cars, and even electricity probably wouldn't exist. Artists would draw without the benefit of three-dimensional perspective, and ships would still be steered by what stars navigators could see through the naked eye.". "In Glass: A World History, Alan Macfarlane and Gerry Martin tell the story of how glass has revolutionized the way we see ourselves and the world around us. Macfarlane and Martin trace the history of glass and its uses from its invention ten thousand years ago in the Near East through the ancient civilizations of India, China, and Rome to western Europe during the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Industrial Revolution, and finally up to the present day. The authors argue that...

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