Synopsis
Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it's also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called "the oil of our time."
The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. Over the past century, phosphorus has made farming vastly more productive, feeding the enormous increase in the human population. Yet, as Egan harrowingly reports, our overreliance on this vital crop nutrient is today causing toxic algae blooms and "dead zones" in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide--which risks rising conflict and even war.
With The Devil's Element, Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to one of the most perilous but little-known environmental issues of our time.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Dan Egan is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. A two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, he lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his wife and children.
From the Back Cover
"[Phosphorus] today is precious and finite in the same way fossil fuels are. Yet we are blowing through Earth's accessible deposits at such a pace that, just like oil production, some scientists now fear we could hit 'peak phosphorus' in just a matter of decades, at which point we risk declining mining yields-- and chronic food scarcity.... Call it the phosphorus paradox--at the same time as we are drawing down our increasingly precious caches of mineable phosphorus rock we are overdosing our waters with it." --from the introduction
Praise for Dan Egan's The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
"Suspenseful, superbly informative, crucial."
-- Louise Erdrich
"Nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative.... Egan's book is bursting with life (and yes, death)."
-- Robert Moor, New York Times Book Review
"Fascinating and brilliant... Egan's narrative often moves like a thriller."
-- Vicky Albritton and Fredrik Albritton Jonsson, Los Angeles Review of Books
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out...
Seller Image
The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
Seller: clickgoodwillbooks, Indianapolis, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Used - Good: A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. Seller Inventory # CSIV.1324074728.G
Seller Image
Devil's Element : Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 46129183-n
Stock Image
The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance [Paperback] Egan, Dan
Seller: Lakeside Books, Benton Harbor, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Brand New! Not Overstocks or Low Quality Book Club Editions! Direct From the Publisher! We're not a giant, faceless warehouse organization! We're a small town bookstore that loves books and loves it's customers! Buy from Lakeside Books! Seller Inventory # OTF-S-9781324074724
Seller Image
The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance (Paperback or Softback)
Published by
W. W. Norton & Company 6/4/2024, 2024
ISBN 10: 1324074728
ISBN 13: 9781324074724
New
Paperback or Softback
Seller: BargainBookStores, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9781324074724
Seller Image
Devil's Element : Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: As New. Unread book in perfect condition. Seller Inventory # 46129183
Stock Image
The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
Published by
W. W. Norton & Company, 2024
ISBN 10: 1324074728
ISBN 13: 9781324074724
Used
Paperback
First Edition
Seller: Chaparral Books, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. First paperback printing. The binding is clean and tight with minor wear to wrapper and edges. Seller Inventory # CHAPegaDEP
Stock Image
The Devil's Element (Paperback)
Published by
WW Norton & Co, New York, 2024
ISBN 10: 1324074728
ISBN 13: 9781324074724
New
Paperback
Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But its also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called the oil of our time.The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. Over the past century, phosphorus has made farming vastly more productive, feeding the enormous increase in the human population. Yet, as Egan harrowingly reports, our overreliance on this vital crop nutrient is today causing toxic algae blooms and dead zones in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwidewhich risks rising conflict and even war.With The Devils Element, Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to one of the most perilous but little-known environmental issues of our time. A New Yorker Best Book of the Year"Livelyand thought-provoking. Robert W. Howarth, ScienceThe New York Times best-selling author on the source of great bountyand now great perilall over the world. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781324074724
Stock Image
The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance
Seller: California Books, Miami, FL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # I-9781324074724
Seller Image
The Devil's Element
Seller: Rarewaves.com USA, London, LONDO, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: New. Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it's also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called "the oil of our time."The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. Over the past century, phosphorus has made farming vastly more productive, feeding the enormous increase in the human population. Yet, as Egan harrowingly reports, our overreliance on this vital crop nutrient is today causing toxic algae blooms and "dead zones" in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide-which risks rising conflict and even war.With The Devil's Element, Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to one of the most perilous but little-known environmental issues of our time. Seller Inventory # LU-9781324074724
Stock Image
The Devil's Element
Seller: PBShop.store US, Wood Dale, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
UNK. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # WB-9781324074724