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Seven Elements That Have Changed The World: Iron, Carbon, Gold, Silver, Uranium, Titanium, Silicon by John Browne
About the book
Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson - an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group
Humans have put the Earth's resources to extraordinary use, but not always for the benefit of humankind. Seven Elements vividly describes how iron, carbon, gold, silver, uranium, titanium and silicon have shaped the world around us - for good and for bad.
This book takes you on an adventure of human passion, ingenuity and discovery, but it is a journey that is far from over: we continue to find surprising new uses for each of these seven key elements. Discover how titanium pervades modern consumer society, how natural gas is transforming the global energy sector and how an innovative new form of carbon could be starting a technological revolution.
Seven Elements is a unique mix of science, history and politics, interwoven with the author's extensive personal and professional experience.
Read the first chapter (PDF)
About the author
John Browne (Lord Browne of Madingley) was born in Germany in 1948 and joined BP as a university apprentice in 1966. He was Group Chief Executive of BP from 1995 to 2007, where he built a reputation as a visionary leader and was regularly voted the most admired businessman by his peers. He was knighted in 1998 and made a life peer in 2001. He is now a managing partner of Riverstone LLC, an international energy private equity firm, a Fellow of the Royal Society (UK), President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chairman of the Tate Gallery.
The judges said:
Browne is clearly a man who has dedicated his life to the elements. This is an inspiring tale of our relationship with these seven very special elements that interweaves the culture, science and history masterfully.