Back to the Basics

The temperature, salt, air are all commonplace items that hardly get any attention or a second thought. Luckily some intelligent authors have taken the time to write about these basics that we all take for granted.

William Bryant Logan has three books about Oak trees, Dirt, and Air. In each, he dives into his subject with a fine-tooth comb. Each of his books takes what seems to be a basic building block of everyday life and unfolds it into a complex shape that shows how embedded they are as a natural resource.

Mark Kurlansky's Salt: A World History sheds light on the impressive history of a now basic food additive. The reader learns what salt meant for civilizations, how it influenced the building of cities, was used as a currency, what it meant for science, and how it altered food and food supplies.

Sand: The Never-Ending Story by Michael Welland is about the pervasiveness of sand in all aspects of humanity. It is important in science (geology, archaeology, etc.) and in a human context (exploration, art, etc.). Welland pulls the various aspects of such a common material and weaves it with stories about creators and scientists who have made great works or discoveries with sand.

The temperature is really only noticed when it either rises or falls below our comfort levels. Bill Streever's Cold and Heat take the reader to the hottest and coldest locations in the world. He explores how these temperature extremes affect the ecosystem and how our search for ways to create both cold and heat have progressed.