Tony Fry (Queensland College of Art, Australia), one of the world's leading experts on the theory of design and its impact on culture, and Anne-Marie Willis (design theory, German Univ., Egypt) have produced an exceptional piece of scholarship with Steel: A Design, Cultural, and Ecological History. The book is part of a series called "Design, Histories, Futures," which ‘aims to advance knowledge on the wider historical significance of design.’ This work defies easy categorization: it is part history, part historiography, part ecological philosophy, and part design theory. All parts, however, are tied seamlessly together under one conceptual umbrella—the history of steel (and iron) production and the past, present, and future effects these materials have had (and will continue to have) on the world. Fry and Willis also pay close attention to the question of sustainability as they trace the social and economic histories of steel in various cultures, both Western and non-Western. This carefully documented study will be an excellent source for all historians of technology and for specialists in ecological and design studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners.
CHOICE
The work offers insight into the embedded complexities of the sustainability agenda, via historical consideration of one material - steel. This provides a vehicle for addressing the ways in which humans have historically conceived of and produced their world. It goes beyond conventional commodity histories, in addressing the philosophical conditions in which the production and consumption of steel originates.
Paul Micklethwaite, Kingston University, UK