Although the last two generations have seen an enormous amount of attention paid to advances in electronics‎,‎ the fact remains that high‎-income‎,‎ high‎-energy societies could thrive without microchips‎,‎ etc‎.‎‎,‎ but‎,‎ by contrast‎,‎ could not exist without steel‎.‎ Because of the importance of this material to comtemporary civilization‎,‎ a comprehensive resource is needed for metallurgists‎,‎ non‎-metallurgists‎,‎ and anyone with a background in environmental studies‎,‎ industry‎,‎ manufacturing‎,‎ and history‎,‎ seeking a broader understanding of the history of iron and steel and its current and future impact on society‎.‎ Given its coverage of the history of iron and steel from its genesis to slow pre‎-industrial progress‎,‎ revolutionary advances during the 19th century‎,‎ magnification of 19th century advances during the past five generations‎,‎ patterns of modern steel production‎,‎ the ubiquitous uses of the material‎,‎ potential substitutions‎,‎ advances in relative dematerialization‎,‎ and appraisal of steel‎'‎s possible futures‎,‎ Still the Iron Age‎:‎ Iron and Steel in the Modern World by world‎-renowned author Vaclav Smil meets that need‎.‎

• Author‎:‎ Vaclav Smil
• Publisher‎:‎ Butterworth‎-Heinemann
• ISBN‎:‎ 9780128042335