GLASS

A close look at the history and prehistory of a common substance we mostly only look through.

Theule follows up her likewise revelatory book Concrete From the Ground Up (2022) by going even further back in time to track our association with glass from 300,000-year-old obsidian tools to today’s cellphone screens and fiber optic cables. She explains in general terms how both natural and manufactured glass is made and its many useful properties, how glassblowing was invented and refined into “one of the coolest (and hottest!) art forms,” and how the material came to be used for windows and architectural marvels as well as in eyeglasses and scientific instruments. “We’re still finding ways to make it and use it,” she finishes—though she leaves readers to their own speculations rather than pointing out any innovations. Tentler-Krylov fills in at least some of the blanks. In her bright montages, glass items from spearheads and simple molded bowls to show-stopping stained glass windows and futuristic flying cars tumble past, accompanied by a cast of racially and culturally diverse glass workers and users who lighten the tone with appreciative or explanatory remarks.

A quick glance, but as clear and colorful as its topic.