Picture 1 of 4
Stock photo
Picture 1 of 4
Stock photo
Synthetic Worlds : Nature, Art and the Chemical Industry by Esther Leslie (2006, Hardcover)
sapphire_m (22)
100% positive Feedback
Price:
US $27.13
Approximately£20.24
+ $19.55 postage
Returns:
30 days return. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay delivery label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.
Condition:
"Synthetic Worlds: Nature, Art, and the Chemical Industry" by Esther Leslie is a 2006 textbook that explores the intersection of technology, art, science, and social science. Published by Reaktion Books, this hardcover book delves into the philosophical and sociological aspects of the chemical industry and its impact on society. With 280 pages, this book offers valuable insights into the relationship between nature, art, and technology, making it a valuable resource for those interested in the field of aesthetics and the history of scientific and industrial developments.
- Buy it nowSynthetic Worlds : Nature, Art and the Chemical Industry by Esther Leslie (2006,
Oops! Looks like we're having trouble connecting to our server.
Refresh your browser window to try again.
About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherReaktion Books, The Limited
ISBN-101861892489
ISBN-139781861892485
eBay Product ID (ePID)47022554
Product Key Features
Number of Pages280 Pages
Publication NameSynthetic Worlds : Nature, Art and the Chemical Industry
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year2006
SubjectPhilosophy & Social Aspects, Sociology / General, General, Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades, Aesthetics, History
TypeTextbook
Subject AreaArt, Philosophy, Technology & Engineering, Social Science, Science
AuthorEsther Leslie
FormatHardcover
Dimensions
Item Height0.8 in
Item Weight25 Oz
Item Length9.2 in
Item Width6.1 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional
Dewey Edition22
Reviews"An original account of the material history of colour as synthesised by chemistry. . . . Writes both beautifully and forcefully."--Art Monthly , Leslie's astonishing volume is at once eclectic and subversive, a pastiche of principles and practices laced into the lives and times that defined some of the most interesting and important chemical discoveries and inventions. . . . Enjoy the artwork and the extraordinary quality of the publisher's efforts., "An original account of the material history of colour as synthesised by chemistry. . . . Writes both beautifully and forcefully."-- Art Monthly, . . . a gripping, mostly German history of a 200-year period during which perceptions about the relationship between art and nature were profoundly affected by the chemical industry, sometimes with devastating consequences . . . absorbing, shocking and funny., "Fascinating. . . . Filled with sparkling things, as the story progresses to the Vorticists, Walter Benjamin's arcades and chemical corporation I.G. Farben's links with the Nazis."-- The Guardian, Fascinating. . . . Filled with sparkling things, as the story progresses to the Vorticists, Walter Benjamin''s arcades and chemical corporation I.G. Farben''s links with the Nazis., "A remarkable work of scholar that is rewarding to read on many levels. Although ''page-turner'' is not an adjective normally associated with reviews of academic books, it is one that sums up the enjoyment that I had when reading Synthetic Worlds . . . . an enjoyable read to the very last paragraph. . . . It offers a source of well-researched information, thought-provoking debate and an enjoyable read."-John Emsley, Times Higher Education Supplement, "A gripping, mostly German history of a 200-year period during which perceptions about the relationship between art and nature were profoundly affected by the chemical industry, sometimes with devastating consequences. . . . Absorbing, shocking, and funny."-- Modern Painters, a remarkable work of scholarship that is rewarding to read at many levels. Although "page-turner" is not an adjective normally associated with reviews of academic books, it is one that sums up the enjoyment I had when reading Synthetic Worlds. . . it offers a source of well-researched information, thought-provoking debate and an enjoyable read., "Leslie has produced a sparkling, kaleidoscopic exploration of what happened to art, aesthetics and the human condition when natural products were replaced by synthetic ones, and how industrial progress and consumerism have thrown up waste and pollution that even chemists cannot transform into value within a human timescale."- Ambix: The Journal of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry, "A remarkable work of scholar that is rewarding to read on many levels. Although ''page-turner'' is not an adjective normally associated with reviews of academic books, it is one that sums up the enjoyment that I had when reading "Synthetic Worlds," . . . an enjoyable read to the very last paragraph. . . . It offers a source of well-researched information, thought-provoking debate and an enjoyable read.", Synthetic Worldsrevisits several aspects of our knowledge of the fascinating story of the emergence of artificial substances from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century; in doing so it serves as an excellent example of how we might further explore a major technological change in history . . . a daring and original book, A remarkable work of scholar that is rewarding to read on many levels. Although 'page-turner' is not an adjective normally associated with reviews of academic books, it is one that sums up the enjoyment that I had when reading Synthetic Worlds . . . . an enjoyable read to the very last paragraph. . . . It offers a source of well-researched information, thought-provoking debate and an enjoyable read., "Fascinating. . . . filled with sparkling things, as the story progresses to the Vorticists, Walter Benjamin's arcades and chemical corporation I.G. Farben's links with the Nazis." -- Steven Poole "The Guardian" (02/25/2006), ""Synthetic Worlds "by Esther Leslie is an absorbing account of the development of dyestuffs chemistry and technology in Germany, showing howw it tentative beginnings grew rapidly into a powerful synthetics industry. . . . There is, too, something sinisterly magical about the true historical process she chronicles. . . . The protests of the Situationists against the ''Society of Spectacle, '' the poems of J. H. Prynne which analyse the commercializing of the direct aesthetic experience, the satirical lyrics of the band Poly-Styrene (named after an IG product), the novels of Iain Sinclair--all are fragments shored against the ruin Leslie so compellingly describes.", "Synthetic Worldsby Esther Leslie is an absorbing account of the development of dyestuffs chemistry and technology in Germany, showing howw it tentative beginnings grew rapidly into a powerful synthetics industry. . . . There is, too, something sinisterly magical about the true historical process she chronicles. . . . The protests of the Situationists against the ''Society of Spectacle,'' the poems of J. H. Prynne which analyse the commercializing of the direct aesthetic experience, the satirical lyrics of the band Poly-Styrene (named after an IG product), the novels of Iain Sinclair--all are fragments shored against the ruin Leslie so compellingly describes."--Joseph Rykwert,Times Literary Supplement , Synthetic Worlds revisits several aspects of our knowledge of the fascinating story of the emergence of artificial substances from the mid-nineteenth to the twentieth century; in doing so, it serves as an excellent example of how we might furthere explore a major technological change in history. The book opens new avenues of research. It examines synthetic products in a very different way than the approaches standard with the community of historians of science and technology. . . . This is a daring and original book that will raise many interesting questions for historians of science and technology. Despite its heterodoxy, as a whole it challenges an overly optimistic image of science, technology and progress that is still a subtle component of our research agendas.", "Leslie has produced a sparkling, kaleidoscopic exploration of what happened to art, aesthetics and the human condition when natural products were replaced by synthetic ones, and how industrial progress and consumerism have thrown up waste and pollution that even chemists cannot transform into value within a human timescale." Ambix: The Journal of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry, " Synthetic Worlds by Esther Leslie is an absorbing account of the development of dyestuffs chemistry and technology in Germany, showing howw it tentative beginnings grew rapidly into a powerful synthetics industry. . . . There is, too, something sinisterly magical about the true historical process she chronicles. . . . The protests of the Situationists against the ''Society of Spectacle,'' the poems of J. H. Prynne which analyse the commercializing of the direct aesthetic experience, the satirical lyrics of the band Poly-Styrene (named after an IG product), the novels of Iain Sinclair--all are fragments shored against the ruin Leslie so compellingly describes."--Joseph Rykwert, Times Literary Supplement, "Leslie''s astonishing volume is at once eclectic and subversive, a pastiche of principles and practices laced into the lives and times that defined some of the most interesting and important chemical discoveries and inventions. . . . Enjoy the artwork and the extraordinary quality of the publisher''s efforts."-Choice, "A remarkable work of scholar that is rewarding to read on many levels. Although 'page-turner' is not an adjective normally associated with reviews of academic books, it is one that sums up the enjoyment that I had when reading Synthetic Worlds . . . . an enjoyable read to the very last paragraph. . . . It offers a source of well-researched information, thought-provoking debate and an enjoyable read."-- Times Higher Education Supplement , An original account of the material history of colour as synthesised by chemistry. . . . Writes both beautifully and forcefully., Leslie quotes fascinating passages in which [Friedlieb Ferdinand] Runge saw his coloured pictures as indicative of the self-organising principle of life itself. She unearths other writers of equal interest to support her thesis. . . . The changes in attitude which she charts are interesting and important., "A gripping, mostly German history of a 200-year period during which perceptions about hte relationship between art and nature were profoundly affected by the chemical industry, sometimes with devastating consequences. . . . Absorbing, shocking, and funny."-- Modern Painters , "Leslie quotes fascinating passages in which ÝFriedlieb Ferdinand¨ Runge saw his coloured pictures as indicative of the self-organising principle of life itself. She unearths other writers of equal interest to support her thesis. . . . The changes in attitude which she charts are interesting and important." -- Andrew Crumey "Scotland on Sunday" (01/08/2006), "A remarkable work of scholar that is rewarding to read on many levels. Although ''page-turner'' is not an adjective normally associated with reviews of academic books, it is one that sums up the enjoyment that I had when readingSynthetic Worlds. . . . an enjoyable read to the very last paragraph. . . . It offers a source of well-researched information, thought-provoking debate and an enjoyable read."-John Emsley,Times Higher Education Supplement , "A remarkable work of scholar that is rewarding to read on many levels. Although ''page-turner'' is not an adjective normally associated with reviews of academic books, it is one that sums up the enjoyment that I had when readingSynthetic Worlds. . . . an enjoyable read to the very last paragraph. . . . It offers a source of well-researched information, thought-provoking debate and an enjoyable read."--Times Higher Education Supplement , Fascinating. . . . Filled with sparkling things, as the story progresses to the Vorticists, Walter Benjamin's arcades and chemical corporation I.G. Farben's links with the Nazis., "Fascinating. . . . Filled with sparkling things, as the story progresses to the Vorticists, Walter Benjamin''s arcades and chemical corporation I.G. Farben''s links with the Nazis."-Steven Poole, Guardian, "Synthetic Worldsby Esther Leslie is an absorbing account of the development of dyestuffs chemistry and technology in Germany, showing howw it tentative beginnings grew rapidly into a powerful synthetics industry. . . . There is, too, something sinisterly magical about the true historical process she chronicles. . . . The protests of the Situationists against the ''Society of Spectacle,'' the poems of J. H. Prynne which analyse the commercializing of the direct aesthetic experience, the satirical lyrics of the band Poly-Styrene (named after an IG product), the novels of Iain Sinclair--all are fragments shored against the ruin Leslie so compellingly describes."--Times Literary Supplement , "Leslie quotes fascinating passages in which [Friedlieb Ferdinand] Runge saw his coloured pictures as indicative of the self-organising principle of life itself. She unearths other writers of equal interest to support her thesis. . . . The changes in attitude which she charts are interesting and important."--Andrew Crumey, Scotland on Sunday, "Leslie quotes fascinating passages in which [Friedlieb Ferdinand] Runge saw his coloured pictures as indicative of the self-organising principle of life itself. She unearths other writers of equal interest to support her thesis. . . . The changes in attitude which she charts are interesting and important."--Andrew Crumey,Scotland on Sunday, "A gripping, mostly German history of a 200-year period during which perceptions about hte relationship between art and nature were profoundly affected by the chemical industry, sometimes with devastating consequences. . . . Absorbing, shocking, and funny."--Modern Painters , "A gripping, mostly German history of a 200-year period during which perceptions about hte relationship between art and nature were profoundly affected by the chemical industry, sometimes with devastating consequences. . . . Absorbing, shocking, and funny."--"Modern Painters", "Fascinating. . . . Filled with sparkling things, as the story progresses to the Vorticists, Walter Benjamin''s arcades and chemical corporation I.G. Farben''s links with the Nazis."-Steven Poole, Guardian, Synthetic Worlds revisits several aspects of our knowledge of the fascinating story of the emergence of artificial substances from the mid-nineteenth to the twentieth century; in doing so, it serves as an excellent example of how we might furthere explore a major technological change in history. The book opens new avenues of research. It examines synthetic products in a very different way than the approaches standard with the community of historians of science and technology. . . . This is a daring and original book that will raise many interesting questions for historians of science and technology. Despite its heterodoxy, as a whole it challenges an overly optimistic image of science, technology and progress that is still a subtle component of our research agendas.", Synthetic Worldsrevisits several aspects of our knowledge of the fascinating story of the emergence of artificial substances from the mid-nineteenth to the twentieth century; in doing so, it serves as an excellent example of how we might furthere explore a major technological change in history. The book opens new avenues of research. It examines synthetic products in a very different way than the approaches standard with the community of historians of science and technology. . . . This is a daring and original book that will raise many interesting questions for historians of science and technology. Despite its heterodoxy, as a whole it challenges an overly optimistic image of science, technology and progress that is still a subtle component of our research agendas."--Isis, "Fascinating. . . . Filled with sparkling things, as the story progresses to the Vorticists, Walter Benjamin''s arcades and chemical corporation I.G. Farben''s links with the Nazis."--The Guardian, "An original account of the material history of colour as synthesised by chemistry. . . . Writes both beautifully and forcefully."-- Art Monthly , "A gripping, mostly German history of a 200-year period during which perceptions about the relationship between art and nature were profoundly affected by the chemical industry, sometimes with devastating consequences. . . . Absorbing, shocking, and funny."--Modern Painters , "Leslie''s astonishing volume is at once eclectic and subversive, a pastiche of principles and practices laced into the lives and times that defined some of the most interesting and important chemical discoveries and inventions. . . . Enjoy the artwork and the extraordinary quality of the publisher''s efforts."- Choice, Synthetic Worlds by Esther Leslie is an absorbing account of the development of dyestuffs chemistry and technology in Germany, showing howw it tentative beginnings grew rapidly into a powerful synthetics industry. . . . There is, too, something sinisterly magical about the true historical process she chronicles. . . . The protests of the Situationists against the 'Society of Spectacle,' the poems of J. H. Prynne which analyse the commercializing of the direct aesthetic experience, the satirical lyrics of the band Poly-Styrene (named after an IG product), the novels of Iain Sinclair--all are fragments shored against the ruin Leslie so compellingly describes., Synthetic Worlds revisits several aspects of our knowledge of the fascinating story of the emergence of artificial substances from the mid-nineteenth to the twentieth century; in doing so, it serves as an excellent example of how we might furthere explore a major technological change in history. The book opens new avenues of research. It examines synthetic products in a very different way than the approaches standard with the community of historians of science and technology. . . . This is a daring and original book that will raise many interesting questions for historians of science and technology. Despite its heterodoxy, as a whole it challenges an overly optimistic image of science, technology and progress that is still a subtle component of our research agendas."-- Isis, Leslie has produced a sparkling, kaleidoscopic exploration of what happened to art, aesthetics and the human condition when natural products were replaced by synthetic ones, and how industrial progress and consumerism have thrown up waste and pollution that even chemists cannot transform into value within a human timescale . . . Leslie's hypnotic and stylish prose ranges widely, A gripping, mostly German history of a 200-year period during which perceptions about the relationship between art and nature were profoundly affected by the chemical industry, sometimes with devastating consequences. . . . Absorbing, shocking, and funny.
IllustratedYes
Dewey Decimal701/.05
Table Of Contentintroduction: Glints, Facets and Essence one Substance and Philosophy, Coal and Poetry two Eyelike Blots and Synthetic Colour three Shimmer and Shine, Waste and Effort in the Exchange Economy four Twinkle and Extra-terrestriality: A Utopian Interlude five Class Struggle in Colour six Nazi Rainbows seven Abstraction and Extraction in the Third Reich eight After Germany: Pollutants, Aura and Colours That Glow conclusion: Nature's Beautiful Corpse References Select Bibliography Acknowledgements Index
SynopsisThis revealing study considers the remarkable alliance between chemistry and art from the late eighteenth century to the period immediately following the Second World War. "Synthetic Worlds" offers fascinating new insights into the place of the material object and the significance of the natural, the organic, and the inorganic in Western aesthetics. Esther Leslie considers how radical innovations in chemistry confounded earlier alchemical and Romantic philosophies of science and nature while profoundly influencing the theories that developed in their wake. She also explores how advances in chemical engineering provided visual artists with new colors, surfaces, coatings, and textures, thus dramatically recasting the way painters approached their work. Ranging from Goethe to Hegel, Blake to the Bauhaus, "Synthetic Worlds" ultimately considers the astonishing affinities between chemistry and aesthetics more generally. As in science, progress in the arts is always assured, because the impulse to discover is as immutable and timeless as the drive to create., This revealing study considers the remarkable alliance between chemistry and art from the late eighteenth century to the period immediately following the Second World War. Synthetic Worlds offers fascinating new insights into the place of the material object and the significance of the natural, the organic, and the inorganic in Western aesthetics. Esther Leslie considers how radical innovations in chemistry confounded earlier alchemical and Romantic philosophies of science and nature while profoundly influencing the theories that developed in their wake. She also explores how advances in chemical engineering provided visual artists with new colors, surfaces, coatings, and textures, thus dramatically recasting the way painters approached their work. Ranging from Goethe to Hegel, Blake to the Bauhaus, Synthetic Worlds ultimately considers the astonishing affinities between chemistry and aesthetics more generally. As in science, progress in the arts is always assured, because the impulse to discover is as immutable and timeless as the drive to create., Synthetic Worlds is an examination of the remarkable interactions between chemistry, industry, aesthetics and art. It describes how the innovations of chemical engineering have provided new colours and surfaces, new substances, coatings and textures, and how these have been employed by artists. It includes many unusual and compelling illustrations.
LC Classification NumberN72.S3
Be the first to write a review
