A sweeping account of civilization's complete dependence on copper that "is the best sort of journalism: beautifully written, rich in detail, and impossible to ignore" (Sebastian Junger).

For most of recorded history, copper has proven invaluable: not only did the ancient Romans build their empire on mining copper but Christopher Columbus protected his ships from rot by lining their hulls with it. Today, this pliable and sturdy metal can be found in every house, car, airplane, cell phone, computer, and home appliance across the globe. Yet the history of copper extraction and our present...