{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260513T222106Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544483944?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"0544483944","authors":["Mark Miodownik","Sarah Scarlett"],"book_id":"9780544483941","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/stuff-matters-0544483944","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780544483941.jpg?v=20260513T222106Z%3A2026-05-13T22%3A21%3A06Z","description":"In this New York Times Notable Book, \"Mark Miodownik, a materials scientist, explains the history and science behind things such as paper, glass, chocolate, and concrete with an infectious enthusiasm.\"— Scientific American Winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books Why is glass see-through? What makes elastic stretchy? Why does any material look and behave the way it does? These are the sorts of questions that renowned materials scientist and New York Times bestselling author Mark Miodownik constantly asks himself. Studying objects as ordinary as an envelope and as unexpected as concrete cloth, he uncovers the fascinating secrets that hold together our physical world. In Stuff Matters, Miodownik explores the materials he encounters in a typical morning, from the steel in his razor to the foam in his sneakers. Full of enthralling tales of the miracles of engineering that permeate our lives, his stories of analysis will make you see stuff in a whole new way. \"Stuff Matters is about hidden wonders, the astonishing properties of materials we think boring, banal, and unworthy of attention...It's possible this science and these stories have been told elsewhere, but like the best chocolatiers, Miodownik gets the blend right.\"— New York Times Book Review","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780544483941","publication_date":"20150317","publisher":"HarperCollins","slug":"stuff-matters","subtitle":"Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-made World","title":"Stuff Matters"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"SCI013080","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Environmental Chemistry","score":0.7286,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAN050120","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Physics for Teens","score":0.7235,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TEC008060","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Digital Electronics","score":0.7221,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"SCI013080","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Environmental Chemistry","score":0.7286,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAN050120","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Physics for Teens","score":0.7235,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"TEC008060","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Digital Electronics","score":0.7221,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"HIS037030","confidence_band":"high","label":"Modern History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"SCI003000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Applied Science","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"SCI013030","confidence_band":"high","label":"Inorganic Chemistry","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Environmental Chemistry","score":0.7286,"slug":"environmental-chemistry"},{"label":"Physics for Teens","score":0.7235,"slug":"physics-for-teens"},{"label":"Digital Electronics","score":0.7221,"slug":"digital-electronics"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers interested in everyday science and materials","Good for fans of popular science exploring the physical world"],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Rick Smith","Bruce Lourie"],"book_id":"9781582437026","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781582437026.jpg?v=20260513T222106Z%3A2026-05-13T22%3A21%3A06Z","score":11.203,"title":"Slow Death by Rubber Duck","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781582437026"},{"authors":["Walter Isaacson"],"book_id":"9781476708706","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781476708706.jpg?v=20260513T222106Z%3A2026-05-13T22%3A21%3A06Z","score":11.1639,"title":"The Innovators","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781476708706"},{"authors":["Benyamin Cohen"],"book_id":"9781728248387","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781728248387.jpg?v=20260513T222106Z%3A2026-05-13T22%3A21%3A06Z","score":10.7961,"title":"The Einstein Effect","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781728248387"},{"authors":["Edward Dolnick","Alan Sklar","Audible Studios","& 0 more"],"book_id":"9780061719516","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780061719516.jpg?v=20260513T222106Z%3A2026-05-13T22%3A21%3A06Z","score":10.4566,"title":"The Clockwork Universe","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780061719516"},{"authors":["David Deutsch"],"book_id":"9780143121350","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780143121350.jpg?v=20260513T222106Z%3A2026-05-13T22%3A21%3A06Z","score":10.3967,"title":"The Beginning of Infinity","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780143121350"}],"topics":[],"what_you_get":["Themes: materials science, everyday objects, engineering marvels.","Pacing: steady blend of plot and character.","Reading lane: Environmental Chemistry and Physics for Teens."]},"llm_signals":{"confidence":0.9,"pacing":"steady","reader_fit":["Readers interested in everyday science and materials","Fans of popular science exploring the physical world"],"themes":["materials science","everyday objects","engineering marvels"],"tropes":[]},"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":true,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":0,"goodreads_ratings_count":21355,"goodreads_reviews_count":2258,"quality_score":0.9656}}