Your Life Is Manufactured (Paperback)

Tim Minshall

ISBN 10: 0571381030 / ISBN 13: 9780571381036

Published by Faber & Faber, London, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. From mega-factory floors, engineering laboratories and seaports to distribution hubs, supermarkets and our own homes, embark on an eye-opening guided tour through the world of manufacturing and its transformational influence on our lives - and the planet.A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 FINANCIAL TIMES & SCHRODER BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEARFEATURING A NEW AFTERWORD'Revelatory.' SUNDAY TIMES'Fascinating.' THE TIMES'Intensely readable.' IRISH TIMES'Well-observed and enjoyably written.' FINANCIAL TIMESUnless you are floating naked through space, you are right now in direct contact with multiple manufactured products, be it furniture, technology, clothing, and or even food. The processes by which these things appear in our lives are virtually invisible. How often do we stop to think: Where do the things we buy actually come from?Charting the byzantine journeys taken by everyday items to reach us, Your Life is Manufactured reveals the seismic impact manufacturing has had on our lives and the natural world - and explores how it could offer us a path to a truly sustainable, more equitable future. In doing so, Minshall grants us the ability to make better choices for ourselves, our communities and the planet.'An extraordinarily good read.'DAVID SPIEGELHALTER From an award-winning and internationally-renowned expert, a wonderfully illuminating journey through the world of manufacturing and its transformational influence on our lives - and the world around us. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780571381036

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Your Life Is Manufactured (Paperback)
• Publisher: Faber & Faber, London
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0571381030
• ISBN 13: 9780571381036
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

From an award-winning and internationally-renowned expert, a wonderfully illuminating journey through the world of manufacturing and its transformational influence on our lives - and the world around us.


'Revelatory.' S UNDAY TIMES

'Fascinating.' THE TIMES

'Well-observed and enjoyably written.' FINANCIAL TIMES


'An extraordinarily good read.'
PROFESSOR DAVID SPIEGELHALTER, author of The Art of Statistics


'An illuminating and at times mind-boggling exploration of a global choreography that means I won't look at my kettle the same way again.'
ZOE LAUGHLIN, presenter of BBC Four's How to Make


***

We live in a manufactured world. Unless you are floating naked through space, you are right now in direct contact with multiple manufactured products. How often do we stop to where do the things we buy actually come from?


There exists a nearly invisible, awe-inspiring global system of manufacturing that enables virtually every aspect of our existence. The things we surround ourselves with take surprising and often byzantine journeys to reach us - be it the thousands of litres of water needed to make a single pair of jeans or the components of our smartphones travelling over six times around the world to reach us.


From mega-factory floors, engineering laboratories and seaports to distribution hubs, supermarkets and our own homes, Tim Minshall traces these journeys to reveal the hidden world of manufacturing.


Charting how this world came to be, Your Life is Manufactured reveals the seismic impact manufacturing has had on our lives and the natural world, exploring how it could offer us a path to a truly sustainable, more equitable future. In doing so, Minshall grants us the ability to make better choices for ourselves, our communities and the planet.


***


'This brilliant book shows that manufacturing is foundational to our lives, not only now but also if there is to be any hope for a sustainable future. I learned something new on every page.'
PROFESSOR DIANE COYLE, author of Cogs and Monsters


'Reading this book is like being given a personal tour of the world's factories by a real-life Willy Wonka. Brimming with insight, curiosity and wit, Tim is a masterful storyteller of the manufactured world.'
DR ANNA PLOSZAJSKI, author of A Scientist's Search for Meaning Through Making