From artificial hearts to pink flamingos, kevlar vests to credit cards, plastic has invaded every aspect of modern life. Surpassing wood, cotton, steel and glass in all categories (except possibly good taste), it is more than just a product of modern society: it has revolutionized our entire way of life.

Plastic traces the obscure origins of synthetic materials to present: a century's worth of information on the fascinating inventors, speculators and designers who ushered in the plastic invasion. Among the colorful characters: John Wesley Harding, who pursued a quixotic quest to create the perfect billiard ball; and Wallace Carothers, who committed suicide just as the sexual revolution was about to be ushered in by his creation, nylon stockings. Written in the tradition of James Womack's The Machine that Changed the World, this is a fresh and eminently entertaining look at an ubiquitous and nearly indestructible substance, and the way it has shaped our world.

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