The Devil's Element Audiobook By Dan Egan cover art

The Devil's Element

Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Devil's Element

By: Dan Egan
Narrated by: Jason Culp
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

The New York Times best-selling author on the source of great bounty—and now great peril—all over the world.

Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it’s also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called “the oil of our time.”

The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. Over the past century, phosphorus has made farming vastly more productive, feeding the enormous increase in the human population. Yet, as Egan harrowingly reports, our overreliance on this vital crop nutrient is today causing toxic algae blooms and “dead zones” in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide—which risks rising conflict and even war.

With The Devil’s Element, Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to one of the most perilous but little-known environmental issues of our time.

©2023 Dan Egan (P)2023 Random House Audio
Chemistry Ecology History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"In his crisply written new book…Dan Egan sounds alarms on both the scarcity and overabundance sides of the phosphorus-human equation." (Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

"[Egan] builds a story of innovation, failure, recovery, and looming catastrophe…[A] deep humanity resides in his writing." (Garin Cycholl, Chicago Review of Books)

Featured Article: 6 Works of Climate Nonfiction to Listen to This Earth Day


Healing the planet will take all of us—and the more we listen, the better equipped we are to help. In this roundup of recent nonfiction, including documentary podcasts and major audiobooks from leading climate experts, the realities of the climate crisis are paired with immersive storytelling and creative solutions to fuel hope and action in listeners. Discover the latest science and captivating storytelling to fuel action and hope.

What listeners say about The Devil's Element

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    29
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    26
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Eye opening!

A must read if you are concerned about humanities future. Left me pondering and googling for updates. Thank you Dan Egan; and thank you Jason Culp, you kept me walking and listening!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptionally well crafted

"The Devil's Element" is a captivating book that seamlessly blends history, current events, and future issues in a way that is both informative and engaging. Egan expertly weaves together the stories of early chemist scientists, the environmental and health consequences of the phosphorus industry, and modern-day efforts to mitigate damage. He explores the broader social, economic, and political implications of the phosphorus industry, and raises important questions about our collective responsibility to protect our planet and our culpability in participating in this system however unknowingly. I also thought his book about the great lakes was very well done so when I saw this has come out I picked it up immediately. It's well worth your time

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Informative and entertaining

Eye opening and a good look at a more sustainable future and good ideas for future businesses

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great primer on phosphorus

Well written and entertaining. An easy read on an element that we cannot live without.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Essential Science

Powerful implications for policy, planners, engineers, and ethical
agriculturists. Easy and enlightening to read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!