Includes bibliographical references and index.

Origins -- Towering ziggurats, concrete pyramids, and Minoan mazes -- The Gold Standard -- Concrete in Mesoamerica and Renaissance Europe -- The development of modern concrete -- Refinements, reinforcement, and proliferation -- The wizard and the architect -- The concretization of the world -- The bad news -- The good news. Concrete: We use it for our buildings, bridges, dams, and roads. We walk on it, drive on it, and many of us live and work within its walls. But very few of us know what it is. We take for granted this ubiquitous substance, which both literally and figuratively comprises much of modern civilization's constructed environment; yet the story of its creation and development features a cast of fascinating characters and remarkable historical episodes.