Charles Ross' fascination with light, time and the space of the stars has produced a major earthwork, large-scale prism installations, sculpture, and painting with dynamite. From "Star Axis," a vast architectonic earth/star work in the New Mexico desert, to his "Solar Burns" series made by burning wood-panel monochromes with focused rays of the sun, Ross allows the natural patterns and forces of the cosmos to inform his work. "The Substance of Light" is a comprehensive volume that covers over four decades of work and features full-color illustrations of his "Solar Spectrum" artworks, "Star Axis," his "Solar Burns," "Star Maps" and "Explosion Paintings and Drawings," along with early work and selected architectural commissions. Major essays by Thomas McEvilley and Klaus Ottmann, as well as an extensive interview with Loïc Malle and a range of historical texts are also included.