Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc - Softcover

Aldersey-Williams, Hugh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061824739 ISBN 13: 9780061824739

Publisher: Ecco Press, 2012

Synopsis

Title: Periodic Tales <>Binding: Paperback <>Author: Hugh Aldersey-Williams <>Publisher: PENGUIN GROUP

About this title

Review:

"A lucid, enjoyable collection . . . that, element by element, demystifies the iconic periodic table."--Kirkus Reviews

"Aldersey-Williams's playful, hands-on approach to scientific exploration shines through the book."--Boston Globe

"[A] virtuoso tour of the periodic table."--Publishers Weekly

For the UK edition: "[F]ascinating and beautiful. . . . If only chemistry had been like this at school. . . . [A] rich compilation of delicious tales."--Matt Ridley, Prospect magazine

"[C]harming. . . . Aldersey-Williams writes with simplicity and elegance. The stories may not help you on your next chemistry test, but they'll help you appreciate the building blocks that are all around us yet all too easy to overlook."--Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers

From the Back Cover:

Like the alphabet, the calendar, or the zodiac, the periodic table of the chemical elements has a permanent place in our imagination. But aside from the handful of common ones (iron, carbon, copper, gold), the elements themselves remain wrapped in mystery. We do not know what most of them look like, how they exist in nature, how they got their names, or of what use they are to us. Unlocking their astonishing secrets and colorful pasts, Periodic Tales is a passionate journey through mines and artists' studios, to factories and cathedrals, into the woods and to the sea to discover the true stories of these fascinating but mysterious building blocks of the universe.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0061824739
• ISBN 13: 9780061824739
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448