Periodic Tales

Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the Elements

Non-Fiction, Languages & Reference, Dictionaries & Reference, Science & Maths, Popular Science | Paperback Published on: 19/01/2012
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Synopsis

THE PHENOMENAL SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Science writing at its best. If only chemistry had been like this at school' Matt Ridley
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Everything in the universe is made of them, including you. Like you, the elements have personalities, attitudes, talents, shortcomings, stories rich with meaning.

Here you'll meet iron that rains from the heavens and noble gases that light the way to vice. You'll learn how lead can tell your future while zinc may one day line your coffin. You'll discover what connects the bones in your body with the Whitehouse in Washington, the glow of a streetlamp with the salt on your dinner table.

Unlocking their astonishing secrets and colourful pasts, Periodic Tales is a voyage of wonder and discovery, showing that their stories are inextricable from the stories of our own lives.
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'A love letter to the chemical elements. Aldersey-Williams is full of good stories and he knows how to tell them well' Sunday Telegraph

'The history, science, art, literature and everyday applications of all the elements from aluminium to zinc' The Times

'Great fun to read and an endless fund of unlikely and improbable anecdotes' Financial Times

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780141041452
  • Number of pages: 464
  • Weight: 319g
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 27 mm

Customer Reviews

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Periodic Tales
Fantastic
Excellent book! Gives some of the colourful tales behind common and not so common elements.
Nici
Periodic Tales
Unexpectedly Cultural...
Expecting an in-depth Chemistry thesis, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the nature of the book, which held me captivated throughout the duration of rea... READ MORE
Ambitious Science Writer