Elements: An Illustrated History of the Periodic Table (100 Ponderables) Revised and Updated (Ponderables: 100 Breakthroughs That Changed History)

My grandson is totally focused on chemistry right now. This book is a historical treasure trove of vignettes he can read in small bites.

The evolution of knowledge and applications of "elements" is somewhat revealed in this book. The development of chemistry has been associated with much about medicine, warfare, technology and engineering, philosophy and magical thinking, biology, and physics. The way in which "elements" or basic constituents of our world and experience were first understood begins somewhat around ten to twenty thousand years ago, with the arrival of agriculture and the discovery of uses for certain metals. It then progressed to a much advanced state with the rise of ancient Greek civilization, and Aristotle's characterization of the "five" elements: earth, air, water, fire and aether. Greed and magical thinking then drove a lot of the later development of knowledge in this, as people sought to change the dull and ordinary into the superlative and gold. In a way, this "alchemy" pursuit was metaphysical, but the alchemists in the drive to see into the heart of the cosmos also carried out practical investigations. As the tale moves forward, we see that most of what we now recognize as civilization is tied strongly to the developments in knowledge of elements as the scientific and the industrial revolutions gave shape, over just a few centuries to our modern ways of thinking and the physical world around us, as knowledge of "elements" itself gave rise to modern chemistry and physics. This book is very limited in its presentation and focus, but if you are just starting in your journey into modern science and technology, it gives you a spectator's view of history that whets the appetite for deeper understanding and study. The book is written in a scholarly way, which is also oriented toward communication for beginning students of chemistry and physics. While not a substitute for serious study, I think it can help the beginning student, who has had some introduction to chemistry and physical science, gain perspective and motivation for progressing in further studies and investigations. It provides a tantalizing peak into our modern world, and into a whole level of understanding that is also ancient and tied to historical progress as well. I strongly recommend this book for young people, perhaps not chemistry majors, but certainly at the high school and college level. It has certainly encouraged me (a very old and retired person, but as a teacher of math and physics, and perhaps in my "second childhood" as the euphemism goes) to learn chemistry more deeply.

This book is a great coffee table book for parents who'd like to have an interesting talking point with kids on Chemistry, perhaps as a follow up after watching an episode of Breaking Bad, or to field a question from a curious 12 year old about the periodic table or about metals or about reactions. It has thick glossy paper and you can simply pick one and talk about, learn something, and then do something else. And repeat next day. A helpful tool for parents (and geeks who are now parents and try to teach a kid something useful and amazing) to make Chemistry fun. Mix it with an art book and some comics on the coffee table for a well-rounded conversation.

Excellent introduction to the world of elements,highly recommended

Grandson loves it. Science mad

Chemistry was never so interesting as this great book. It covers the fascinating history of the periodic table and makes it accessible!

My 12 year old grandson absolutely loved it - he is a bit of a boffin and can be difficult to buy for.