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.
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“Lighthearted erudition…Aldersey-Williams presents a veritable blizzard of facts, anecdotes, and cultural allusions in this informative look at the world’s building blocks…His virtuoso tour of the periodic table reflects its full complement of the human condition.”
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Publishers Weekly