(from the back of the book)
The Elements in the most
complete and visually stunning catalog of the periodic table ever
assembled. Each element has been culled
from Theodore Gray’s coveted collection of thousands of samples, lovingly
photographed, and illuminated by his wonderfully entertaining and erudite
text. The ultimate marriage of science
and art, The Elements will dazzle and enlighten every sentient creature.
I love this book. I
have always been interested in the elements and have read several books about
them but this one is different from the rest.
It gives you a lot of technical information like the emission spectrum,
atomic weight, and lots of other numbers and diagrams that will satisfy any
science geek. The information on what it
is used for, where to find it, who first discovered it, how they got their names
and other tidbits is interesting and written by someone who clearly loves his
topic and tells it with humor. The
photos are wonderful and you actually get to see the pure elements and
compounds and products they are in. I
think that’s what sets this book apart from the others, being able to see the
elements. Ok, so a good portion of them
are greyish metals, and others are clear gases and some don’t stick around long
enough to have pictures, but it’s still cool. And I liked seeing all the ways
the elements, even the ones people have never heard of, show up in everyday
life. It is easy access chemistry for
non-science nerds and even if you have read about the elements before this one
is well worth a look
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