(2001) Paul Strathern, Penguin, £6.99, pbk, 309pp, ISBN 0-14-028414-1
As far as popular science books go, chemistry has always been the poor relation; physics and biology have always been much sexier subjects, the former with relativity, quanta and theories-of-everything and the latter with creatures and genetics. But this book about the quest for the Periodic Table and the discoveries of the elements goes a long way to redress the balance. It is accessible to non-scientifically minded readers although, as is often the case, a little O-level chemistry (junior high-school) education is a great help. It's a fairly straightforward book, without stunning revelations about the nature of matter, but this is its charm as an example of pop-science – little flash, but much clarity. Recommended.
Tony Chester
[Up: Non-Fiction Index | Top: Concatenation]