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Hugh Aldersey-Williams
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Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the Elements Paperback – 3 Feb. 2011

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 602 ratings
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Everything is made of them, from the furthest reaches of the universe to this book that you hold in your hands, including you.

Like you, the elements have lives: personalities and attitudes, talents and shortcomings, stories rich with meaning. You may think of them as the inscrutable letters of the periodic table but you know them much better than you realise.

Welcome to a dazzling tour through history and literature, science and art. 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.

From ancient civilisations to contemporary culture, from the oxygen of publicity to the phosphorus in your pee, the elements are near and far and all around us. Unlocking their astonishing secrets and colourful pasts, Periodic Tales will take you on a voyage of wonder and discovery, excitement and novelty, beauty and truth. Along the way, you'll find that their stories are our stories, and their lives are inextricable from our own.

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  1. Print length
    448 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Viking
  4. Publication date
    3 Feb. 2011
  5. Dimensions
    15.3 x 3.1 x 23.4 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0670919462
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0670919468
  8. See all details
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  1. The first coins were stamped out of electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver, in Lydia in the seventh century BCE.
    Highlighted by 54 Kindle readers
  2. Civilization, it is immediately apparent, is simply organized resistance to oxidation.
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Product description

About the Author

Hugh Aldersey-Williams studied natural sciences at Cambridge. He is the author of several books exploring science, design and architecture - including Periodic Tales, Anatomies and The Adventures of Sir Thomas Browne in the 21st Century - and has curated exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Wellcome Collection. He lives in Norfolk with his wife and son.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking (3 Feb. 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0670919462
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0670919468
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.3 x 3.1 x 23.4 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 602 ratings

About the author

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Hugh Aldersey-Williams

Hugh Aldersey-Williams

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My latest book is Dutch Light: Christiaan Huygens and the Making of Science in Europe, which won the Samuel Pepys Award in 2021. Huygens was the greatest scientist working in the vital period between Galileo and Newton, when the scientific revolution was gathering pace. He discovered Saturn's ring, invented the accurate pendulum clock, and devised a wave theory of light far ahead of its time.

More even than Newton, he can be called the father of modern science, not only for his introduction of rigorous mathematics into the analysis of problems in physics, but also for his central role in building the pursuit of science as a Europe-wide collaborative project. Huygens, a Dutchman, became the leading light of the French Academy of Sciences and the first foreign fellow of the Royal Society of London. ‘The world is my country, science my religion,’ he once said.

Previous books include:

Tide: The Science and Lore of the Greatest Force on Earth, which explores the complex science of the tides with literary and artistic references and my own travels to tidally curious places. The Sunday Times called it ‘profound and powerful’ and ‘a delight to read’.

The Adventures of Sir Thomas Browne in the 21st Century, which won the East Anglian Book Award and was longlisted for the American PEN Biography Award. Browne was an extraordinary figure of the 17th century – a physician, a philosopher, and writer and a myth buster. My book seeks to reclaim Browne from academic obscurity, and to show how his ideas - about science, nature, religion and tolerance - are as relevant now as they were during his own troubled times.

Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the Elements, a Sunday Times bestseller that gives a cultural history of the chemical elements. I curated an exhibition of contemporary artworks based on many of the elements at Compton Verney in 2015.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
602 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and informative, with interesting material and anecdotes about elements. They appreciate the visual appeal with its figures and stories.

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ReadabilityInformativeVisual appeal
59 customers mention ‘Readability’55 positive4 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They appreciate the well-written content that is easy to absorb. The illustrations make it interesting and fun to read.

"...elements that are so essential to modern life, and like all the best books you can open it at random and then read on." Read more

"Thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating story off the periodic table and the elements there in...." Read more

"Easily explained, fascinating back stories .A lot of anecdotal insights. Wished I had read it before, I learned a lot!!! ." Read more

"...discovered - a bit of a detective story - well researched and an enjoyable read." Read more

44 customers mention ‘Informative’44 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and interesting. It provides insights into elements and the periodic table. They appreciate the stories and facts about rare earths, which were not covered in their college curriculum. The book is a nice addition to other books on the subject.

"...Its full of discovery, history and anecdotes about the common and less-common elements that are so essential to modern life, and like all the best..." Read more

"I liked this book, its full of interesting anecdotes about the elements and how the periodic table has been filling up as the universal science..." Read more

"Thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating story off the periodic table and the elements there in...." Read more

"Easily explained, fascinating back stories .A lot of anecdotal insights. Wished I had read it before, I learned a lot!!! ." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Visual appeal’5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book visually appealing with interesting facts, figures, and stories.

"...It has hundreds of intresting facts, figures and stories of the men and women who discovered the elements, how this was done and its significance on..." Read more

"This brightly illustrated book is a joy to read and teaches everything about elements and what the periodic table is." Read more

"Book looks good, sounds interesting, handy size, nice quality paper but I have not yet had chance to read it" Read more

"...Shows a wide literary and artistic interest, which I found very appealing" Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • DV
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great book to dip into
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Bought this Kindle version to supplement my printed one, as its a great book to dip into for train journeys etc. Its full of discovery, history and anecdotes about the common and less-common elements that are so essential to modern life, and like all the best books you can open it at random and then read on.
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  • Simon Nixon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Elemental Tales
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 June 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I liked this book, its full of interesting anecdotes about the elements and how the periodic table has been filling up as the universal science project unfolds. I didn't think that this book was quite as good as Anatomies: The Human Body, Its Parts and The Stories They Tell but that could be my bias for human biology coming to the fore. This book was a little stodgy in places but worth persevering with as the stories of how some of the elements were discovered and their uses is delivered. I think that the author holds a bit of a candle for the frustrated chemist and their unsung, in many areas, part in our understanding of the science project. Interesting and well worth reading, what's next on the authors agenda for similar treatment I wonder?
    5 people found this helpful
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  • DazAdams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and informative
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 March 2024
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    Thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating story off the periodic table and the elements there in.

    This book should be part of the school GCSE curriculum!
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  • Jacscot
    4.0 out of 5 stars Highly Readable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Easily explained, fascinating back stories .A lot of anecdotal insights. Wished I had read it before, I learned a lot!!!
    .
    One person found this helpful
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  • Rock Dad
    5.0 out of 5 stars All you need to know about the elements!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 September 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Something of a history of how elements were discovered - a bit of a detective story - well researched and an enjoyable read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Richard W. Girdwood
    3.0 out of 5 stars Some intresting facts, poorly structured in my mind
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book, don't get me wrong.

    It has hundreds of intresting facts, figures and stories of the men and women who discovered the elements, how this was done and its significance on scientific and human progress. These parts are interesting, factually based and are enjoyable.

    But it suffered in my opinion from an incoherent structure, perhaps too esoteric for some to grasp. The sections of the book seem to be only slightly or unrelated to some of the chapters and stories within, and I would have liked a more scientific focused structure rather than one that appears to be based on social and human relationships to the elements. Some of these seem to be based on the authors interpretations of the deeper human pychological and social relationships to the elements - this I found dull, drawn and unengaging. I dont care if chromium reflects the superfical nature of 50's consumerism (or something like that) - I want to know what practical modern uses it has!

    All in all a good book, and one I may return too, but it didnt meet my expectations. This I admit though is probably my own fault for misunderstanding the books goals.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • T. Thomas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 July 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Very interesting a different take on science knowledge, History and science combined in a very readable way that makes you turn the page
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  • Discerning
    4.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2011
    Amazon Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )Verified Purchase
    This book stems from the author's childhood ambition to collect the elements. He has succeeded in his quest by managing to collect them in a literary form, if not in their physical forms. It is packed with information that must have involved a great deal of research.
    Who can fail to see the terrible irony of the phosphorus bombs raining on Hamburg, where phosphorus was discovered? Perhaps you might buy an iridium pen nib after reading this book or go and see the sculpture of Kate Moss in gold! This is definitely a historical slant on chemistry rather than a factual one but the title does suggest that anyway. If you want the full names of the elements in one place you have to look through the index where they are marked in bold, which could slow you down in creating your mnemonic table! An 'A' level Chemistry student would enjoy reading this (in the holidays). I hope that the author considers writing a shorter and more factual version for children. The quality of the book was perfectly acceptable although colour photos of the elements would have been a bonus. If you like History and Chemistry, you won't be disappointed.
    8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Neodimio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Affidabilissimo
    Reviewed in Italy on 21 December 2024
    Verified Purchase
    È arrivato quasi un mese prima del previsto e in perfette condizioni 😊
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  • Alice
    4.0 out of 5 stars Kul om ämnen
    Reviewed in Sweden on 5 January 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Rolig bok om periodic Table med information om vem som upptäckte dem, samt annan trivia som är kul att veta. Enkelt skriven och lättförståelig. Kom snabbt till brevlådan.
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  • Guillermo Luna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting and relaxing
    Reviewed in Germany on 27 December 2019
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    I found this book very interesting and relaxing. It narrates a lot of stories about the discovery of elements but in very clever and easy-to-read way. I suggest it to anyone interested in this field.
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  • david perkins
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
    Reviewed in the United States on 9 January 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Great book, the way science should be taught. I enjoyed every page
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  • Jayanta Khan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in India on 18 October 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Good
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