Periodic Tales, Hugh Andersey-williams

The Curious Lives of the ElementsEverything 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 realize.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 coffn. You'll discover what connects the bones in your body with the White House in Washington, the glow of a streetlamp with the salt on your dinner table.From ancient civilizations 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. 'Science writing at its best. A fascinating and beautiful literary anthology, bringing them to life as personalities. If only chemistry had been like this at school. A rich compilation of delicious tales'-Matt Ridley, Prospect'A love letter to the chemical elements. Aldersey-Williams is full of good stories and he knows how to tell them well'Sunday Telegraph 'Great fun to read and an endless fund of unlikely and improbable anecdotes'-Financial Times'The history, science, art, literature and everyday applications of all the elements from aluminium to zinc'- The TimesHugh Aldersey-Williams studied natural sciences at Cambridge. He is the author of several books exploring science, design and architecture and has curated exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Wellcome Collection. He lives in Norfolk with his wife and son.Language: EnglishPeriodic Tales, Hugh Andersey-Williams, very good copyPenguin Books/Viking, paperback, 428 pagesISBN 9780670919468Price without shipping costsPrijs exclusief verzendkostenDit artikel is te groot voor brievenbuspost en kan alleen als pakket worden verstuurd.Binnen Nederland gratis verzending bij een aankoop van € 50,00 of meer.Betaal minder of geen verzendkosten, door meer boeken te bestellen.