A Cultural Exploration of the Elements: Uncovering the History of Arsenic to Zinc in Periodic Tales

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Germany on Dec 29, 2021

Redgecko: It's unusual for me to rate highly a book that is not a page-turner. I read at least a dozen science books and about as many history books in a year, often reading 2-3 books simultaneously. This book took me 3 months to read. At times, I wanted to quit reading and give it a 2 star rating. This was due to the extraordinary level of minutia in areas that I knew almost nothing about, even though I had a dual major of chemistry and physics when at university. When the author feels that he has to outline an entire Shakespeare play just because gold and silver are mentioned or write for several pages about a favorite architect because he uses a particular metal, I became bored. But then I realized that at one time, I was a student of Shakespeare and would have, at that time, enjoyed revisiting the play. The same could be said of architecture and the other subjects that the author explores in fine detail. So, I have to admit that any ill-leanings I had while reading are clearly a reflection of the current tastes of this reader and not the author.

I must say that I've never read a book where I had to look up so many words! I thought my vocabulary skills were superb but this book...

United States on Nov 25, 2019

Karl Janssen: In his 2011 book Periodic Tales, science journalist Hugh Aldersey-Williams delves deeply into the history, science, and lore of the periodic table and the chemical elements catalogued within it. As an avid collector of element samples, Aldersey-Williams applies his acquisitive enthusiasm for the subject to his research, tracking down sundry data on each element with thoroughness and verve. If you are at all fascinated by the fundamental building blocks of matter, this book will certainly teach you much on the subject. Its main fault, however, is that it fails to give any coherent structure to what feels like a collection of miscellaneous tangential anecdotes.

The subtitle of Periodic Tales proclaims it a “Cultural History,” a phrase which in this case seems intended to relinquish the responsibility of being a science book and give Aldersey-Williams license to write whatever he feels like. The contents of the book are arranged very haphazardly, making it feel like a collection of unrelated magazine articles, similar to what you might find in a National Geographic but not quite as engaging. Much of what you’ll read in this book seems like it could be postscripted with...

United States on Jan 04, 2018

Doug H: An interesting approach to what is a scientific subject. The science, history of the discovery, and the cultural aspects of each element are described in a knowledgeable -- and often entertaining way. It is a book that one can dip into at any point, leave after a few pages, then come back later without loss.

Canada on Feb 24, 2017

Enrico Bellandi: Parla principalmente dell'utilizzo dei vari elementi per la realizzazione di pigmenti per coloranti o opere d'arte ed architettoniche.
Interessanti le storie sulle origini degli elementi ma è sempre prolisso, mooolto prolisso, sull'utilizzo di un certo elemento per qualche opera d'arte.
Nessun accenno sulle proprietà fisico/chimiche del materiale.
Comunque scritto bene e richiede un livello di conoscenza della lingua inglese non troppo elevato.
Ok se siete artisti, sconsigliato a chimici e fisici non appassionati d'arte e pittura.

Italy on Sep 19, 2014

Not Bob: The image of the periodic table is probably ingrained in the minds of most people, even if many do not really understand the concepts behind its organization. But behind the science, facts, and natural laws are many fascinating stories behind the elements and how they relate to culture.

In Periodic Tales, author Hugh Aldersey-Williams tells the more light-hearted stories of the elements that would not typically be found in a science textbook. Many of these stories cover the discovery of many elements and the scientists responsible for it. But he also examines how certain elements have become a part of our culture, such as how gold and silver have monetary value or how even platinum might be found in the names of credit cards. Another example might be how the noble gases (such as neon and xenon) went undiscovered for a while and when they were uncovered, the findings were disputed by none other than Dmitri Mendeleev himself, the man who created the periodic table! The author also recounts personal visits to places of elemental importance such as Ytterby in Sweden which was where several elements were discovered and for which four of them take their name.

I found this...

United States on Apr 24, 2013

Matthew Boynton: The Periodic Table is a thing of ordered beauty, but Aldersey-Williams' text seems to meander aimlessly amongst the elements, with his poetic sensibilities sometimes overwhelming solid scientific explanation.

Japan on Jan 05, 2013

François B: Cette fameuse table de Mendeliev m'a, depuis le lycée, fasciné par sa (relative) simplicité et la richesse de ce qu'on peut en déduire.
J'ai beaucoup apprécié toutes ces histoires, que l'auteur raconte sur un ton très "british" sans dédaigner pour autant la culture française, au point d'insérer des jeux de mots "en français dans le texte" (Anti-moine...).

France on Aug 29, 2012