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    Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc
    Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc
    Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc
    Audiobook12 hours

    Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc

    Written by Hugh Aldersey-Williams

    Narrated by Antony Ferguson

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Like the alphabet, the calendar, or the zodiac, the periodic table of the chemical elements has a permanent place in our imagination. But aside from the handful of common ones (iron, carbon, copper, gold), the elements themselves remain wrapped in mystery. We do not know what most of them look like, how they exist in nature, how they got their names, or of what use they are to us. Unlocking their astonishing secrets and colorful pasts, Periodic Tales is a passionate journey through mines and artists' studios, to factories and cathedrals, into the woods and to the sea to discover the true stories of these fascinating but mysterious building blocks of the universe.

    Editor's Note

    Compelling chemistry…

    This truly fascinating history of the elements combines scientific, social, and cultural research to create a richly contextualized history of each element. You’ll never look at the periodic table the same way again.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateApr 28, 2015
    ISBN9781494581848
    Author

    Hugh Aldersey-Williams

    Hugh Aldersey-Williams is the author of numerous books on architecture, design, and science, including Panicology and The Most Beautiful Molecule, which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He lives in Norfolk, England.

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    Reviews for Periodic Tales

    3.5/5

    150 ratings16 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I'll be honest enough to admit that I don't read non-fiction as often as I'd like but every now and again something catches my eye. This had been on my wishlist so when it came up on Amazon Vine I leapt at the chance to read it.I'm very glad I did. The last book that caught my interest in this way was The Shocking History of Phosphorus: A Biography of the Devil's Element, a book I enjoyed so much I read it twice. Periodic Tales does not have the space to devote such attention to each individual element but nonetheless gives a good introduction to the history of the elements and introduces a great deal of information that many of us will never have encountered before.Although it will doubtless appeal most to those who have an interest in science, medicine or history in general, there is much to recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading non-fiction. It is very well written and the author's great interest and passion about his subject is evident. It is also filled with historical anecdotes and tales that really bring it to life.
    • 2/5
      Each chapter tells an independent story somewhat related with a chemical element. Some stories are fun and/or interesting, but it is a bit of a boring book. Something is missing, perhaps a story underlying the whole book, or at least parts of it.
    • 4/5
      Very interesting trip through the elements, when and who discovered them, and their uses, some of which I would have never guessed at. The Swedish discovered a number of the elements all from one mine but very few of them took credit for their discoveries. Their names aren't even mentioned in Swedish science museums! Other scientists or chemists took credit as they published the findings before their respective organizations. Marie Curie is there as well as her daughter who was also a scientist. The Radium Girls are mentioned and the fact that early paints had arsenic in them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book
    • 3/5
      This wasn't quite as engaging to me as the blurb and the reviews quoted on the cover suggests -- in fact, it started to feel rather meandering -- but it is quite an interesting read, covering both the scientific history of elements, how and when they were discovered, and the social histories, why they were used and for what. Some facts I didn't know; other parts I got impatient with: yes, yes, I know all that.

      Overall, worth a read if it sounds interesting to you, but be prepared to skip bits where he's telling you things you're not interested in/already know.
    • 4/5
      First half was excellent... then got a little repetitive when materials began to sound like a laundry list spiel of attributes. But overall, I recommend.
    • 4/5
      For all those that avoided chemistry at school this is the book for you! Aldersey-Williams writes about the discovery, history and the uses of the elements that go to make up every thing that you use and touch. Fascinating and written with a light touch for all non-scientists.
    • 5/5
      Subtitled "A cultural history of the elements, from arsenic to zinc"I had been interested lately in revisiting my learning in chemistry. I found this popular account of the origins of elements, and some of the cultural significance. The author became interested in chemistry in childhood, and began to collect as many elements of the periodic table as he could. The chapters are each organized around a different element, and include subjects that range from artwork in Spain using mercury, to the role of phosphorous in the firestorm in Hamburg. Many of the "rare earth" elements were first isolated from ores from the Swedish mine at Ytterby, hence ytterbium, and holmium, named for nearby Stockholm. I rate this book as a favorite
    • 4/5
      Every element. Who discovered it and how. Where it is found. What it looks like. Why it is important. Didn't you want to collect all of the elements at some time? Well, this guy did, and sort of assumes everyone else did too. It isn't dull because the author focuses on the process and the people! Each one who helped discover elements put out tons of effort, went down blind paths of error, and prevailed! Cobalt is my favorite, cobalt blue appearing in every culture - japanese batik! - pottery - fireworks.
    • 4/5
      Undoubtedly more entertaining than I expected, Periodic Tales's exploration of elements extends beyond the laboratory, examining the discoveries's effects on history and culture.
    • 4/5
      For the budding element collector, this is a great read. For the layperson who thinks they're going to get a couple of fun stories about each of the elements, I would suggest looking somewhere else.

      I picked this up intrigued by its title and cover. Ever wondered what the rich history of each of the elements of the famous periodic table have in store? You will definitely find that here. I have a deeper understanding of how and why certain elements were named, the geographic clusters of where many elements were "discovered," the origins of the reputations of certain elements like arsenic, and so on. Why was silver considered so valuable, but not so much these days? Where can I get my hands on some plutonium? What is so incredible about the lovely liquid metal, mercury? It's a very fascinating read indeed.

      I'd recommend this book for someone who is definitely interested in the field of science and particularly chemistry. The text isn't exactly accessible for the typical light reader, in my opinion. But if you are interested in what it has to offer, then take a look.
    • 3/5
      Loaded with trivia some of which is interesting, much of which is not. The stories about the elements covered could easily have been told in a more interesting way that was less disjointed. There was just enough interesting material to keep you going, but not enough to make me want to read another book by this author.
    • 3/5
      Every time I picked up the book and continued reading it, I enjoyed it. But every time I put it down, I almost forgot to go back to it—for such an interesting book, it's oddly non-engrossing. Aldersey-Williams doesn't give all the elements equal time, and you'll get a lot more about gold, radium, and iron, for instance, than the noble gases or the rare earths (both mostly treated as groups than as individual elements). But towards the end, it was just too much, and all the scientists' names, places of discovery, and time periods were blurring beyond rescue.Warning to anyone reading this as an e-book: the book has many black-and-white photographs. I thought they were hard to see clearly on an e-reader, but they're not crucial for understanding the book. And for some reason, there's no illustration whatsoever of the periodic table, which I would have found really useful while reading this book!
    • 3/5
      An interesting, but not riveting, examination of the elements. Aldersey-Williams, gives historical and cultural context to many of the elements from the periodic table. It' a good book to pick up and read off and on. But I wouldn't have minded a little bit more scientific description of the elements, like a general glossary for natural state, common uses, and atomic number/symbol, or even just the periodic table as an endpaper would have been greatly appreciated.
    • 4/5
      Had I not found this book on a train with a 'Read Me' sticker on it I would never have heard of it let alone read it and I would have missed out on an interesting read.Firstly I must admit that I never did much enjoy Chemistry at school in or for that matter science in general, I could never remember even the most basic of chemical formulae, and as such knew little about the Periodic Table other than seeing posters of it hung on classroom/bedroom walls. However, that said I have always been interested in History in whatever form. Initially I was somewhat worried that this would turn out to be a dull academic tome and while in places it did lose me a little and was a little dry, on the whole there was enough to keep me interested. In particular I loved the referances to modern culture/literature and even how obscure elements that I had never even heard of were often found right under our very noses within our houses. I loved the idea how gold historically has been seen as masculine and silver was seen as virginal and feminine. Where did the term 'platinum blonde' of the 40's and 50's come from? Was Napoleon Bonapart killed by his wallpaper? The author names the major discoverers of various elements but on the whole does not go into too much indepth history. For that reason some people will see it as too flighty and shallow where others will just find the whole subject matter too dull to persevere.But if you fancy a book that you can dip into a chapter or two at a time, picking up a few interesting snippets along the way with which to annoy/ fascinate your partner or mates down the pub, plus have a passing interest in both/either science and history then give it a go. Who knows you might actually learn something and that can be no bad thing.
    • 5/5
      I found this book marvellous. Sadly my own knowledge of chemistry is virtually non-existent so I started this guided tour through the periodic table with more than a little trepidation. However, Aldersey-Williams has a happy knack of conveying chemical knowledge in a readily-accessible way.His approach is very engaging - he starts by recounting how as a boy he strove to complete his own periodic table, complete with examples of each element. He gives a brief description of each of the chemicals, explaining how they were discovered (or isolated) and giving some of their history including some very humorous anecdotes. I just wish that chemistry had been this entertaining when i was at school!
    • 5/5
      This is a really very occasional read. Wanders over an impressive range of subjects, but with the story of the discovery and use of each of the elements in the periodic table at the core of the book. Highly recommended, and you don't need to be a scientist or chemist to read it.