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

A prize-winning science writer reveals the intricate ways that the elements are woven into our culture, history, and language in stories of discovery and discoverers; of rituals and values; of exploitation and celebration; and of superstition as well as science

Like the alphabet, the calendar or the zodiac, the Periodic Table classifying the chemical elements-the fundamental ingredients of all matter-offers a system of order in our world. But while most of us learned the basics about these b...