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A very good book could have been written about the history of the periodic table. An interesting collection of anecdotes could be formed about obscure uses of elements. A science & politics book could have detailed the competition to find elements and win the Nobel.
This book had elements of all of those, and yet not enough of any in quantity. The result was a too-long book with some interesting bits.
This book had elements of all of those, and yet not enough of any in quantity. The result was a too-long book with some interesting bits.
informative
medium-paced
I slowly listened to this as an audiobook when I wanted something to listen to that wasn't a podcast. It had a lot of interesting tales about the periodic table but I didn't really absorb much of it to be honest.
This book definately had some very interesting things in it. My only 2 complaints were that there were several scientific concepts that Kean explained in this book that I don't think I would have understood if I didn't have a science background, and it was a little dry in some places. It had a lot more about people and a lot less about elements than I had expected. Overall, it was a very interesting read, and I feel like I do understand some concepts much better than I did when I started.
ok... some interesting science history and perspective on the scienctists themselves, but too technical for my non-science mind :-).
I knew I would enjoy it when the author’s note need it’s own secondary note. Who wouldn’t enjoy story telling like that? I have never enjoyed the periodic table more.
I had some quibbles about assertions that aliens would understand the periodic table or that life has to fit the patterns we expect. Overall, very enjoyable
I had some quibbles about assertions that aliens would understand the periodic table or that life has to fit the patterns we expect. Overall, very enjoyable
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Sometimes too technical to follow for the layperson, this was still a really interesting in-depth look at the periodic table. Slightly fewer anecdotes than I'd hoped, but the included ones were really good. Couple of jawdrops for me at things I hadn't known about.
One of the most fun books about the periodic table I’ve read. I had such a grand time reading this book the first time, I went back for seconds almost immediately after.
This took me a solid month to read, trying to think back to my undergrad physics & chemistry classes. Super interesting, very well written!