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The Elements: An Illustrated History of the Periodic Table Review by Jacquelin Caffey

Tom Jackson
Shelter Harbor Press
212-864-0427
603 W 115th Street, Suite 163
New York, NY 10025
http://www.shelterharborpress.com

Have you ever really wondered about chemistry and just how an element came to life? What is the earth made of deep down inside the crust? Just how does an element get added to the periodic table and who invented it in the first place? Honestly, sometimes I am awake at night pondering questions like this. Really, I think about these things and so does my 16 year old daughter who loves the study of chemistry. 

To help answer some of these questions we received a book by Tom Jackson to help answer some of our pressing questions. Did you know that the periodic table started with just four elements of nature - earth, water, air, and fire? Did you know the Dmitri Mendeleev proposed the “periodic” system according to the repeating patterns of the four natural elements. The book helps one dive into 100 “ponderables” all about chemistry.

This hardcover book includes heavyweight pages filled with illustrations about each of the 100 nondurables beginning with the Stone Age through modern day through 2011. Detailed descriptions also accompany the pages and tell all about the ponderable. The words are in plain English and not too scientific so it is easy to comprehend. Once you make your way through all of the 100 ponderables you are taken on a short journey through the basics of chemistry. Everything you probably already know is included in this section but its a nice refresher especially if you have not studied chemistry in a while. 

A two page spread of the periodic table is also included. It is color-coded and breaks the elements up into their proper groupings. And because chemistry still has elements waiting to be found and synthesized, there is a section that digs a little deeper into the imponderables that scientist have right now. I found this section to be really engaging especially since it has sections that make you think. Like one section asks “Can we build structures out of liquid water?” Is that even possible? Well a section of imponderables makes you think that this technology could come to life in the distant future.

An illustrated glossary of the 39 greatest chemists is also included. From Aristotle to Curie and Lavoisier to Noble the alphabetical listing gives a glimpse into the lives of the men and women behind some of chemistry’s greatest discoveries. Last but not least in this gem of a book is included a 12-page foldout timeline that sets the history of the periodic table against culture, world events, and scientific inventions from 9000 BCE through 2011. On the timeline the events are also color-coded for easy reading and reference.

We have thoroughly enjoyed this book! I secretly read this book at night after receiving it because it was to be included in my 16 year olds “stack of books” at Christmas. I was so excited for her to open it on Christmas Day and share in all the great discoveries that I had found out. She loves it too, especially since this school year she is studying chemistry! She took the timeline and hung it up in her room on her bulletin board and is always telling me facts especially when she reads about them in science class. Having this extra background information has been great with her concurrent chemistry study.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to build more chemistry knowledge of past, present, and future elements. I just saw that there are other titles by the author and have added them to my book wishlist, especially the mathematical book. You can never know too much about math or the sciences and this book helps you become more knowledgeable in 100 little chemistry facts.

-Product review by Jacquelin Caffey, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April, 2017

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