The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

“One of the things that Sam Kean does early in the book is that he calls the periodic table ‘one of the great intellectual achievements of humankind’. I think he’s right. A lot of people may not think about it, but how scientists figured out that periodic table, where the elements are listed, and how they are connected to each other, is essential to the lives that we live today. We would not have the kind of products that we have if researchers had not figured out these relationships.” Read more...

Best Books on the Periodic Table

“Sam Kean brings the periodic table to life with the stories you didn’t hear in high school chemistry but will wish you did.” Read more...

The Best Chemistry Books

Michelle Francl, Scientist

“Kean reviews all of the elements of the periodic table and there’s a story associated with every element. He talks a lot about what makes things elements, what distinguishes one element from another and why those differences are important. I think he did a good job of letting people appreciate how big a difference a single proton can make in terms of the chemistry of an element. This is relevant to radioactivity too.” Read more...

The best books on Radiation

Timothy J. Jorgensen, Biologist