{"id":25515,"date":"2015-01-11T00:39:48","date_gmt":"2015-01-11T04:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25515"},"modified":"2015-01-11T00:39:48","modified_gmt":"2015-01-11T04:39:48","slug":"review-of-the-periodic-table-a-visual-guide-to-the-elements-by-paul-parsons-and-gail-dixon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25515","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Periodic Table: A Visual Guide to the Elements, by Paul Parsons and Gail Dixon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"periodic_table_large\"<\/a>The Periodic Table<\/p>\n

A Visual Guide to the Elements<\/em><\/p>\n

by Paul Parsons & Gail Dixon<\/p>\n

Quercus Editions, Ltd, 2014. First published in the United Kingdom in 2013. 240 pages.
\nStarred Review
\n2014 Sonderbooks Stand-out<\/a>, #10 Nonfiction<\/p>\n

One look at this beautiful book, and I had to read it. I had no idea I was interested in the chemical elements until I saw this book!<\/p>\n

The book consists of a brief introduction, and then a one-page explanation (in a few cases more pages) of each of the first 100 elements in the periodic table, with a large photograph of something related to the element on the facing page. In most cases, it\u2019s a picture of the element, but also includes things like a picture of the atomic bomb dropped over Nagasaki next to Plutonium, a krypton-gas discharge lamp next to Krypton, and a bone scan next to Technetium.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of each element\u2019s page, we see its place in the periodic table, its category, atomic number, atomic weight, color, phase, melting point, boiling point, crystal structure, and a diagram of its electrons.<\/p>\n

I read this book slowly, an element per day \u2013 and found it consistently fascinating. I\u2019m not sure how much of the information stuck, but something about the big beautiful pictures made it seem so much more alive than high school chemistry class (which I loved, but this was very different).<\/p>\n

quercus.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Nonfiction\/periodic_table.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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