Because Ideas Matter...
The faculty and staff of Butler University's College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences presents
Recommended Readings
The Elements: A
Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the universe
by Theodore Gray, Black Dog and Leventhal, 2009
Reviewed by Adam M. Azman
Everything that is tangible is made up of
molecules, and every molecule is made up of elements. (Sorry, this
means that nothing you buy can ever be "100% chemical free").
Theodore Gray dives into the artistic world of these elements in
his book The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom
in the Universe.
This wonderful coffee table book will first
make you marvel in awe at the exquisite beauty of the full-page
spectacular photographs of each element in its pure form. Next, you
will wonder in amazement at the wealth of knowledge packed into a
few short paragraphs of history about each element. Gray's humorous
and informative writing style is a pleasure to read, considering
the subject matter. Finally, for the academics, the margin of each
page gives a few physical properties of each element.
But the real draw of this book is the
photographs. Hundreds of photographs cover every page of this book,
and every time you open to a random page you will fall in love with
a new element. Turn the page again, and you'll discover something
new about an element you thought was commonplace. Gray does a
masterful job giving the casual reader an unprecedented glimpse
into the magnificent splendor chemistry in its element.
-Adam Azman is a lecturer in organic chemistry at Butler
University.