Periodic Tales

A Cultural History of the Elements, From Arsenic to Zinc

By: Hugh Aldersey-Williams

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

Like the alphabet, the calendar, or the zodiac, the periodic table of the chemical elements has a permanent place in our imagination. But aside from the handful of common ones (iron, carbon, copper, gold), the elements themselves remain wrapped in mystery. We do not know what most of them look like, how they exist in nature, how they got their names, or of what use they are to us. Unlocking their astonishing secrets and colorful pasts, Periodic Tales is a passionate journey through mines and artists' studios, to factories and cathedrals, into the woods and to the sea to discover the true stories of these fascinating but mysterious building blocks of the universe.

©2011 Hugh Aldersey-Williams (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[Hugh's] virtuoso tour of the periodic table reflects its full complement of the human condition." ( Publishers Weekly)

meandering mindcandy

uses the periodic table as a support structure for a series of facts and anecdotes about science history. i enjoyed it as someone who didn't know anything about early alchemy, marie curie's daughter, the "radium craze" or the popcultural impact of chromium and neon on midcentury america. the emphasis is definitely on how scientific progress steers and fits into culture, not on hard science itself, so ymmv.

only major critique is that the narrator has a hard time with pronunciation, and several times in the middle of sentences there were a few seconds of sudden silence before a particularly uncommon word, like he had to stop and figure it out—which is fine, nobody knows every word, but i kept thinking my playback had stopped, so maybe edit the startled pause from the final audio.

Amazing

This is an absolutely amazing book p.It talks about how the elements were discovered,they're used in society,they're history, religious use and much more.a great part of the book was when they were saying how alchemy lead to the finding of new elements and really got me enthused about alchemical science.

Packed with facts and stories

This book was filled with interesting stories and facts about the chemical elements and the people who discovered and popularized them. Who knew that aluminum cutlery was once more prized than silver?

Not Going to Win a Pulitzer, but ...

The Good – So this had been sitting in my wish list for some time. I would do the usual thing that some of you reading this do I’m sure; I’d occasionally listen to the sample and then I’d hem and haw and end up picking something else. The reviews, the subject matter and the sample just didn’t have enough to persuade me to use a whole credit to buy it. My cost vs. value analysis being; it just didn’t seem to be worth a whole nine-and-a-half dollars. Then one day it pops up on the Daily Deal and for five bucks I say; “hey, it’s not a full credit so why not?" I’m neither happy nor sad that I did so.

The Not So Good - While it is interspersed with some interesting stories and anecdotes it’s not what I would call a solid book. It’s adolescent in its presentation of the subject matter and while I agree that it needs to avoid being a chemistry textbook I would have appreciated a bit more science and a bit less story telling.

The Narration – Antony Ferguson was very good and that alone kept my interest from start to finish, especially through some of the slower portions.

The Overall – Periodic Tales is okay. It had some funny parts and some pretty interesting parts. I particularly liked the section about aluminum or, as our cousins across the pond would say/spell it; aluminium. (yes, he does talk about that little inconsistency in our common language). I’ll keep this book because the cost vs. value worked out and I may actually listen to it again. I book marked the sections I particularly enjoyed or learned something from so I can go back as reference later. I learned a few things I hadn’t know before which is my ultimate goal with any book. In closing I can say that I would not have been happy had I used a full credit for it and I would have been apoplectic had I paid full price.

Very Interesting if you like historical data

The narrator has a cute accent, the story was intriguing, and it was worth listening to the end.

Interesting history of the Elements of life.

It is a good prelude to the next chapter of discovery of the history of our potential future.

Chemical Elements Revealed Outside the Classroom!

This is a fascinating history of the discovery and use of our vast assortment of chemical elements. Of course this kind of book is not for everyone, unless your rideshare partner doesn't mind sleeping while you listen attentively to the description of the periodic table. 😉

Not for me...

Would you recommend Periodic Tales to your friends? Why or why not?

I'm not saying the book wasn't interesting. There were many interesting facts about the different elements, but it definitely didn't keep my attention very well. I listen to audiobooks while I drive, and I often drifted off in my head during this book, which I don't normally do when I listen to audiobooks. I'm not sure if that is due to the subject, or the narrator, or both, but something didn't work for me.

very interesting cultural stance on the elements

really interesting, especially for memorizers. if you want cultural, historical, and anecdotal context for remembering the elements and their properties, this is a very good choice.

Slow.

This book was educational and wasn't presented in a manner that really kept my attention. Some stories were wonderful history lessons. I wasn't always sure if it was narration monotony, or the information itself that I lost focus on, but I listen as I drive, clean etc., and it was just background noise a few times. As it had been a Daily Deal it was worth the purchase though. I did learn, and retain, some of the things I heard.