Periodic Tales
The Curious Lives of the Elements
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Periodic Tales
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Narrated by:
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John Sackville
About this listen
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey-Williams, read by John Sackville.
Everything in the universe is made of them, including you.
Like you, the elements have personalities, attitudes, talents, shortcomings, stories rich with meaning.
Here you'll meet iron that rains from the heavens and noble gases that light the way to vice. You'll learn how lead can tell your future while zinc may one day line your coffin. You'll discover what connects the bones in your body with the Whitehouse in Washington, the glow of a streetlamp with the salt on your dinner table.
Unlocking their astonishing secrets and colourful pasts, Periodic Tales is a voyage of wonder and discovery, showing that their stories are our stories, and their lives are inextricable from our own.
©2018 Hugh Aldersey-Williams (P)2018 Penguin AudioCritic Reviews
"Science writing at its best. A fascinating and beautiful literary anthology, bringing them to life as personalities. If only chemistry had been like this at school. A rich compilation of delicious tales." (Matt Ridley, Prospect)
"A love letter to the chemical elements. Aldersey-Williams is full of good stories and he knows how to tell them well." (Sunday Telegraph)
"Great fun to read and an endless fund of unlikely and improbable anecdotes." (Financial Times)
What listeners say about Periodic Tales
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- JayD
- 28-02-2020
A casual survey of the elements
Not a scientific work but more a kind of narrative that follows the discovery of individual elements and the greater impact these discoveries have had on human culture.
Not an intellectually demanding book, it unfolds very much like a BBC Four documentary, conversational in tone and fairly light in technical detail (which I would have preferred). It hasn’t the heart or artistry of Primo Levi’s work but it stands well enough on its own as a mild example of what might be called a subjective essay.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss Amy V
- 22-06-2020
Fantastic book!
This was so thoughtfully written and amazingly researched. The author discusses the history, discoveries and current uses of some of the most common elements; and some of the rarer ones.
Aldersey-Williams beautifully correlates the characteristics of each element with associated literary history, and also interviews some current scientists and element hunters.
The narrator is perfectly suited to this audiobook, keeping me engrossed the entire time. I would thoroughly recommend this anyone who enjoys chemistry, popular science or history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ian
- 10-04-2019
Fascinating
This is a most interesting journey through the periodic table and the elements which are familiar, and those which we will likely never come across. The author makes the elements come to life through a fascinating series of stories. Never dull.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-05-2019
Not what I expected but still enjoyable
was hoping for a book to describe the original discovery of the elements including the geographical locations. Whilst this was part of the book it focussed more on the cultural significance of the elements.
I found the book had a slow start particularly in its discussion about gold (of which the cultural significance felt like it was stating the obvious). however I recommend sticking through as the later sections are more engaging
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