The elements : the fascinating story of their discovery and of the famous scientists who discovered them ([Updated ed.])

That all the tens of millions of different substances and materials on earth were made up of only 92 elements is a story that is too easily taken for granted.

This updated reprint, originally published over 50 years ago, brings to life the excitement of the discoveries.

It also sets each into the thinking of its time. The final chapter brings the story right up to date and includes the man-made elements of the nuclear age and the latest insights into the periodic table and the nature of matter.