The periodic table made glossy

World of the elements - elements of the world 

Hans-Jurgen 

Quadbeck-Seeger Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH 2007 | 112pp | ?10.99 (HB) ISBN 9783527320653 

Reviewed by Mary Daniells

This beautifully presented and illustrated book is written for a general readership, particularly for a young readership in schools and colleges, to illustrate the wide range of elements in the periodic table, with information on the history of their discoveries, and the men and women involved in their stories. 

There are many interesting facts on their properties and everyday uses, profusely illustrated with diagrams and photographs. This book, translated from the original German, is written by Professor Quadbeck-Seeger, a former member of the executive board of BASF AG, a past president of the GDCh, and a good communicator who has written a series of books to popularise chemistry for a wide audience. 

As in his previous books Quadbeck-Seeger provides light reading, interlaced with useful facts and figures, and presented using good graphical design. He takes full advantage of the fact that chemistry is fortunate to have, in the periodic table, a unifying visual aid from which many concepts can be explained. 

This book would provide a nice Christmas gift for an enquiring youngster, or general member of the public with a minimum of scientific background. 

The book can be used in conjunction with the new biographical periodic table wall chart, The periodic table through history: who charted the elements?  (ISBN 9783527320837; Wiley-VCH, 2007) also prepared by Professor Quadbeck-Seeger.