The Disappearing Spoon - by Sam Kean (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Explore the wacky, weird, and wonderful true stories behind one of the greatest scientific tools in history--the periodic table!--in this young readers edition of the New York Times bestseller The Disappearing Spoon.

Why did Gandhi hate iodine?
How did radium nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation?
Why did tellurium lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history?

The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, greed, betrayal, and obsession. A series of fascinating tales in The Disappearing Spoon follow the unassuming elements on the table as they play surprising roles in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, art, medicine--and of course the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them!

With line-drawings and side-bars throughout, students, teachers, and burgeoning science buffs will love learning the often unbelievable history behind the chemistry.

Perfect for...
★ Aspiring scientists
★ STEM classrooms
★ Trivia lovers
★ Fans of Bill Nye

Review Quotes

Praise for the adult edition of The Disappearing Spoon:
"Kean...unpacks the periodic table's bag of tricks with such aplomb and fascination that material normally as heavy as lead transmutes into gold."--Entertainment Weekly

"[Kean turns] The Disappearing Spoon into a nonstop parade of lively science stories...ebullient."--New York Times

"Kean's palpable enthusiasm and the thrill of knowledge and invention the book imparts can infect even the most right-brained reader."--Miami Herald

"Kean's writing sparks like small shocks...he gives science a whiz-bang verve so that every page becomes one you cannot wait to turn just to see what he's going reveal next."--The Boston Globe

"Nearly 150 years of wide-ranging science...and Kean makes it all interesting. Entertaining and enlightening."--Kirkus Reviews

"With a constant flow of fun facts bubbling to the surface, Kean writes with wit, flair, and authority in a debut that will delight even general readers."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Sam Kean is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Disappearing Spoon, The Violinist's Thumb andThe Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, and New Scientist, and has been featured on NPR's "Radiolab" and "All Things Considered."