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Writer Primo Levi (1919-1987), an Italian Jew, did not come to the wide attention of the English-reading audience until the last years of his life. A survivor of the Holocaust and imprisonment in Auschwitz, Levi is considered to be one of the century's most compelling voices, and The Periodic Table is his most famous book. Springboarding from his training as a chemist, Levi uses the elements as metaphors to create a cycle of linked, somewhat autobiographical tales, including stories of the Piedmontese Jewish community he came from, and of his response to the Holocaust.
Book Description
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)
The Periodic Table is largely a memoir of the years before and after Primo Levi’s transportation from his native Italy to Auschwitz as an anti-Facist partisan and a Jew.
It recounts, in clear, precise, unfailingly beautiful prose, the story of the Piedmontese Jewish community from which Levi came, of his years as a student and young chemist at the inception of the Second World War, and of his investigations into the nature of the material world. As such, it provides crucial links and backgrounds, both personal and intellectual, in the tremendous project of remembrance that is Levi’s gift to posterity. But far from being a prologue to his experience of the Holocaust, Levi’s masterpiece represents his most impassioned response to the events that engulfed him.
The Periodic Table celebrates the pleasures of love and friendship and the search for meaning, and stands as a monument to those things in us that are capable of resisting and enduring in the face of tyranny.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
The Periodic Table........2007-08-17
It's an emblematic title for a book designed whit tales that confection a whole history. The book is a metaphor of the periodic table: elements conform substance so words conform ideas.
Primo Levi is a mentor; he begins a melancholic tale, connecting us with characters and at less expected time we receive a little lesson about chemistry, -it's a good way to spread science, didn't it?- but that's not enough for him so we also get his testimony about how he suffered WWII.
Primo's statement is hard: "... I felt guilty at being man, because man had built Auschwitz..." at last it's not clear if he got peace at his mind; but, I must recognize he is honest, because somewhere in the book he says that Primo Levi writes for Primo Levi.
In conclusion, it's a gentle book wrote to present a testimony of a man who was born Jewish in Italy, studied chemistry and suffered the war.
good chemistry!.......2007-06-17
I didn't know what to expect when picking up this book. I'd recently finished the not unrelated Garden of the Finzi-Continis and thought I might find some variant on this. Yes, both books consider Jewish-Italian culture in the years surrounding WWII, with the specter of the holocaust in the background (mainly). But they are quite different. F.C. has at its roots the humanities, and P.T., the sciences. And what I most enjoyed about P.T. was the chemistry. It's a rarity in literature to find a subtle appreciation for the career of the scientist, and Levi succeeds admirably. This book would be an outstanding choice for any science and engineering student to read just to see how one can ply a trade, be it in the laboratory, the mine, or the consulting business. Bravo, Dr. Levi.
Daringly creative.......2007-03-09
In this collection of stories, Primo Levi lets go of the Holocaust theme, and tells the story of his life through the prism of his profession as a chemist. As others have said, each chapter is headed up by a different element, and through the properties of that element he explores a theme. There are two chapters--"Lead" and "Mercury"--which are completely fanciful. "Lead" is about a mythical tribe that makes its living mining lead. Not knowing that the metal is deadly, they all ultimately die of a mysterious disease, but they accept it as their fate, the price they pay for fulfilling a special role among men. "Mercury" is about a couple living on a desert island, which holds inexhaustible reserves of mercury, and what happens when two newcomers, one an alchemist, joins them. Both stories are riveting.
I have to admit that I, as well as my very literate book group, lost a lot by having forgotten most if not all of our knowledge of chemistry--not that we had much to begin with. Some familiarity with the science I'm sure reveals a whole new level to the writing.
Some reviewers criticized the lack of insight about the author's time in Auschwitz, but I see that as one of the amazing aspects of this book. For good reason, so many Holocaust survivors are irreversibly marked and changed forever by their experiences. That Levi can write a rich and compelling book that gives weight and significance to the other parts of his life is evidence of an amazingly strong and resilient spirit.
Delightful collection of vignettes.......2007-03-02
Difficult to classify, not quite an autobiography, but it is nearly so. More a loose collection of short stories principally from the life of the author each based on a chemical element as the focus of the story. Levi then expands on the story more to the why then the what. A search for meaning beneath the activities of the characters leads to a multidimensional feel for them.
The writing style is the main strength of this work. From time to time it does lead Levi to digress farther than I feel he should. Mostly his digressions are positive and add feeling.
This is not a light read. I struggled with the first chapter and if I had not been waiting to be impaneled in a jury for 3 hours I may not have made it through the beginning (and would have been my loss). If you find the beginning difficult, skipping the first chapter, "argon" will not detract from the rest of the work.
I hope you will find this work enjoyable from the discussions of insurmountable struggle in "nickel", the fanciful "lead", the mystery novel in "silver", or the powerful examination of how we live with our past actions in "vanadium". How we each apply revisionist history to our own lives in "uranium" is a tale we can all grow from.
I would have rated the work higher if it had more cohesion, and if from time to time I had not felt the author was adding words merely because he could (see comment of chapter 1 "argon"). And keep your dictionary handy; "The Periodic Table" will be good for your vocabulary.
deceptively simple.......2006-10-12
Primo Levi, a chemist and a young Italian Jew, grew up during WWII in Mussolini's Italy. The Periodic Table relates his story. Part autobiography, part poetry, part history and science textbook, Levi fuses these together in a "life-thesis" filled by both comedy and drama. This unique and unforgettable memoir is organized by the periodic table of the elements.
The chapter titles range from Argon to Zinc and, like the elements themselves, each with its own distinctive characteristics. The element denoted in each chapter heading is often literally represented in the particular chronicle. And yet, if the reader delves further in interpretation, the element often relates metaphorically to the human experience depicted within the text. While the majority of the novel's chapters orbit various important biographical events in Levi's intriguing existence, three of the book's chapters are fictional: Carbon, Lead and Mercury.
Often deceptively simple, Periodic Table is hardly an elementary read -- Levi's concepts, philosophies and frequent use of veiled symbolism, require and deserve lengthy deliberation to digest their hidden depths. Beautiful in its precision, it is the story of a life touched by the experience of science, war and love.
Curious, unconventional, poignant and memorable, The Periodic Table is the magnum opus of memoirs.
Read it.
Book Description
The periodic table is one of the most potent icons in science. It lies at the core of chemistry and embodies the most fundamental principles of the field. The one definitive text on the development of the periodic table by van Spronsen (1969), has been out of print for a considerable time. The present book provides a successor to van Spronsen, but goes further in giving an evaluation of the extent to which modern physics has, or has not, explained the periodic system. The book is written in a lively style to appeal to experts and interested lay-persons alike. The Periodic Table begins with an overview of the importance of the periodic table and of the elements and it examines the manner in which the term 'element' has been interpreted by chemists and philosophers. The book then turns to a systematic account of the early developments that led to the classification of the elements including the work of Lavoisier, Boyle and Dalton and Cannizzaro. The precursors to the periodic system, like Dobereiner and Gmelin, are discussed. In chapter 3 the discovery of the periodic system by six independent scientists is examined in detail. Two chapters are devoted to the discoveries of Mendeleev, the leading discoverer, including his predictions of new elements and his accommodation of already existing elements. Chapters 6 and 7 consider the impact of physics including the discoveries of radioactivity and isotopy and successive theories of the electron including Bohr's quantum theoretical approach. Chapter 8 discusses the response to the new physical theories by chemists such as Lewis and Bury who were able to draw on detailed chemical knowledge to correct some of the early electronic configurations published by Bohr and others. Chapter 9 provides a critical analysis of the extent to which modern quantum mechanics is, or is not, able to explain the periodic system from first principles. Finally, chapter 10 considers the way that the elements evolved following the Big Bang and in the interior of stars. The book closes with an examination of further chemical aspects including lesser known trends within the periodic system such as the knight's move relationship and secondary periodicity, as well at attempts to explain such trends.
Customer Reviews:
A book that honors "one of the most powerful icons in science".......2007-04-12
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"In spite of the central...role of the periodic table [of the elements], very few authors have felt drawn to write books on its evolution. There is no book that deals adequately with the historical, and especially the conceptual, aspects of the periodic system [that holds that there is a fundamental relationship among the elements] or its significance in chemistry and science generally. It is with the aim of injecting a more philosophical treatment to understanding the periodic system that [this book] has been undertaken...this book is not intended as a work of historical scholarship...the reader is [taken] on an interdisciplinary tour of the many areas of science that are connected with the periodic system, including physics, mathematics, computational methods, history and philosophy of science, and of course, chemistry."
The above is found in the introduction to this fascinating, extremely well researched book by Dr. Eric Scerri, a professor of chemistry and history & philosophy of science at UCLA. This book is fittingly dedicated to the 100TH anniversary of the death of Dimitri Mendeleev (1834 to 1907).
The periodic table of the elements--what is it? Simply, it is basically a two-dimensional representation of a periodic system (that is explained above). The aim of this book is to bring the story of the periodic table "up to date."
This book from my own personal perspective can roughly be divided into five parts:
(I) An overview of the periodic system. (1 chapter)
(II) The development of the periodic table. (4 chapters)
(III) The nucleus and the periodic table: radioactivity, atomic number (the number of protons contained in the nucleus of the atom of an element), and isotopy (isotopes are any of two or more forms of an element having the same number of protons but differing in the number of neutrons). (1 chapter)
(IV) Electronic explanations for the elements of the periodic table: physics versus chemistry. (3 chapters)
(V) Astrophysics, element formation, other chemical trends that defy neat explanations, and three fundamental questions regarding the periodic table. (1 chapter)
One of the key features of this book, as mentioned above, is that it is well researched. However, Scerri goes one step beyond mere information gathering. He actually questions the information he has found. Here are just three examples:
(1) "The notion that the periodic table was deduced from quantum theory by [physicist Niels] Bohr [as the historical record implies] is something of an exaggeration."
(2) "This, I submit, suggests remarkable foresight and intuition on the part of [chemical writer] Gmelin, as does the way in which he uses his system to ground the presentation of the chemistry of these elements. Yet Gmelin's contribution to the classification of the elements has not been sufficiently appreciated of chemistry, or even historians of the periodic system."
(3) Clearly [chemist Dimitri] Mendeleev was spectacularly successful in [his] predictions [of new elements] but perhaps not quite to the extent that is implied by the more selective tables of comparison that regularly appear in chemistry textbooks and even histories of chemistry."
Another feature of this book is the inclusion of the actual writings of key people involved in the development of the periodic table. I found all of these interesting.
Yet another feature is that it is jam-packed with charts, tables, diagrams, etc. so readers can see for themselves what is going on. Some of these tables, etc. are actual copies from historical documents. As well, there are black and white portraits of some of those who contributed to some aspect of the formation and understanding of the periodic table.
The majority of the chapters end with a conclusion that consolidates all the information in a particular chapter. I found these most helpful.
Finally, I feel that this book can be read by all who are interested in the periodic table. However, the author assumes some science background. Many terms are defined in the book's main narrative but many are not. Thus, it would have been helpful if an appendix explaining key terms was also included. As well, a glossary would have been most helpful. Of course, any difficulties can be resolved by referring to a good, standard dictionary or even a basic science dictionary (especially for part IV above).
In conclusion, there are elements of the periodic table that are named after admired others. Examples include Einsteinium and Mendelevium. Eric Scerri has written a comprehensive book that honors the periodic table. Perhaps when a new element is discovered it should be named "Scerrium."
(first published 2006; acknowledgements; introduction; 10 chapters; main narrative 285 pages; notes; index)
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Beautiful Patterns.......2007-01-05
Humans are exquisitely good at finding patterns. Sometimes those patterns turn out to be illusory, such as the constellations. Sometimes they turn out to be very real, such as the patterns illustrated by the periodic table of the elements. Eric Scerri, in his book The Periodic Table, has done an excellent job of presenting a "warts and all" history of the periodic table. Instead of presenting the "heroes only" version of the history of the periodic table [speaking of illusory patterns] found in most high school and college textbooks, he gives us a full historical view with all the players, big and small, and shows how even ideas that turned out to be wrong had a positive effect on getting us to the periodic table we use today. Although scientists may someday show that the periodic table ultimately reduces to quantum mechanics, Professor Scerri shows us why we can't say that with the level of certainty with which it is often presented in chemistry classes [the next time I find chemistry among my preps at the high school where I teach, I will be much better prepared to deal with the periodic table]. The interested lay reader should find the book quite accessible, but a knowledge of high school chemistry, especially in the later chapters where electron configurations are presented [idea for the paperback - include an appendix that covers some chemistry basics like electron configurations], will help. Knowledge of the terminology used in the study of philosophy will also help the reader. This book should be of interest to folks with an interest in the history and philosophy of science, even if they don't have a specific interest in chemistry and the periodic table, especially fans of Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. I strongly suggest that The Periodic Table become required reading for all high school chemistry teachers! John Emsley is still my favorite writer on chemical topics, but Eric Scerri moves to a place not far behind.
An instant classic.......2007-01-03
The Periodic Table is one of the most iconic symbols in our culture. Every person interested in the physical world in which we live will want to read this book. It is also a masterful history of the people involved in the establishment of the periodic law of chemistry. The gradual growth in awareness of the regularities of the elements is the main theme of this work. It is already a classic in its first year in print!
A brilliant achievement.......2006-12-28
Scerri's work is a rich and fascinating account of the history, development and current significance of the Periodic Table: if you have any interest in chemistry you should read it. In his book he describes how the Period System was discovered (giving due credit to Mendeleev, but also to many others who deserve their place in the history of discovery),showing how it was received by other chemists. The most interesting part for me is in the brilliant later chapters, where the role of the Periodic System in influencing Bohr's ideas on the atom, and the nature of the relationship between quantum theory and empirical evidence is presented as clearly as you will find anywhere. Chemistry emerges not (as Dirac once claimed) entirely reduced to physics, but as a still-developing science in which quantum mechanics plays an important but not yet wholly reductive role.
Book Description
'You'll love Gloria Lamerino and her friends.' -Janet Evanovich, New York Times bestselling author In the latest installment in this marvelously entertaining series, Gloria Lamerino, retired physicist, has traveled to California with her fianc, homicide detective Matt Gennaro, to attend the wedding of an old friend. Unfortunately, the groom has disappeared. As Gloria and Matt try to figure out a con-nec-tion between the missing groom and missing classified nitrogen research, the body count rises.
Customer Reviews:
Great science mystery without being too scientific for lay people.......2006-10-24
Retired physicist Gloria Lamerino and her homicide detective fiancé Matt Gennaro are in Berkley, CA, to help her friend Elaine prepare for her wedding. Elaine's fiancé, Phil, is a fellow scientist, but he rubbed Gloria wrong from the minute she met him.
Phil's daughter's EMT work partner is shot dead by what is believed to be a mugger. Gloria is soon suspicious because of the information Phil seems to have about the shooting and the patient his daughter was helping transport when her partner was shot.
Gloria's suspicions of Phil soon alienate Elaine, but when Phil goes missing, everyone joins together to try to locate him. Plus Gloria is sure that this has something to do with his work and the shooting. Can she find him in time to save the wedding?
I really like Gloria. Even though she is a scientist, I don't feel these mysteries are written so that laymen can't understand even the scientific talk. I like that. This is a great cozy series that is such an easy read.
This one being set in California was fun. It was Gloria's old stomping grounds from years ago, so she knew people and places. Made it all more believable. I highly recommend this book and the series.
disappointing.......2006-07-07
As a retired chemist and fan of cozy mysteries I looked forward to what I thought based on the reviews would be a good new author with a scientific twist. This book is my first by Minichino. The involvement of Nitrogen in this was so superficial and sketchy as to look contrived. The two plots (nitrogen research and stolen medical supplies) were loosely tied together and very poorly developed.The connection was very forced and not convincing. The development of all the male characters was very, very poor with little dialogue. They were all vaguely there, even Gloria's fiance. The only good spot and character was the "star" Gloria and she kept me reading. But, I kept wondering when is this all going to tie together and where is the substance?
In summary, though the book had its interesting parts the overall conclusion was dissatisfaction and the feeling that it was put together to meet a publishers deadline. I might look for an earlier episode in paperback, but definitely never pop for a hardcover again.
Two Murders, Stolen Drugs, Secret Nitrogen Files, and a Missing Scientist.......2005-08-27
Retired physicist Dr. Gloria Lamerino is visiting California with her fiance, Revere Police Detective Matt Gennaro. Gloria's best friend Elaine Cody is getting married in two weeks, and Gloria and Matt are in Berkeley to help with the celebration and have a little vacation. Just as soon as Gloria and Matt arrive in California, though, trouble strikes when they learn that Tanisha Hall, a young paramedic gunned down at the door to an Oakland hospital is the partner of Elaine's future daughter-in-law. The plot thickens when they learn that the patient being transported to the hospital (who later dies of his wounds) is an Indian scientist working on highly classifed research pertaining to powerful new explosives using newly discovered nitrogen molecules. Gloria and Matt begin to suspect that Elaine's fiance Phil Chambers might be involved in the two murders. When Phil suddenly disappears, no one is sure if he's just gotten cold feet about his wedding or if he is running from the law.
There's a lot of interesting and well-tied together plot lines in this book. In addition to the mystery of the two murders and the missing Dr. Phil Chambers, there are some missing drugs and medical supplies, stolen from the ambulance company, which are found in the murdered paramedic's home. As in all the stories in this series, author Minichino sprinkles in a healthy dose of scientific knowledge. The information she gives on newly found nitrogen compounds and their use in new powerful explosives is really fascinating. The characters in this series are well-developed and very believable.
Being a former resident of the California Bay area myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the Berkeley setting. Whether or not readers are familiar with the previous books in this series, I highly recommend "The Nitogen Murder" as a very entertaining mystery.
superb scientific mystery .......2005-04-27
Retired scientist Gloria Lamerino and her fiancé Matt Gennaro are in Berkley California to attend the wedding of her close friend scientist Elaine Cody to retired chemist Phillip Chambers, a consultant to Dorman Industries. Phil's daughter Dana is still traumatized by seeing her EMT partner gunned down while bringing their patient Lakesh Patel to the hospital. Mr. Patel dies in the hospital and the killer makes off with his duffel bag but Dana brings home his briefcase what contains severed ID's under different names including access to Dorman Industries.
When Phil and Gloria meet, she isn't impressed with him but her mild feelings of disdain turn to severe anxiety when Dana confides that somehow the briefcase wound up in her father's apartment. Patel and Phil collaborated on several papers involving nitrogen weapons research. When Phil disappears, Gloria and Matt work together to try and figure out the connection between the dead scientist, the stolen research and the multiple identifications that Mr. Patel carried.
There are very few mystery authors today who can incorporate a lot of scientific data into the story and make it part of a one sitting thriller as Camilla Minichino consistently does. She makes the science understandable so reader can learn while they are being entertained. The protagonist of THE NITROGEN MURDER is spunky, strong-willed and totally loyal to her friends, which endears her to the audience. The relationship between Gloria and Matt is believable and affirms that there is life after retirement.
Harriet Klausner
Customer Reviews:
good popular science.......2003-08-29
By putting over 3,000 years of faces on the search for the elemental principles -- from the Greek philosopher Anaximander, who held that all the material world was made of four "elements", Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; to teams of modern scientists who race to create new elements -- Benjamin Wiker has moved chemistry off the shelf of dry-and-dusty arcania and given the reader a gum-shoe tale filled with odd and interesting characters. This book is an excellent remedy for people who think the sciences were hatched in university laboratories, or born the test-tube children of egg-headed professors. Tracing the theories of philosophers, alchemists, and scientists, making acquaintance with men of all walks and many nationalities, whose only common trait was their persistent desire to peer ever deeper into the nature of things, Wiker not only outlines the genealogy of the Periodic Table of Elements, but, so doing, introduces his reader to the principles of theoretical and practical science, to the history of the scientific method, and even inklings of atomic theory. This book will be accessible, and of interest, to a wide range of readers: those with no science background can still follow the general story with ease, while even the reader well-versed in high-school level chemistry has probably never encountered the history of modern chemistry synthesized with such clarity and appeal.
Everybody CAN understand Science.......2003-07-25
This terrific book helps make a complex area of science - the field of chemistry and the periodic table - accessible to everyone. Benjamin Wiker skillfully and humorously takes us through the history of theories, experiments, mistakes and successes in understanding the elements and the development of the Periodic Table. The icing on the cake is how fascinating the order of the table is and how closely and mathematically the elements are related to each other. Fascinating!
The book is written for ages 10 and up, but high schoolers and even college students would benefit from the memorable way this book presents the big picture and helps it 'stick.' The last three chapters are a little tougher to follow. I found it helpful to draw some of my own diagrams of the various atoms and their electron structure.
Book Description
New York City welcomes Gloria Lamerino and her husband, homicide detective Matt Gennaro, in this eighth installment of the Periodic Table Mystery series. In The Oxygen Murder, Gloria and her best friends Rose and Frank Galigani are on vacation. They plan to visit Matts niece, filmmaker Lori Pizzano, and to enjoy the holiday sights together. But when Gloria stumbles over the body of Loris camerawoman in a Times Square loft, she is thrust once again into dangerous sleuthing. Journeying through the colorful neighborhoods and famous landmarks of New York City, Camille Minichino thrills and delights readers with another fun and fast-paced mystery.
Customer Reviews:
The Oxygen Murder.......2007-09-27
I absolutely love Camille Minichino's books, and The Oxygen Murders is no exception. The heroine is so much like me--older, a teacher, unsure about men--until Gennaro--I just think she's great. Not only are but books entertaining but also a good learning experience. The most amazing things is that she can write entire books without using sex and profanity. They are there, but she has enough vocabulary available to her that she knows how to express the feeling without the "explicit sex and language," as so many other writers do. I read their books, too, but I can't wait for the next Gloria Lamerino adventure. Linda Lunsford
A Series that Stays Strong.......2007-07-20
It's Christmastime and retired physicist Gloria Lamberino is spending it in New York city with her new husband and best friends, Rose and Frank Galigani. While Gloria's husband Matt Revere, a Massachusetts homicide detective, attends a police conference Gloria plans to (reluctantly) shop with her friends and visit with Matt's niece, Lori Pizzano. When Gloria discovers the body of Lori's roommate in the young women's loft, there's no question that Gloria will be lending a hand in the investigation, especially when it's discovered that the two women were involved in the making of a documentary exposing the ozone depletion by a shady corporation. In between dining at famous New York eateries with her friends and visiting the City's famous sites Gloria discovers that the murdered woman was making a profit at blackmail and gathering no shortage of enemies, including the clients of a private investigator and the executives of a powerful corporation. Gloria finds herself torn between family loyalties and her need to ferret out the truth when she discovers that Lori has been less than truthful and may be implicated in the murder.
Surprisingly, the chapters from the point of view of Lori Pizzano prove to be the most interesting in this extremely pleasing mystery. Minichino does an admirable job conveying the moral conflict plaguing Lori as she finds herself unable to disclose either to the police or her own uncle her complicity in her roommate's schemes. Also refreshing is that after an initial rebuking, Rose and Matt are resigned to Gloria's investigation and refrain from their usual warnings to not interfere. Rose does, however, continue to campaign for a "real" wedding reception for Rose and Matt despite their attempt to escape a big party with their elopement. The Periodic Table Mysteries continues to be a reliable series sure to please fans with its humor, steady pace, and very likeable characters.
Murder On Vacation.......2007-02-03
Gloria Lamerino, a retired physicist, and her fiancé, Homicide Detective Matt Gennaro, head to New York City for a vacation with their best friends Rose and Frank Galigani before Christmas. They plan to visit Matt's niece Lori Pizzano, a documentary filmmaker. Rose plans to shop and take in shows and to get Gloria to participate with her as much as possible. Matt is there to attend an NYPD conference.
Lori is doing a documentary on ozone and environmental issues. When Gloria goes to her apartment, she stumbles over the body of her camerawoman, Amber Keenan.
Later Gloria learns that Amber had been scheming, and there is an abundance of suspects. Can Gloria enjoy her vacation while finding a killer? And can she help Lori stay safe in the process?
Before I read my first book in this series, I worried about it being full of science jargon. It's not. The author has done a great job of presenting needed information without taking you out of the story. And all the technical data is in layman's terms.
I really like Gloria and Matt. They are a great couple with real problems and issues to deal with. The New York location of this book adds to the story and provides great ambiance. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.
It's a Gas.......2006-10-18
Gloria Lamarino is glorious again as the physicist turned slueth in her newest science-based adventure. While a somewhat unlikely "heroine," Gloria, in her latest adventure, is becoming as unforgettable a character as Miss Marple. Once again, she has moved beyond her upper room roost above a Revere, Massachusetts funeral home. Now, instead of visiting friends in California, she and her new husband, Matt, find themselves in New York City. While Matt attends a conference, Gloria discovers a murder amidst old friends. Naturally, an element is involved -- oxygen. There are many twists and turns before the case is solved and the miscreant is brought to justice. But the real fun is in the wonderful characters that Minichino has created. To enter their world is a delight.
A Big Apple Vacation Combines Work, Pleasure, and Murder.......2006-09-26
The eighth installment of Minichino's Periodic Table mysteries finds retired physicist and part-time sleuth Gloria Lamerino on a pre-Christmas trip to New York City with her new husband Matt Gennaro and their best friends Rose and Frank Galigani. The trip was supposed to be a pre-holiday shopping and sight-seeing getaway, combined with a police conference for Revere Police detective Matt. However, when Gloria pays a visit to Matt's niece Lori Pizzano, a documentary film maker, and discovers Lori's dying camerawoman Amber Keenan in Lori's studio/loft, Gloria and Matt suddenly find themselves searching for Amber's murderer. It turns out that there are lots of reasons why Amber could have been murdered, which range from the corporate secrets regarding ozone emissions which Lori and Amber were investigating in their latest documentary, to victims of Amber's blackmailing schemes which she was running on the side. Matt's niece Lori finds herself as a murder suspect, so of course Matt and Gloria want to find the real murderer. The mystery in this story is a good one and very enjoyable, with a soltuion which took me by surprise. As usual in this series, author Minichino mixes in quite a bit of scientific information in the plot, with the subject this time being ozone emissions from welding.
Set against a festive pre-Christmas New York setting, this latest entry in the series is one of the best of the series so far. Whether you are an old friend of Dr. Gloria Lamerino or new to the series, this is a story that all mystery fans are sure to enjoy.
Book Description
In the latest installment in this marvelous series, Gloria Lamerino, retired physicist is the amateur sleuth in a string of murder investigations, each of which is somehow based on an element from the Periodic Table. Together with her boy-friend, homicide detective Matt Genaro, they try to sort out why there's a dead body in the park, who is stalking Gloria's beloved niece-and how nanotechnology, the science of miniscule matter, explains it all. Long after Sue Grafton has run out of the alphabet, Camille Minichino's series will still be going strong.
Customer Reviews:
OmGzZZzZZ.......2007-06-18
Omg Gloria iz lyke my fav person and this iz my fav book eveRRrRRrrr. I was shocked in the end it wuz so kewl and stuff. i wish i was as kewl as Gloria but obvi that's not possible. so basically yeah; yeah. this buk deserves lyke a million starz!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111111111111111
Elegant, articulate, (and elemental) amateur sleuth set near Boston.......2007-06-05
I had my reservations about reading The Carbon Murder by Camille Minichino. After all, my last science classes were high school physics and chemistry (earning a C and B, respectively). But Gloria Lamerino is an affable, retired scientist who mixes her pleasure of physics with her P.I. nosiness in a clear, engaging storyline. Gloria has left California and returned to her native Revere, Massachusetts, after thirty years. Her god-daughter, Mary Catherine (MC), has moved back from Houston, Texas after quitting her job. Then a detective in one of MC's classes ends up murdered in a marsh. An old boyfriend follows MC to Revere and stalks her, ostensibly to warn her of some danger. While helping MC, Gloria runs into her own life crises, including her fiancé Matt diagnosed with prostate cancer. Gloria is a warm, tough lady who uses her wits to solve murders and to teach high school kids physics. This is one title in an original, well-plotted series adapting each element of the periodic table as its theme. Recommended.
One of the best "elements" so far!.......2006-11-08
Camille has done it again and this is one of the best installments! If any one reads this who knows where to buy a "pen with a tip that lights up upon touch", please tell me - or any of the other "physics pins" etc. mentioned in her books. Really, the publisher's should start a "line" of products mentioned in her mysteries! LOL!
Retired research professor turned sleuth.......2005-10-10
Gloria Lamerino is now a police consultant. She is a retired research professor and physicist. Her goddaughter M. C. Galigani believes her ex-boyfriend Jake Powers is stalking her. Wayne Gallen, a former co-worker, shows up to warn her that she's in danger because of some misdirected e-mail.
Then a student of M.C.'s that was an undercover private investigator is murdered. Gloria is very concerned about the whole situation.
Gloria's boyfriend, Matt Geneva, is a police detective. He isn't very involved in this case as he has just been diagnosed with prostrate cancer. Gloria is torn between helping M. C. and taking care of Matt.
Gloria uncovers an illegal medical experiment run by someone who doesn't seem to stop at murder. Can she protect M. C. while bringing everything to light?
This was the first I've read in this series. I will definitely be reading more of this series. Gloria is such a likeable character. I was so worried that since this series is the periodic table series, there would be too much scientific talk. That wasn't the case. She uses her knowledge of science, but the book is very enjoyable to those who don't know science.
I highly recommend this book.
Predictable Plot, Clunky Construction, Cardboard Characters.......2005-06-20
I had high hopes for this mystery that features an amateur sleuth who is a physicist. But the plot of this story, presented in awkward fashion, is almost entirely predictable. I had figured out the the whodunit by halfway along. Added to this was a really clunky set of side-stories, not the least of which is the not-at-all believable story of the diagnosis and treatment of the cancer of Matt Gennaro, detective Gloria Lamerino's love interest. Dialog is creaky, characters mostly cardboard. I had to force myself to read to the very end, hoping futilely that I hadn't figured out the denouement, that there might be a surprise awaiting me. Alas, that was not to be.
I have not read the earlier Gloria Lamerino mysteries and I suspect I won't be looking forward to the next one.
Scott Morrison
Book Description
Contents: The Nature of Matter; The Hydrogen, Spike, Dumb-bell, Tetrahedron, Cube, Octahedron, Bars, and Star Groups; Compounds; Catalysis, Crystallization; Conclusion; Analysis of the Structure of the Elements; Table of Atomic Weights; Notes and Reports of Certain of the Investigations; Index; Illustrated.
Customer Reviews:
A Revelation!.......2005-09-21
This is a mystery within a mystery as Leadbeater and Besant take you on a journey down to the atomic level of matter. I was stunned and amazed. Fascinating read.
Fascinating!.......2005-08-30
Leadbeater has taken a difficult subject and made it clear and easy to understand.
Exploring through different eyes.......2005-04-07
I read this book years ago and was stunned and amazed with the patterns that evolved through the Periodic Table. Peter Tompkins wrote about this book in Secret Life of Nature yet never gave the reader a picture or image of the concept and how it evolved ones thinking. For those who research and explore through different eyes will find this book a stunning journey. It links to string theory are facinating as I watched on Nova the other day I felt like I was stepping back in time to the 1900's not into a new universe. Sue www.dowsingcoach.com
The authors were Clairvoyant-Proved beyond doubt........2000-12-18
The authors have described the atomic structure by reducing themselves to atomic size and actually observing the structure of atoms.Several Nobel Prizes have been won 1991 onwards by developing the descriptions given in the book-written some time around 1924 .The book must be read by every student of physics and chemistry at the graduate level and also those who are generally interested in knowing the the true nature of the world around us.I can arrange the book at a v-low price.
navinkumar46@hotmail.com
Amazon.com
An academic biography, Michael D. Gordin's A Well-Ordered Thing tells Dmitri Mendeleev's story in dense prose, detailed with Russian history and molecular chemistry. Mendeleev will forever be remembered as the inventor of the periodic table of the elements, which sorts hydrogen, helium, lithium, and so on, according to their weights and properties. Readers unfamiliar with either the periodic table or the politics of Imperial Russia will have a tough go of it. Nevertheless, Gordin's treatment reveals surprising facts about the enigmatic Mendeleev and his social context.
The periodic system was developed in Russia by an individual who was ... trying to bring order to a Russian society that was apparently disintegrating.... In order to understand the building of this part of modern chemistry, one must come to terms with the attempts to create a modern Russia.
Far from a stereotypically isolated scientist surrounded by bubbling beakers and cryptic lore, the "ambitious and energetic" Mendeleev was a very public figure. He involved himself eagerly in the social problems of the day and participated actively in trying to shape a new society. His pursuits included hot-air balloons, art criticism, debunking Spiritualists, and perfecting systems of every kind. When he hit on the idea of periodicity in the elements, he published his table first in a chemistry textbook, later submitting papers to other scientists once his confidence allowed him to make predictions of elements yet to be discovered. Gordin paints Mendeleev as a consummate Imperial who was shocked by the revolution that toppled the Tsar. This complex civil servant and brilliant scientist deserves wider appreciation, and A Well-Ordered Thing provides a rich context for examination of Mendeleev's life. --Therese Littleton
Book Description
The story of the enigmatic man who organized chemistry into the periodic table--and of how he tried to organize Imperial Russia.
Dmitrii Mendeleev: It's a name we recognize, but only as the disheveled scientist pictured in our high school chemistry textbook, the creator of the periodic table of elements. Until now little has been known about the man, but A Well-Ordered Thing draws a portrait of this chemist in three full dimensions.
Historian Michael Gordin also details Mendeleev's complex relationship with the Russian Empire that was his home. From his attack on Spiritualism to his humiliation at the hands of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences, from his near-mythical hot-air balloon trip to his failed voyage to the Arctic, this is the story of an extraordinary man deeply invested in the good of his country. And the ideals that shaped his work in politics and culture were the same ones that led a young chemistry professor to start putting elements in order.
Mendeleev was a loyal subject of the Tsar, but he was also a maverick who thought that only an outsider could perfect a modern Russia. A Well-Ordered Thing is a fascinating glimpse into the world of Imperial Russia--and into the life of one of its most notorious minds.
Customer Reviews:
Deep, thought-provoking book about Russia and this great genius..........2006-06-22
It's difficult to 'grade' a book that refused to stay on what the intended topic (as presented to the reader). When I ordered the book, I thought the picture of Mendeleev was a rather haunting one, that looked like so many of the great minds like Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and other minds from the slightly earlier time of the Enlightenment. This was a man who started his life in the time of horse and carriage, of gas lights, of sloppy science in Russia, and ended in the next century when his country was beset by revolution...one of the very things this authoritarian abhored.
Grodin wrote a fascinating and difficult book to read. He starts out with the information Mendeleev is most known for...the periodic table. Yet, a lot of the information here in this part of the book is almost 'circumstantial' and did not add much more than what I already knew.
However, the following chapters demonstrated that Mendeleev applied his organizational skills to many other areas in both science and social life in Russia, and though it was not expected by the reader, the information is emmensely interesting. Russia was the backwards part of Europe, just as the South was the backwards part of the United States. Mendeleev worked to bring that same organization used in chemistry to make sense of the elements to such diverse areas of need in Russia such as her economic life and the deeply engrained superstition that became so fashionable in both Russia and the U.S. and Britain at the turn of the century. All thesee countries dabbled in seances or otherworldly things in the guest to understand one of the least knowable things: death and the afterlife. Mendeleev had not patience with this kind of chicanery and strenously tried to disprove it's existence with science.
Grodin's choice for a title could only be determined through reading the book as a whole. The greatest achievement of Mendeleev shadowed his much larger life as a diplomat, as a world-class scientist trying to bring his country into a new century. Not an easy book to read, but definitely a worth-while one!
Karen Sadler
Chemistry
First part of book great, but I could not finish........2005-08-24
Chapters 1-3 of this book were exactly what I expected with the history of Mendeleev and the periodic table. However, the author mentions at the end of chapter three that Medeleev did not work on the periodic table from that point on to the end of his life.
My primary reason for reading the book was to learn about the history of the periodic table. I stopped reading in the middle of chapter four when Mendeleev was pursuing other interests.
The first three chapters are excellent if you are interested in the periodic table, and the rest of the book may be of great interest to a reader interested in other facets of Mendeleev's life. I encourage anyone to buy this book, but I don't believe the last half of the book will be of interest to me.
Fascinating True Story of a Russian, Scientist, and Genius .......2004-12-02
+++++
When I studied chemistry in high school, I was taught that Mendeleev (pronounced Men-de-LAY-ev) was, due to his "Periodic Law," the inspiration behind the periodic table of chemical elements, perhaps "the most widely recognized talisman of modern science." And that was it! Nothing more was said. Thus, I thought that Mendeleev was only of importance due to his association with the periodic table. I thought this until I picked up this book and learned how wrong I was!
This extremely well researched book (that won the Basic Prize in the History of Science) by Assistant Professor of History Michael Gordin is about Dmitrii Mendeleev (1834 to 1907) and the Russian Empire.
This is not your typical (boring) biography that runs from Mendeleev's birth to his death. Gordin explains: "I concentrate on Mendeleev and the Russian Empire from [the] Emancipation [of the Serfs in 1861] to the [Russian] Revolution of 1905, the epoch of Mendeleev's greatest chemical achievements and of Russia's greatest hope for a reformed liberal state. I have selected seven major episodes from Mendeleev's life not because they were...the `most important'...but because each emphasizes a different feature of the cultural life of both Imperial [Russia] and nineteenth-century science."
You'll learn from this book that Mendeleev was more than just a chemist. His other credentials include father, author, economist, bureaucrat & public servant, meteorologist, and aviator to name just a few. Gordin elaborates: "[I]t is hard to conceive that one person occupied all the roles this man played." The author continues: "[H]is life illustrates what it was like to live and work in [Russia]." As a consequence the reader will learn much about Russia in general and about St. Petersburg (the city where Mendeleev worked) in particular during the period 1860 to 1905.
This book contains almost ten black and white illustrations and ten black and white frontispiece images. My favorite illustration is "Short-form periodic system from [an]...1870 article [written by Mendeleev]." A couple of the illustrations are too
dark.
Although not absolutely necessary, I would know some basics of general chemistry and a bit about the history of Russia during the time period concerned in order to fully enjoy this book. The author does do a good job in explaining basic chemical terms.
My only minor quibble with the book is that it gives the impression that Mendeleev was the only one that made a table of the elements. This is not quite true. However, his was the first one that was scientifically useful. Also, it would have been instructive to include in this book a modern periodic table to illustrate the modification that atomic numbers are now used instead of atomic weights (which Mendeleev used) to order the elements.
Finally, I was surprised that there was no mention of the chemical element named after Mendeleev. It's called Mendelevium (symbol Md).
In conclusion, until this book came out, Dmitrii Mendeleev's life was "shrouded in [a] historical fog." Read this book to learn why "he remains the most recognized Russian scientific name both at home and abroad!!"
(first published 2004; note to the reader; preface; introductory chapter; 7 chapters; concluding chapter; main narrative of 250 pages; acknowledgements; extensive notes; extensive bibliography; index)
+++++
An exciting, enlightening survey .......2004-11-09
When young Dmitrii Mendeleev drafted the Periodic Table of Elements as a guide for his chemistry students, he was already dreaming of building a scientific empire in his home of Russia - with himself at its center. His Periodic Table predicted the existence of three unknown elements and helped foster the entire science of chemistry, so it's sad to learn the name of Dmitrii Mendeleev himself has been relatively lost in relation to his creation. Micahel D. Gordon's A Well-Ordered Thing: Dmitrii Mendeleev And The Shadow Of The Periodic Table resolves this neglect, providing an excellent review of both the Table's importance and Mendeleev's stormy relationship with his Russian background. An exciting, enlightening survey evolves.
Story of a great man - by an ingenious historian.......2004-05-03
I've heard a part of story of Mendeleev directly from Michael Gordin during the dinners in the Harvard Society of Fellows, and the discussions with Michael were always extremely insightful as well as entertaining.
One of the main reasons is that Michael knows a lot, and he is interested in everything. My feeling is that he knows more about Russian history than those who are specialized in humanities. Think about any two people whom you know and who lived in the 19th century or the early 20th century (two Russian writers, for example), and Michael will be able to tell you what was the relationship between these two people, when they met, and why it was important. What you read in this book about Mendeleev is just a fraction of what Michael could tell you about the 19th century.
Moreover, he also understands the important technical points of chemistry - in fact, not just chemistry: physics, mathematics, and other sciences are his cup of tea, too. Therefore his presentation is not superficial: you will learn the right things about the right ideas and their evolution, about the wrong ideas as well as about the influence of politics and ghosts.
Michael Gordin's Russian is very good and it helped him to understand all the relevant events and links between the contemporaries of Mendeleev as he studied the archives in St Petersburg (and perhaps also Moscow). Incidentally, he also learned Czech - which is my first language - because at some moment he decided that it is helpful to follow some old letters about chemistry.
Anyone who is interested in chemistry, history of science, or Russian history should immediately buy this book because Michael Gordin was the right person to write it, and you will certainly learn a lot about all these issues. Moreover, Mendeleev might be the most famous chemist ever and his life was rich enough to keep you excited as you read through these 300+ pages of a superb text.
Book Description
THEY STARTED WITH FOUR: earth, air, fire, and water. From these basics, they sought to understand the essential ingredients of the world. Those who could see further, those who understood that the four were just the beginning, were the last sorcerers -- and the world's first chemists.
What we now call chemistry began in the fiery cauldrons of mystics and sorcerers seeking not to make a better world through science, but rather to make themselves richer through magic formulas and con games. Yet among these early magicians, frauds, and con artists were a few far-seeing "alchemists" who used the trial and error of rigorous experimentation to transform mysticism into science.
Scientific historians generally credit the great 18th century French chemist Antoine Lavoisier with modernizing the field of chemistry. Others would follow his lead, carefully examining, measuring, and recording their findings. One hundred years later, another pioneer emerged. Dimitri Mendeleev, an eccentric genius who cut his flowing hair and beard but once a year, finally brought order to the chemical sciences when he constructed the first Periodic Table in the late 1800s.
But between and after Lavoisier and Mendeleev were a host of other colorful, brilliant scientists who made their mark on the field of chemistry. Depicting the lively careers of these scientists and their contributions while carefully deconstructing the history and the science, author Richard Morris skillfully brings it all to life. Hailed by Kirkus Reviews as a "clear and lively writer with a penchant for down-to-earth examples" Morris's gift for explanation -- and pure entertainment -- is abundantly obvious. Taking a cue from the great chemists themselves, Morris has brewed up a potent combination of the alluringly obscure and the historically momentous, spiked with just the right dose of quirky and ribald detail to deliver a magical brew of history, science, and personalities.
Customer Reviews:
Is this book really about the periodic table?.......2006-05-15
Reasonably interesting book but not if one is specifically interested in the periodic table or its evolution. Only one or two chapters are actually on the periodic table. In addition the final 40 or so pages consist just of a "catalog of elements", essentially a complete list of all the elements, the dates they were discovered etc. This is nothing more than a page filler for a book that is well written but rather too superficial for anybody really interested in chemistry and physics.
Chemists and their adventures...........2005-08-16
I found the stories told on the book so interesting that I read it like a romance, for a few days, every spare time I had, I was reading this book... One will enjoy and learn at the same time.
After reading it, you have a very strong impression that humanity has just started to make science. Not long ago, the knowledge available was so superficial that very few aspects of chemistry were reasonably explained.
The author explains the science involved in very simple terms, it helps if the reader has some previous knowledge of chemistry or physics to fill in the blanks. The last part of the book requires additional reading to understand the evolution of scientific knowledge during the twentieth century.
I recommend reading the Scientists by John Gribbin as a complementary book as nice to read as this one.
From Alchemy to Eternity: The Story of the Elements.......2005-03-31
Richard Morris has done a wonderful job of taking what should be a dry topic and making it very interesting. The Last Sorcerer details the discovery of the elements and the people behind these discoveries. Along the way we meet a number of brilliant eccentrics, would be charlatans and an interesting collection of scientists and non-scientists. The chapters are short and punchy. The book flows well.
From the beginning we learn that while the ancient Egyptians had identified seven distinct elements, thanks to Aristotle, the field of Alchemy was born thus leading to the belief that all things were made up of four elements: air, water, earth and fire. From there it was quick jump to the belief that base metal (e.g., lead) could be transferred into gold. For centuries afterwards, alchemists struggled to reconcile this theory with their observations. But in that struggle chemistry was born.
Perhaps the best chapter is the one about the work of the Russian scientist Mendeleev and his work to discover the periodic law. When my children were studying the periodic table, I read this chapter to them and it helped to better understand and bring to life the dry and seemingly unfathomable periodic table. But there are other great chapters about many scientists from Boyle to Rutherford.
For those non-scientists who seek to expand their knowledge about the history of science and learn a little chemistry along the way, this is a great book. It is a bit old for children under 13 (and there is some language in the book) but you may find yourself reading a chapter or two to your children when they begin complaining about their chemistry class that day.
Chemistry for the Common Man.......2005-01-03
This was a very interesting book that was packed full of interesting facts. Richard Morris tells the story of chemistry's evolution in a unique manner. He takes the lives of each scientist who had a significant contribution to this growing branch of science and tells about them and their discoveries. However, he does not make it impossible to understand but makes it intersting and informative. Morris writes for the common man to understand and enjoy. Each scientist's life is presented in a clear manner with their important achievements and discoveries. They are all connected with eachother in a complex fashion that Morris makes clear for the reader.
An interesting aspect of this book was that Morris made the scientists seem like real people, not the heroes and untouchable geniuses we often make them. Morris makes the study of chemistry through the ages tangable and close to home. The scienists could be your next-door neighbor the way he describes their lives. They have petty arguments and marital problems just like the common man. This makes the study of chemistry something that is more friendly and something to be understood by everyday people, not just the intelligent men who studied it and made discoveries for it.
This book was highly enjoyable and I recommend it to anyone interested in the evolution of chemistry. Or anyone mildly interested in the structure of chemistry. It is a clear and easily understood book that is a fast read and interesting. The concepts are presented clearly and the topic is well-developed. The chapters are short and broken up into small sub-chapters making it faster to read. Morris is very fond of footnotes and uses them quite frequently to help the reader understand different concepts. This is a very reader-friendly book and an intersesting read.
The tortuous path from superstition to mystery.......2004-04-19
In a world of leptons, quarks, muons, superstrings, 10 dimensions of space and an 11-dimensional theory called M theory -- it is hard to remember the electron was discovered just over a century ago.
English physicist J.J. Thompson discovered the electron in 1897; since then, there has been an explosion of discoveries. For thousands of years, chemists thought of the world consisted of earth, air, fire and water. It was a theory offered by Empedocles, who lived about 2,500 years ago and was said to be able to control the winds and restore life to a woman who had been dead for 30 days. Once Aristotle endorsed the idea, chemists were stuck with it for nearly two and one-half millennia.
Logically, if everything consists of four basic elements -- then, by properly mixing it would be possible to make gold and every other useful item. For example, when mercury ore was heated, a pool of liquid metal was formed. Transformations took place when substances were heated, dissolved, melted, filtered, and crystallized. The key was discovering the proper mixture of the four elements, then keep it secret.
Mix tin and copper and the result was bronze, better than both tin and copper and looking a lot like gold. Wise men would have been foolish not to pursue such a promising start. However, it was a dead-end road, even though the ancients had endorsed it.
Secrecy was the second crucial ingredient. Alchemists realized if everyone knew the secret of making gold, the social impact would be catastrophic. As a result, every alchemist literally began work based on zero knowledge of what works and what doesn't. Bad ideas were never rejected, good ideas were never shared.
It took some real rebels, weirdos and geeks to upset more than two thousand years of error. One of the earliest was Paracelsus; the name he gave himself meant "greater than Celsus," a deservedly famous first century AD Roman physician. Paracelsus, according to one of his contemporaries, "lived like a pig and looked like a sheep drover. He found his greatest pleasure among the company of the most dissolute rabble, and spent most of his time drunk." This is the type of man who first questioned the wisdom of the ages.
In an age when religious fundamentalism is becoming ever more terrible, Morris presents a fascinating story of how scientists went from absolute certainty about the world to tenuous uncertainty. It wasn't too long ago that scientists were looking ever deeper into the furthest reaches of the universe; within the past decade, they have discovered that 96 percent of the universe is invisible and for all intents and purposes unknown.
Science is the process of uncertainty. It's a lonely, dangerous path of inquiry to follow. The English condemned the man who discovered oxygen as a dangerous radical; the French guillotined the leading scientist of his era, because he didn't fit in with the certainties of revolutionary France; the Russian who came up with the Periodic Table of the elements survived only because of the Czar's protections; and the Nazis would have executed the greatest physicist of the past century because he was Jewish.
Care to be a scientist?
It takes guts. Morris outlines the risks, dangers and rewards of overthrowing an ancient orthodoxy with skill, humour and insight. Without people who have the courage to challenge the old, accepted and true, our lives would be ruled by sorcery, superstition and suspicion.
In brief, it's a wonderful look at how modern thought came to be modern.
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