21 Jan 2010, 9:07 pm
21 Jan 2010, 10:18 pm
sartresue
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Age: 70
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,313
Location: The Castle of Shock and Awe-tism
22 Jan 2010, 8:51 pm
23 Jan 2010, 4:09 pm
richie
Supporting Member
Joined: 9 Jan 2007
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 30,142
Location: Lake Whoop-Dee-Doo, Pennsylvania
24 Jan 2010, 12:20 pm
The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray
You just have to love a book that begins with this line:
you can drop on your foot."
Product Description
An eye-opening, original collection of gorgeous, never-before-seen photographic representations of the 118 elements in the periodic table.
The elements are what we, and everything around us, are made of. But how many elements has anyone actually seen in pure, uncombined form? The Elements provides this rare opportunity. Based on five years of research and photography, the pictures in this book make up the most complete, and visually arresting, representation available to the naked eye of every atom in the universe. Organized in order of appearance on the periodic table, each element is represented by a spread that includes a stunning, full-page, full-color photograph that most closely represents it in its purest form. For example, at -183˚C, oxygen turns from a colorless gas to a beautiful pale blue liquid.
Also included are fascinating facts, figures, and stories of the elements as well as data on the properties of each, including atomic weight, density, melting and boiling point, valence, electronegativity, and the year and location in which it was discovered. Several additional photographs show each element in slightly altered forms or as used in various practical ways. The element's position on the periodic table is pinpointed on a mini rendering of the table and an illustrated scale of the element's boiling and/or melting points appears on each page along with a density scale that runs along the bottom.
Packed with interesting information, this combination of solid science and stunning artistic photographs is the perfect gift book for every sentient creature in the universe.
About the Author
Theodore Gray is the author of Popular Science magazine's “Gray Matter” column, the proprietor of periodictable.com and the creator of the iconic photographic periodic table poster seen in universities, schools, museums and TV shows from “MythBusters” to “Hannah Montana”. In his other life he is cofounder of the major software company Wolfram Research, creators of the world's leading technical software system, Mathematica™. He lives in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.
Also in my collection:
Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do At Home - But Probably Shouldn't by Theodore Gray
Review
“This is a fabulous book, and a real education, too – a beautiful introduction to hands-on chemistry. Theo Gray brings us dozens of experiments in minute, clear, and loving detail, and each one becomes a door onto the marvels of how chemicals react. Whether he is showing us how to make table salt from its violent elements, or, in a quieter vein, to make one’s own nylon thread or “lead” pencils, Gray’s encyclopedic knowledge and contagious enthusiasm transport us to deep intellectual realms, while never sacrificing a sense of wonder and, above all, fun.”
—Oliver Sacks, author of Awakenings, Musicophillia, Uncle Tungsten, and many others
(Oliver Sacks )
“I've spent 22 years working with Theo Gray on creating software, seeing him find simple ways to do the seemingly impossible. You're in for a treat here when he applies the same creativity and insight to revealing the science of everyday things.”
—Stephen Wolfram, creator of Mathematica® and author of A New Kind of Science
(Stephen Wolfram )
“What a magnificent book. It's gorgeous, playful, and draws you in. Every single photo shows not only a deep love of science in the abstract, but also a tinkerer's love of the STUFF of science; the tools and glass, the clay and metal, and all the things that make science accessible to everyone.”
—Adam Savage, star of MythBusters
(Adam Savage )
What good is this Nobel Prize around my neck if it doesn’t produce admiration for science writers such as Theo Gray, whose skillful work helps convert young students into serious researchers.”
—Leon Lederman, winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics
(Leon Lederman )
“Theo's MAD SCIENCE is destined to inspire and spark the imaginations of the next generation of makers, tinkerers, engineers and mad scientists!”
—Phillip Torrone, Senior Editor of Make magazine
(Phillip Torrone )
“Theodore Gray has attained a level of near superhuman geekery that the rest of us can only mutely admire.”
—Cecil Adams, The Straight Dope
(Cecil Adams )
24 Jan 2010, 3:49 pm
both of the above sound awesome, I actually started to tingle a bit reading about the atoms one, lol. 
24 Jan 2010, 5:33 pm
Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do At Home - But Probably Shouldn't by Theodore Gray
Awesome. I must get it!
24 Jan 2010, 7:25 pm
The Greatest Show On Earth
by Richard Dawkins
(seems there are a few Dawkins readers on this thread 
)
24 Jan 2010, 7:44 pm
sartresue
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Age: 70
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,313
Location: The Castle of Shock and Awe-tism
28 Jan 2010, 8:59 am
28 Jan 2010, 11:30 am
04 Feb 2010, 1:22 am
12 Feb 2010, 5:57 pm
QuantumCowboy
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Joined: 13 May 2007
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Posts: 897
Location: (1/√2)|0> + (1/√2)|1>
15 Feb 2010, 12:17 am
In terms of books with a wider appeal:
- The God Particle
- Fermat's Last Theorum
These books both follow a similar format of identifying a specific topic that has been of interest for centuries, and then following its progress through history. These are books that an educated layperson could read without difficulty.
In terms of my favourite non-fiction books read recently:
- Quantum Cellular Automata: Theory Experimentation and Prospects
- Optoelectronics and Photonics: Principles And Practices
These books are a little more technical. 
17 Feb 2010, 9:11 am
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