The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe [INCLUDES BONUS DVD/BARNES & NOBLE EXCLUSIVE] [FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING]

As new condition heavy oversized color photographic boards contained in an as new condition color photographic dust jacket. Includes Preliminary Page Quote by Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 50 BC; Preface; The Joy of Element Collecting; and Index. Profusely illustrated with hundreds of color photographs, illustrated front and rear endpapers, and a rear double-page pull out color photographic representation of material representing every known atom in the universe, also entitled: The Elements. Also includes an as new never opened bonus companion DVD contained within a DVD case affixed to the center of the first free front endpaper. "This glorious book is more than just a guide to the elements; it will fundamentally deepen your appreciation of the substances that make up our world." - Oliver Sacks. "Theodore Gray is passionate about the periodic table, and his collection of elements rivals that of any museum's. With his characteristic wit and erudition, and above all with gorgeous photographs, he gives intriguing examples - ranging from commonplace to quriky - of each element's unique properties and uses. This glorious book is more than just a guide to the elements; it will fundamentally deepen your appreciation of the substances that make up our world." - Oliver Sacks. "This is leterally the most colorful account of the chemical elements that I have ever read. It combines the key data about every element with lighthearted text that makes it a pleasure to read. Theodore Gray is to be congratulated on producing a masterpiece of popular science." -- John Emsley, author. "This is the element book that in style and content outshines all element books! The photographs are fantastic in their mod layout on black. In the accompanying short texts, in a few choice words, Gray sketches utility, delves into history, and isn't afraid to make sharp comments about the world. My reaction: elemental delight." "A mesmerizing photographic display of the 118 elements in the periodic table. "The periodic table," says author Theodore Gray, "is the universal catalog of everything you can drop on your foot." Everything in the world that is tangible is made up of elements, and elements have two faces - their pure states, and the range of chemical compounds they form when they combine with other elements. The Elements provides us with the rare opportunity to see both, up close and personal. Based on seven years of research and photography, the pictures in this book make up the most complete, and visually arresting, portrait of every element in the univers. Organized in order of appearance in the periodic table, the book showcases each element (wherever possible) with a big, beautiful photograph of the pure element. For example, oxygen (element 8) is a colorless gas, but at -183 degrees C, it turns into a pale blue liquid. Also included are photographs that show examples of the way that element lives in the world - the compounds and applications in which we experience the element in daily life. The text that accompanies each spread tells the story of the element. It is here where we learn, for example, that fluorine (element 9) is one of the most reactive elements. If you blow a stream of fluorine gas at almost anything it will burst into flames, but because it's so reactive, its resulting compounds are very stable. Alnong with the story of each element is essential scientific data including atomic weight, atomic radius, a crystal structure diagram, and graphs representing electron filling order, the atomic emission spectrum, and the temperatures at which the element is a solid, liquid, or gas. An explanation of these properties, along with a complete tour of the structure of the periodic table, is included in the introduction. The ultimate combination of hard science and photographic artistry. The Elements is the perfect book for every sentient creature in the universe." - from the inner front jacket flap.