The Chemical Tree: A History of Chemistry (Paperback)

by William H. Brock (Author) "In 1477, having succeeded after years of study in preparing both the Great Red Elixir and the Elixir of Life, only to have them stolen..." (more)
Key Phrases: partial valencies, cholalic acid, new physical chemistry, Royal Society, Professor of Chemistry, Royal College of Chemistry (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A book to be read and re-read, and an excellent addition to the literature of the subject. -- Choice

A lively and comprehensive survey of chemistry's rich heritage. -- Library Journal

Timely . . . an astonishing tour de force. . . . [Dr. Brock] has mastered an enormous amount of material, and worked it into an accessible form. -- The Times [London] Literary Supplement

Product Description
From alchemy to industry, a synthetic history of chemistry through the ages. In this authoritative volume, a New York Times Notable Book of 1993, scientific researcher and historian William Brock recounts the astonishing rise of a sophisticated science. Tracing the roots of chemistry back to the alchemists' futile attempts to turn lead into gold, he follows the emergence of the modern study of chemistry through the works of Boyle, Lavoisier, and Dalton, and the twentieth-century breakthroughs of Linus Pauling and others. This timely, comprehensive history examines the shifting conceptions of chemistry over the past centuries--from its development as a scientific philosophy to, more recently, its practical applications in the commercial, industrial arena. Originally published under the title The Norton History of Chemistry.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 744 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393320685
• ISBN-13: 978-0393320688
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #68,828 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good and interesting, but vastly overrated by the reviewers, October 31, 2001

By	"larva" (Rice Lake WI, USA) - See all my reviews

The subject matter that Brock takes on is historically complex and rich. Unfortunately, he responds to this challenge by adopting an aloof and arrogant style in describing and detailing some of the problems. His prose and word choice is often needlessly prolix and his descriptions of many of the chemical problems were incomplete. As a Ph.D. chemist, I became suspicious of his treatment of the early history of chemistry and became more and more suspicious as the book progressed into the modern era (with which I am quite familiar). There are many mistakes in his descriptions of chemistry--though some of these seemed to be the result of bad type setting or proofreading. This book would be an impossible read for someone without a background in chemistry-there are simply too many intellectual gaps that the reader must be prepared to fill in. It is as though the author assumed that by expressing a few ideas and facts about each problem the epistemological relationships would become self-evident. This approach rarely succeeds here. A close read by a historian might also reveal an occasional Whiggish streak in his analysis of some of the events.
With this said, I did find the book interesting and informative enough to read it in its entirety. I was particularly ignorant of the history of chemical education before reading it. The disappointment that I've expressed here lies in its promise-I consider it a good first draft. But I wonder, where was the editor?

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Worthy topic but poorly written and edited, June 1, 2006

By	J. D. Mercure - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Poorly written, poorly edited (was it edited?) and painful reading, although the topic of the history of chemistry deserves exploration and could have been made much more interesting and accessible than it was here. The writer is an overly wordy name-dropper, writing over the heads of the average science person, failing to adequately explain identities, information, and uncommon terminology before moving on. Our college class finally gave up on this book and resorted to the use of another text.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good history book, February 15, 2002

By A Customer

In short:

This is the most engaging book of history of chemistry that I have ever read. It is technical sometimes, but if you have a good high school chemistry it will be OK.