Buy used:

$9.99

$9.99 delivery June 26 - July 5. Details

Deliver to Canada

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by RussellBooks

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Add to List

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (5) from $9.99

Follow the author

Paul Strathern

Follow

Mendeleyev's Dream Paperback – June 4, 2002

by Paul Strathern (Author)

4.3 20 ratings

See all formats and editions

Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. Try again.

The author unravels the history of chemistry, from the ancient Greek philosophers to the Age of Englightenment and beyond, introducing the colorful cast of characters who fashioned the study of elements into a science. Reprint.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Berkley Trade
Publication date

June 4, 2002
Dimensions

5.28 x 0.87 x 8.2 inches
ISBN-10

0425184676
ISBN-13

978-0425184677
See all details

Doris Kearns Goodwin
9,369
Hardcover
$20.00
$7.52 shipping
Robert A. Heinlein
10,449
Paperback
$9.89
$7.48 shipping
W. Timothy Gallwey
8,309
Paperback
in Tennis Coaching
$11.39
$7.53 shipping
Bono
4,357
Hardcover
$17.78
$7.66 shipping
Vaclav Smil
4,190
Hardcover
$17.39
$7.45 shipping
Siddhartha Mukherjee
2,434
Paperback
in Cell Biology
$12.19
$7.45 shipping

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Strathern was born in London in 1940 and studied physics, chemistry and math at Trinity College, Dublin, before switching to philosophy. He has authored several novels and nonfiction books and lectures in philosophy and science at Kingston University.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley Trade; Reprint edition (June 4, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0425184676
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425184677
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.28 x 0.87 x 8.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,263,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,252 in General Chemistry

Customer Reviews:
4.3 20 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Paul Strathern

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

20 global ratings

Zero tolerance for fake reviews

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Gaunilon

Vivid writing on an apparently dull subject

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2002

This book provides a vivid history of chemistry, centered around a literary conceit: Mendeleyev's dream. It is an admirable effort in a field that sees few of any vitality.
The only distressing flaw is the advocacy of Nicolas of Cusa as having exposed the fraudulence of the Donantion of Constantine. Convention has it that it was Lorenzo Valla who did so; Strathern ought to have acknowledged this. Some scholars will insist that it was Valla, however, a history of chemistry is not the place for advocating unusual theories on other subjects.
Otherwise, a great read! Very plucky.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

james crist

CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY THE COVER

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2023

Verified Purchase

The book ordered was “Mendeleyev's Dream”. It had a cover with the correct title. The book itself was a different title, “Unafraid”. Unfortunately, I didn't see it until I wanted to read the book. By then it was too late for a return. Always open the book ordered as soon as it is received to make sure the book matches the cover.

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2013

Verified Purchase

I liked the story i am a chemical engineer but i also really enjoy history so i was nice to learn about the history concerning one of the founder's of chemistry.

Helpful

Bill

A somewhat annoying book

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2011

As per the other reviews, a fun breezy intro to the discovery of the elements with too many asides and inadequately researched science. Some of the asides are fun and some I found annoying. The discrepancy between the title and the content of the book gives a clue as to what is to come: the author sometimes starts out writing about A and then seems to decide that B is much more interesting and goes on and writes about that.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Charles Miller

Too elementary

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2004

If you are looking for a genuine history of chemistry centered on the development of the periodic table--as the title and subtitle imply--then look elsewhere. This book provides a spotty history of science emphasizing the personalities involved, with greatest coverage of ancient and medieval figures. Overall, it was quite disappointing.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

.

Dream? More like a coma!

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2003

If Mendeleyev had the opportunity to read this... boy would he dream. It has to be the best cure for insomnia I've ever stumbled upon. There is far too much history and not enough Mendeleyev or periodic table - the reasons I bought the book in the first place. At two thirds of the way through, the only things keeping me going are sheer willpower to get to Meneleyev's cameo role and the fact I've cheated and flicked to the end so I know I'll get to it eventually. Definate thumbs down for anyone wanting to know more about the elements but fine for anyone wanting to know what inspired the research. Chemistry fascinates me... this book does not.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jake L.

Loses a bit of credibility at the end.

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2003

I thought this was a quite engaging book until I neared the end, and the author's science started to get a little sketchy. His description of why warm Coke is fizzier than cold Coke seems to be wrong, and in the final chapter about Mendeleyev, there are a couple of mistakes, such as confusing bismuth with boron, and a bizarre confusion between uranium and indium, which looks like it needs explaining. All in all a decent book let down by these oversights.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Cliente Amazon

El sueño de Mendeleiev

Reviewed in Spain on April 16, 2024

Verified Purchase

Buscaba este libro desde hace tiempo. Me había sido imposible encontrarlo en España. El servicio ha sido impecable y el libro está en muy buen estado.

Translate review to English

See more reviews

Unsupported image file format.

Image file size is too large.

Image Unavailable

Follow the author

Mendeleyev's Dream Paperback – June 4, 2002

Customers who bought this item also bought