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The content did not flow in a way that I cared for. I am an avid science/math reader and when I discovered that my friend had this book, I borrowed it from him. The book discusses a whole range of things about phosphorus including its discovery, how it was first manufactured from urine and feces, how its chemical yield was later significantly improved by manufacturing it from bone instead, its influence in bombings during WWII, its use in pesticides/herbicides, anecdotes of people using it to poison others, its possible influence in spontaneous combustion, etc.What most disappointed me about the book I think is that it just seemed like a random catalog of anecdote after anecdote. That's not to say there isn't some interesting information covered in it, but I've read better books. This one's maybe worth checking out at the library and reading once if you're into science/science history, but that's about it.
Overall, I found the book interesting enough for a piece of assigned reading. I am sure someone of a more scientific mind would find these chapters enjoyable, but I was personally bored by them.
While I am not typically fond of scientific reading, especially regarding elements and their uses, I found this book to be surprisingly entertaining and informational. I was required to read this book for a high school chemistry course this past year.
There were a few chapters that I found rather dull towards the beginning, more specifically the medical chapter and the initial chapters detailing the discovery of phosphorous. Emsley combines both scientific facts and human interest stories to make the novel a worthwhile read for anyone with a slight background in chemistry.
I enjoyed the book much more than I had originally thought I would, and was able to read it cover to cover in about two weeks. I also found several grammatical and spelling errors throughout the pages that have nothing to do with differences between the American and English dialects.
I would recommend The 13th Element mainly to science students looking for an engrossing read or high school teachers looking for a fairly easy book to assign students.
As if he was writing off an outline, but found it difficult to actually stick to his outline. The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire, and Phosphorus is an interesting book, filled with interesting material to support it's subject. I had read Life's Matrix: A Biography of Water by Philip Ball previously, and this book seemed to fit into the niche of something I would enjoy. I found it amusing to start with how he would often go on and on and then say, well we'll talk about this in Chapter 10, or for more on this see Chapter 3, or for more on that see Chapter 5, or even, we covered this in Chapter 2 (not exact quotes, I don't have the book in front of me). However I wouldn't exactly call it particularly well written. Not well enough to recommend to those who aren't scientists in profession or heart.I believe the problem is that it lacked cohesiveness. His chapters were often formatted to go from the first documented discovery of phosphorus forward a couple of centuries. Then the next chapter would bring you back again to the 17th century and might go as far forward as the present, but only if the present wasn't covered in a future chapter.The chapter on human combustion provided a large number of examples to support the different sides of the discussion, however I was left wondering what had been left out as many on both were nearly identical as to description; minus names, dates, and places.
An easy, entertaining read. Fun and informative.I'm sure glad I don't work in a match factory in 1900.
I have dabbled in the area of phosphorus chemistry for too many years and the prospect of a leisurely read about the historical and other aspects of the element proved irresistible. This is an enjoyable book and points out how science has evolved and the enormous creativity of our ancestors for good and not so good. The chemistry of phosphorus can used to improve many aspects of life but unfortunately has been applied to too many sinister roles in history. If only mankind had the maturity to match its technology.And remember the element "phosphorus" is spelled with two "O" not three (Thanks JP).
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