Hachette India

The Disappearing Spoon

Sam Kean

Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium (Cd, 48)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, 52) lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history?

The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, greed, betrayal, and obsession. The fascinating tales in The Disappearing Spoon follow elements on the table as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.

Adapted for a middle grade audience, the young readers edition of The Disappearing Spoon offers the material in a simple, easy-to-follow format, with approximately 20 line drawings and sidebars throughout. Students, teachers, and burgeoning science buffs will love learning about the history behind the chemistry.

Sam Kean

Sam Kean is the New York Times bestselling author of Caesar's Last Breath The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist's Thumb all of which were also named Amazon top science books of the year. The Disappearing Spoon was a runner-up for the Royal Society of London's book of the year for 2010 and The Violinist's Thumb and The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons were nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award in 2013 and 2015 as well as the AAAS/Subaru SB&F prize. His work has appeared in The Best American Nature and Science Writing The New Yorker The Atlantic the New York Times Magazine Psychology Today Slate Mental Floss and other publications and he has been featured on NPR's 'Radiolab' 'All Things Considered' and 'Fresh Air.'

The Disappearing Spoon

Sam Kean

Sam Kean

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