Lucien F. Trueb, the Swiss chemist, metallurgist, materials scientist, and science journalist, has engaged in a love affair with the chemical elements for more than four decades from his days as a student in the Gymnasium of his native Neuchâtel and in the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) to the present day. This informative, fact-packed volume, subtitled A Ramble through the Periodic System, is the fruit of that affair. Dr. Trueb's "Forschung und Technik" feature in Zurich's prestigious newspaper, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, furnished much of the material in the book, which is clearly a labor of love. Also, he and his Japanese wife, Yoshiko Yasukawa, traveled through all the continents in their search for material. The couple even visited me in Fresno to find historical and biographical data on the elements and their discoveries. In my opinion, Trueb has admirably succeeded in fulfilling his stated goal of demonstrating for the reader that chemistry can be understood by everyone. His contention that it is also an "eminently sensual science," dealing with "exceedingly beautiful minerals and crystals, shiny metals, [and] remarkable liquids" is underscored by the 132 attractive illustrations (28 in full color) that grace the book.

Trueb's volume is divided into two parts: Part I, "The Conception of the Elements and the Periodic System" (14 pp), and Part II, "The Elements" (381 pp). The first considers the idea of the elements from Democritus to Lavoisier, the discovery and development of the periodic system, and the origin of the elements, including nucleosynthesis. The second, consisting of 23 chapters, describes each of the elements from hydrogen and its isotopes (16 pp) to the heaviest of the known transactinides (element 112). Among the topics lucidly detailed are the history; occurrence and geochemical concentration in the earth's crust; isolation or preparation; physical and chemical properties; toxicology or physiology; and the most important compounds, technologies, and industrial uses. The latest IUPAC designations are employed, and recent discoveries such as the fullerenes are included. The final chapter, 'The End of the Periodic System?", discusses the possibility of elements beyond element 112.

A 2-page color-coded periodic table and a chart of the electronic configurations of the elements are among the graphic aids included in the volume. Although no exact references are given, a list of sources is provided. Chapter designations, similar to thumb indexes, on the outer margins of the pages and an 11-page (3 columns per page) index make location of material by the reader both quick and easy. This well organized book will be of use to chemists, physicists, pharmacists, biologists, physicians, students, and anyone concerned with chemical questions. And because its author is fluent in both spoken and written English, perhaps a translation will appear sometime in the future.