These chapters clearly demonstrate that hydrogen is an effective vehicle for presenting a good deal of modern physics. Not surprisingly, the choice of topics reflects the professional interests of the author, a former physics professor who is currently Director of Special Projects at the American Institute of Physics. Rigden’s failure to expand into the realm of chemistry is this reviewer’s only quarrel with an otherwise excellent book. For example, there is no discussion of the chemical properties of hydrogen and its important role in the Chemical Revolution of the late 18th century. Similarly, the molecular structure of dihydrogen gets only a cursory treatment. And important applied topics such as hydrogen bombs, hydrogen fuel cells, and the hydrogen economy are omitted.

Unfortunately, when quasi-chemical topics are introduced, they sometimes come with errors. For example, the treatment of atomic weights on page 15 is inaccurate and misleading, and the discussion of radioactive decay is too oversimplified to be of much value. The presentation of physical constants in the Bohr energy expression (p 38) gives numerical values but is guilty of the cardinal sin of not reporting units. And in Figure 8.2, the vertical axis is incorrectly labeled as the absolute value of the wave function squared, ψ². It should be the radial distribution function, 4πr²ψ².

In spite of these chemist’s cavils, I found Hydrogen to be engaging and informative. The book is part history of science and part primer on fundamental physical concepts. Moreover, it includes interesting vignettes about the scientists involved in these various discoveries, especially I. I. Rabi, the subject of an earlier biography by the same author. The current text also reveals something about the methods of science. The book is well written with clear explanations and good references. It should be accessible to an educated lay audience and of particular interest to chemists.