When we think of the periodic table we picture orderly rows of elements that conform to type and never break the rules. The Secret Lives of the Elements reveals that the periodic table is more like a sprawling extended family—with its own black sheep, rebels, and oddballs.

Here are the strange and wonderful stories of fifty-two members of that family—remarkable tales of discovery, inspiration and revolution, from the everyday to the extraordinary. Uncover the personalities, passions, quirks, and historical oddities of the elements: from cobalt the trickster to the devil incarnate polonium, via the gothic leanings of phosphorous to the role of thallium in a bizarre plot to murder Fidel Castro

The culmination of a lifetime's obsession with the building blocks of the world around us, Kathryn Harkup's enchanting book will change the way you see the periodic table for ever.