Caesar's Last Breath

Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us

De: Sam Kean

Narrado por: Ben Sullivan

The fascinating science and history of the air we breathe.

It's invisible. It's ever present. Without it, you would die in minutes. And it has an epic story to tell.

In Caesar's Last Breath, New York Times best-selling author Sam Kean takes us on a journey through the periodic table, around the globe, and across time to tell the story of the air we breathe, which, it turns out, is also the story of earth and our existence on it.

With every breath, you literally inhale the history of the world. On the Ides of March, 44 BC, Julius Caesar died of stab wounds on the Senate floor, but the story of his last breath is still unfolding; in fact you're probably inhaling some of it now. Of the sextillions of molecules entering or leaving your lungs at this moment, some might well bear traces of Cleopatra's perfumes, German mustard gas, particles exhaled by dinosaurs or emitted by atomic bombs, even remnants of stardust from the universe's creation.

Tracing the origins and ingredients of our atmosphere, Kean reveals how the alchemy of air reshaped our continents, steered human progress, powered revolutions, and continues to influence everything we do. Along the way we'll swim with radioactive pigs, witness the most important chemical reactions humans have discovered, and join the crowd at the Moulin Rouge for some of the crudest performance art of all time. Lively, witty, and filled with the astounding science of ordinary life, Caesar's Last Breath illuminates the science stories swirling around us every second.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 Sam Kean (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Excellent

The writer did an amazing amount of research to put together this engaging book. If you are interested in science, this book is an excellent choice. It is not just a listing of cold scientific facts and important breakthroughs. It also includes interesting and sometimes hilarious tangents related to the subject. The performer also does a great job moving the story along and matching his tone to the writer's. It is altogether enjoyable.

Superb book all round!!!

The main title of the book is misleading as to what is contained in the book; this prevented me from listening to it sooner. This is a superb book! Sam Kean is an excellent writer who makes complex scientific ideas very simple both for professional scientists like me and for the public. The scientific facts are interlaced with stories of the discoverers and very many interesting scientific anecdotes. The humour is terrific even for a serious, typically terse scientific subject.

Ben Sullivan's narration elevates Kean's writing to another level--perfect tone and speed.

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading other books by Kean.

Worth a listen

I found the whole book quite interesting, but disjointed. Being a science geek, all the interesting facts in the book were sufficient to help me ignore the lack of a core theme to the whole project. It wasn't really about "all the air around us" all the way through the book, but I found it quite good nonetheless!

Great Book

Very scientific, historical, and informative. 10/10
the rest of this is to make the

Great listen

Another Sam Kean’s masterfully written book. Great narration and a fun listen. There are some stories that are just fun listening to again and again.
It’s great even if you are not in sciences but are just interested about things around you!

Great Stories on the be Air We Breathe

Sam Lean never fails to surprise and entertain me with intriguing stories that I could have overlooked.

Excellent information delivery

This was an amazing audio book, not only for its quality in narration , but the information, the stories, and wit.
I took a took a chance after the disappearing spoon and this was just as good if not better. I am now a fan of this author, I feel it’s well deserved.

Thank you.

Science is fun!

Who knew gases were so interesting! Entertainingly written and read. I learned a lot and enjoyed it.

Who knew this much about the air?

A great book with so many interesting facts for us to learn about for today.

Hang in there

I think the book will grab your interest and then maybe lose you. Hang in there. It will grab you again shortly and you'll love it. Very interesting.