Nature's Building Blocks

An A-Z Guide to the Elements

By: John Emsley

Narrated by: Kevin Scollin

Written by award-winning science writer John Emsley, this informative and highly enjoyable book explains the what, the why and the wherefore of the elements. Arranged alphabetically, from Actinium to Zirconium, it is a complete guide to all the elements that are currently known, with more extensive coverage of those we encounter in our everyday life. The entry on each element reveals where it came from, what role it may have in the human body, the foods that contain it, how it was discovered, its role in human health, the uses and misuses to which it is put, and its environmental role. The new edition includes the three chemical elements discovered since the first edition - Darmstadtium, Roetgenium, and Copernicium - and the section on "transfermium elements" has now been incorporated into the main part of the book. In addition, Emsley has added new information on the economic uses of elements such as Scandium and Gold. Praised by Nature as "amusing and finely crafted," Nature's Building Blocks offers a pleasurable tour of the very essence of our material world.

©2001 John Emsley (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Interesting and fun . . .

Any additional comments?

especially for chemistry geeks, but the narrator should have been given help with pronouncing some common terms.

very good

A few pronunciations were different than what I learned & could find in other literature. Could not find any other citation of TaC harder than diamond.

"Elemental My Dear Watson!"

In brief, I liked this audiobook. I have little background with the Periodic Table of Elements, although I did make flashcards on the 118 elements, which I studied throughout 2025. There are about five elements in the book that haven't received their final name yet. The book was printed in 2013, I believe. It seems some elements had not been discovered at the time of printing. Also, there are some elements that are spelled differently than the way I learned them in various, more recent sources. Being a twenty-five-hour-long book, it is very comprehensive. I have a long way to go to finish the book, but at the halfway point, I like what I have heard so far. If your goal is to memorize all the elements, I would recommend using a current online source to find the correct spelling for some of the elements. I use an app called PubChem. I would list the Web site for PubChem but I don't know if that is allowed here. This book likely has much more information than many of us will ever need in life, but if you enjoy learning new things, this could be the book for you.

Interesting but not suited for an audio format

Any additional comments?

Chemistry was never really my thing but the description intrigued me so I decided to give this audiobook a try. It takes the listener through the elements of the periodic table in alphabetical order, giving some history of the element, it's uses, where it is found , its abundance etc. This isn't the sort of book you are going to devour from cover to cover in one sitting. I kept coming back to it between other audiobooks. Thee are lots of interesting facts and tidbits here, the kind you would probably learn in an advanced high school chemistry class. On the positive side, you don't have to be an expert to follow along. On the downside, this really is more like a reference book and thus, is probably better enjoyed in a readable format where the reader can skip between the various elements rather than having to proceed through them sequentially.

Is Emsley an anti-environmentalist?

As an Earth Science teacher, I am aware of many environmental concerns with the commercial production of some of these elements. I personally felt he did not do due justice to his category: Environmental Element.