"The PERIODIC TABLE," says the author Theodore Gray, "is the world's catalog of all the things that can fall at your feet." Anything tangible that exists in the world is made up of elements, and elements have two faces — their pure form and the chemical compounds they form when combined with other elements.

This book, based on seven years of research and photography, gives us the rare opportunity to closely observe both of these aspects. Its photographs provide the most complete and visually captivating portrait of all the elements in the universe. The material is structured according to the order of the Periodic Table, and each element is presented (where physically possible) with a large, beautiful photograph depicting it in its pure form.

For example, oxygen (element 8) is a colorless gas, but at −183˚C it turns into a pale blue liquid. It also includes pictures that illustrate indicative ways in which this element exists in the world — compounds and applications through which we encounter the element in our daily lives.

The text accompanying each spread narrates the story of the element. It informs us, for example, that fluorine (element 9) is one of the most reactive elements. Almost any material exposed to a stream of fluorine gas will burst into flames. However, because it is so reactive, its compounds are very stable.

The presentation also includes essential physical data regarding each element, such as atomic weight, atomic radius, a diagram of the crystalline structure, and graphs depicting the electron filling order, the atomic emission spectrum, and the temperature ranges where the element is solid, liquid, and gas. The introduction of the book includes an explanation of these properties as well as a tour of the structure of the Periodic Table.

A unique combination of valid science and high photographic art, The Elements is the ideal gift for any knowledge enthusiast.