Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood

$15.00 CAD

pp 337, “Oliver Sacks’s luminous memoir charts the growth of a mind. Born in 1933 into a family of formidably intelligent London Jews, he discovered the wonders of the physical sciences early from his parents and their flock of brilliant siblings, most notably “Uncle Tungsten” (real name, Dave), who “manufactured lightbulbs with filaments of fine tungsten wire.” Metals were the substances that first attracted young Oliver, and his descriptions of their colors, textures, and properties are as sensuous and romantic as an art lover’s rhapsodies over an Old Master. Seamlessly interwoven with his personal recollections is a masterful survey of scientific history, with emphasis on the great chemists like Robert Boyle, Antoine Lavoisier, and Humphry Davy (Sacks’s personal hero). ” previous owners name on FEP

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SKU: 306055 Category:

Book Information

ISBN 0375704043
ISBN13 9780375704048
Number of pages 337
Original Title Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
Published Date 2001
Book Condition Very Good
Jacket Condition no dustjacket
Binding paperback
Size 8vo
Place of Publication Toronto
Edition First Edition
Category:
Author:
Publisher:

Description

pp 337, “Oliver Sacks’s luminous memoir charts the growth of a mind. Born in 1933 into a family of formidably intelligent London Jews, he discovered the wonders of the physical sciences early from his parents and their flock of brilliant siblings, most notably “Uncle Tungsten” (real name, Dave), who “manufactured lightbulbs with filaments of fine tungsten wire.” Metals were the substances that first attracted young Oliver, and his descriptions of their colors, textures, and properties are as sensuous and romantic as an art lover’s rhapsodies over an Old Master. Seamlessly interwoven with his personal recollections is a masterful survey of scientific history, with emphasis on the great chemists like Robert Boyle, Antoine Lavoisier, and Humphry Davy (Sacks’s personal hero). ” previous owners name on FEP

Additional information

Weight 1 kg