Description: Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood Sacks, Oliver From his earliest days, Oliver Sacks, the distinguished neurologist who is also one of the most remarkable storytellers of our time, was irresistibly drawn to understanding the natural world. Born into a large family of doctors, metallurgists, chemists, physicists, and teachers, his curiosity was encouraged and abetted by aunts, uncles, parents, and older brothers. But soon after his sixth birthday, the Second World War broke out and he was evacuated from London, as were hundreds of thousands of children, to escape the bombing. Exiled to a school that rivaled Dickens's grimmest, fed on a steady diet of turnips and beetroots, tormented by a sadistic headmaster, and allowed home only once in four years, he felt desolate and abandoned. When he returned to London in 1943 at the age of ten, he was a changed, withdrawn boy, one who desperately needed order to make sense of his life. He was sustained by his secret passions: for numbers, for metals, and for finding patterns in the world around him. Under the tutelage of his "chemical" uncle, Uncle Tungsten, Sacks began to experiment with "the stinks and bangs" that almost define a first entry into chemistry: tossing sodium off a bridge to see it take fire in the water below; producing billowing clouds of noxious-smelling chemicals in his home lab. As his interests spread to investigations of batteries and bulbs, vacuum tubes and photography, he discovered his first great scientific heroes, men and women whose genius lay in understanding the hidden order of things and disclosing the forces that sustain and support the tangible world. There was Humphry Davy, the boyish chemist who delighted in sending flaming globules of metal shooting across his lab; Marie Curie, whose heroic efforts in isolating radium would ultimately lead to the unlocking of the secrets of the atom; and Dmitri Mendeleev, inventor of the periodic table, whose pursuit of the classification of elements unfolds like a detective story. Uncle Tungsten vividly evokes a time when virtual reality had not yet displaced a hands-on knowledge of the world. It draws us into a journey of discovery that reveals, through the enchantment and wonder of a childhood passion, the birth of an extraordinary and original mind. Features 4 1/2 by 8 inches 337 pages Details Fast and Free Shipping You're already purchasing the item. Why pay additional for shipping, especially slow shipping? We get your order shipped out within 1-business day and delivered to your doorstep as quickly as possible. Competitive Pricing With our dynamic pricing model, our prices are always competitive. Our prices are some of the lowest that you will find on the internet. Rest assured that you're getting a good deal when purchasing with us. 30-day Money Back Guarantee We are committed to making sure that you leave this transaction satisfied. If you're unhappy with the product for any reason, you may return it back for your money-back or a replacement within 30 days. No questions asked!
Price: 17.92 USD
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
End Time: 2024-11-24T17:40:16.000Z
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Binding: hardcover
Pages: 352
Unspsc Code: 55101500
Target Audience: General/trade
Item Type Keyword: books
Number Of Items: 1
Edition: First Edition
Publication Date: 2001-10-16T00:00:01Z
Supplier Declared Dg Hz Regulation: not_applicable
Item Name: Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
Street Date: 2001-10-16T00:00:01Z
Product Site Launch Date: 2006-12-08T00:05:34-00:00
Brand: Unbranded
Style: ABIS_BOOK
Book Title: Uncle Tungsten : Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
Number of Pages: 352 Pages
Language: English
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Item Height: 1.2 in
Publication Year: 2001
Topic: Cultural Heritage, General, Medical
Illustrator: Yes
Genre: Science, Biography & Autobiography
Item Weight: 19.9 Oz
Item Length: 8.6 in
Author: Oliver Sachs
Item Width: 5.7 in
Format: Hardcover
