Title: Well researched, broad coverage of practice and theory
Product review: I've only giving this 4 stars because the early part of the book is a little disappointing. The coverage of alchemy is sketchy and the pneumatic chemists are given short shrift. You feel that Brock didn't really have his heart in the pre-Lavoisier history.By contrast, the treatment of nineteenth century chemistry is suberb, giving broad and balanced coverage of laboratory practice, industry and theoretical developments. The text conveys a real sense of excitement as the discoveries unfold; Brock does an excellent job of organising a wealth of technical detail clearly.There is also a good coverage of early twentieth century chemistry, about up to the point where quantum mechanics took hold.Overall, highly recommended. But you definitely need a background in chemistry to get the most out of it.
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