TYPICAL. You wait years for a history of chemistry, then half a dozen come
along. Trevor Levere begins his book by recommending two of his rivals, which he
describes as “more detailed and longer”. So why bother with Transforming
Matter?
Levere’s book is commendably clear, with good explanations of numerous
concepts. His discussion of phlogiston is particularly good. But this is no
popular introduction. He has written a textbook, and it has all the strengths
and faults of this genre.
His account of the development of chemistry is highly biased towards chemical
theory and physical chemistry. Jacobus van’t Hoff and…
