Authoritative, accessible and filled with wonder, this new condensed version of The Elements is the definitive guide to the building blocks of everything in our world.

What links the Taj Mahal and our skeleton? Calcium. The Eiffel Tower and our blood? Iron. Everything in the known universe--from street lamps to salted French fries--is made up of one of the 118 elements. Popular-science writer Jack Challoner takes us on an illustrated tour of the Periodic Table, revealing the mystery of how the material world works. This definitive guide covers every element, providing its vital statistics, main compounds, uses, and fascinating histories.