Book description
This memoir from Oliver Sacks is both a departure from and an enhancement of his previous psychologically orientated 'medical' writing. Not only is it a beautifully written account of an English childhood - seasoned by a childish passion for science - but it is told from the intimate and revelatory…
Why read it?
1 author picked Uncle Tungsten as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
An author I can’t recommend highly enough.
Sack’s biography of his childhood in London is full of chemical curiosity and surrounded by family members who shared his enthusiasm, encouraged his experimentation, and supplied seemingly endless fascinating stories about elements and chemistry. There are stories of Sacks making powerful stinks in the garden shed and the titular Uncle Tungsten who talked about metals as though they were friends.
From Kathryn's list on The best books about chemistry that aren’t chemistry books.
If you love Uncle Tungsten...
Arrivals & Departures
As a retired systems designer who spent decades immersed in the logical world of technology and psychology, I have always been fascinated by the places where cold logic must make room for the unexplained. My life has been a balancing act between the practical and the deeply metaphysical, guided by…
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