Very Cool. ( )

Joined by science writer Simon Quellen Field, Theodore Gray has expanded and extended his original ELEMENTS book
with more detailed explorations of each element. Photographic presentation is beautiful and document envelopes a unique
and welcome addition.

Yet, problems abound.

The subtitle on the front cover reads: "Treasures...Removable Archival Documents and Real Element Samples - including Pure Gold" -
this is very misleading. We logically deduced that there would be SOME kind of sample for each element other than gases or poisons.
Yet, there are only 5 samples included! Very disappointing for kids.

As for the documents, yes, the book starts and ends with a few fine archival ones, but many in between are simply overlong and boring
with no illustrations for clarity and no obvious reason why they warranted an envelope rather than just entered with other dense information.
"Where does Helium..." begs for graphics.

Except for the small documents, the large sheets are at least a quarter of an inch too long to fit easily back into the envelopes.
Worse still, the envelope on Page 45 arrived glued to the page and text got torn off when the envelope was pulled back, ruining the page.

The first envelope, Electron Shells, is confusing even to educated lay readers since it does not create a memorable referent as electrons
are discussed throughout the book.

Definitions and illustrations of Nucleus, Protons, Electrons, Electron Shells and their relationships would be more than helpful.

Philosophy - why the deep and pervasive emphasis, presented in a "cold and unemotional" manner, on bombs, nuclear reactors, and other death weapons?
Uranium, for example, is covered with no mention of the human, animal, and plant devastation and the hideous and lingering deaths.

No questions are ever asked about whether The Elements should have been "extracted" with the goal of killing and should still be pursued to
destroy the earth even further with more bombs, nuclear reactors, gases, poisonous fertilizers, and more and more weapons...why?

Why have scientists not instead devoted their considerable time, energy, and money toward using OUR Elements for Cures...?

Why no Periodic Table column headings in the book?
They reinforce the considerable knowledge base required to read with comprehension.
Dark blue Periodic Table row cannot be read.

Page 62 = reversal of captions?
Page 94 = "Man - " or "Human-made?"

Index?

All that and still I liked THE ELEMENTS VAULT enough to read it all. ( )