Monday, May 19, 2008

Chemistry, Old School.

I visited Buffalo, NY this weekend and had the unexpected pleasure of walking through Rust Belt Books, a used book store in a cute part of town. Another unexpected pleasure: finding an amazing book of chemistry experiments called "The Question and Answer Book of Chemistry." This book is chemistry before people realized how dangerous chemistry can be. In short, it's awesome. And I made a mini video of it.

4 comments:

Angela said...

Let me say first, great choice of music. I love all things old (books, photos, buildings...) so I would be pretty excited to see this book in person. Next time you are on this coast you should bring the book so I can scan in a few choice pages.

Katie said...

Kate let's totally get some lab coats and (safely) try some of those experiments on videotape! I spent a whole day when I was a kid prying apart a pocket watch I found on the ground with a screwdriver, and that is what that book makes me think of.

Kate Greene said...

@angela: Bananarama totally called to me...and I will definitely bring the book, along with one on magentism and a hardback by buckminster fuller, all found in Buffalo. I'm thinking of scheduling a trip to Cambridge in July or so...we shall see.

@katie: You read my mind. I didn't want to make any promises, but this book is begging for a series of videos. I especially like the instructions for how to make your own test tube holder out of a clothes hanger. Classic.

Rue Des Quatre Vents said...

Lazer Goldberg! How is that possible? You can't make this up. I was at a party this last weekend and one of the guests was named Dick Stillwaggon.

Did you ever have those Time Life books that were on general subjects like "Matter" and "Energy"?