Everything in the universe is made up of the elements – including us.

Forged in the Big Bang, the elements and their resulting compounds created the solar system, planet Earth, the air we breathe, the water we rely on and the proteins that would become life. In fact, everything in the known Universe is made up of one of the 118 elements of the periodic table – so we really should know something about them! This little book is the perfect guide, listing all the elements' vital stats, and exploring their astonishing histories and usages in an accessible and easy-to-understand way.

Jack Challoner is a science writer and has written over 30 books on a variety of scientific and technological subjects. He has also written for encyclopaedias, magazines, museum exhibitions and websites, and acts as a scientific consultant for books, plays and television programmes.