Reviews from Amazon

The Periodic Table

Each of the 21 chapters has the name of a chemical element and comprises a story linked to that element (no chemical knowledge is required). Mostly the chapters are autobiographical, although some are episodes from other peoples lives, and a few are short stories which Levi has written. We see Levi's early life followed by a struggle to find employment in Fascist Italy. There is just one chapter of his time in Auschwitz - Levi has written about this in other books. After the war he struggles with self-employed, but finds he is better suited to working in large companies. We get a unique insight into the mind of a scientist turned author, the chapters are very well written, and I think all readers will find this book highly enjoyable

My favourite chapter is 'Chromium' in which a group of colleagues are discussing unnecessary ingerdients in chemical procedures. One mentions an anti-rust paint to which ammonium chloride is added, of which Levi can say 'is completely useless as I can state from firsthand experience because it was I who introduced it to the formula'. Thus we are led into the problem which he had to solve, told in Levi's unique style - the struggle with 'the hyle, stupid matter, slothfully hostile' - we also hear about how falling in love affected his attitude to this work.

Amazon.com info

Paperback 234 pages
ISBN: 0349121982
Salesrank: 3140835
Weight:0.44 lbs

Published: 1994 Abacus Uk

Marketplace::Used from $0.71

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Amazon.co.uk info

Paperback 234 pages
ISBN: 0349121982
Salesrank: 208015
Weight:0.44 lbs

Published: 1994 Abacus

Marketplace::Used from £0.01

Buy from Amazon.co.uk

Product Description
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed) The Periodic Table is largely a memoir of the years before and after Primo Levi’s transportation from his native Italy to Auschwitz as an anti-Facist partisan and a Jew. It recounts, in clear, precise, unfailingly beautiful prose, the story of the Piedmontese Jewish community from which Levi came, of his years as a student and young chemist at the inception of the Second World War, and of his investigations into the nature of the material world. As such, it provides crucial links and backgrounds, both personal and intellectual, in the tremendous project of remembrance that is Levi’s gift to posterity. But far from being a prologue to his experience of the Holocaust, Levi’s masterpiece represents his most impassioned response to the events that engulfed him. The Periodic Table celebrates the pleasures of love and friendship and the search for meaning, and stands as a monument to those things in us that are capable of resisting and enduring in the face of tyranny.

Product Description

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)

The Periodic Table is largely a memoir of the years before and after Primo Levi’s transportation from his native Italy to Auschwitz as an anti-Facist partisan and a Jew.

It recounts, in clear, precise, unfailingly beautiful prose, the story of the Piedmontese Jewish community from which Levi came, of his years as a student and young chemist at the inception of the Second World War, and of his investigations into the nature of the material world. As such, it provides crucial links and backgrounds, both personal and intellectual, in the tremendous project of remembrance that is Levi’s gift to posterity. But far from being a prologue to his experience of the Holocaust, Levi’s masterpiece represents his most impassioned response to the events that engulfed him.

The Periodic Table celebrates the pleasures of love and friendship and the search for meaning, and stands as a monument to those things in us that are capable of resisting and enduring in the face of tyranny.

sometimes inaccessible, but sometimes lovely ****
Like other reviewers, I sometimes found the science in this book a bit hard to follow. But that was made up for by the general loveliness of Levi's dry wit. My favorite examples- - "a livered [solidified] paint is much more rebellious, more refractory to your will than a lion in its mad pounce; but, let's admit it, it's also less dangerous." - "Gina then made a cruel decision: if she couldn't bind herself to the man she cared for, the only one, there would not be any other . . . she forbade herself marriage forever in a refined and merciless manner, that is, by getting married." -"It was clear that Bonino's story would be far from brief; but I remembered how many long stories I myself had inflicted on people, on those who wanted to listen and those who didn't. I remembered that it is written [Deuteronomy 10:19] 'Love ye therefore the stranger; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.' and I settled back comfortably in my chair." - [before the start of the book] "Troubles overcome are good to tell." This is not a Holocaust memoir like some of Levi's other works; it is a group of [mostly autobiographical] little essays, almost all about Levi's pre- and post-Holocaust life, by a great writer who just happened to have been in Auschwitz.

sometimes inaccessible, but sometimes lovely ****

Like other reviewers, I sometimes found the science in this book a bit hard to follow. But that was made up for by the general loveliness of Levi's dry wit. My favorite examples-

- "a livered [solidified] paint is much more rebellious, more refractory to your will than a lion in its mad pounce; but, let's admit it, it's also less dangerous."

- "Gina then made a cruel decision: if she couldn't bind herself to the man she cared for, the only one, there would not be any other . . . she forbade herself marriage forever in a refined and merciless manner, that is, by getting married."

-"It was clear that Bonino's story would be far from brief; but I remembered how many long stories I myself had inflicted on people, on those who wanted to listen and those who didn't. I remembered that it is written [Deuteronomy 10:19] 'Love ye therefore the stranger; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.' and I settled back comfortably in my chair."

- [before the start of the book] "Troubles overcome are good to tell."

This is not a Holocaust memoir like some of Levi's other works; it is a group of [mostly autobiographical] little essays, almost all about Levi's pre- and post-Holocaust life, by a great writer who just happened to have been in Auschwitz.

Poetry and Prose in one volume *****
Entertaining, sad, and insightful. What a loss to the world. "Carbon" chapter is fascinating. Began second reading immediately following the first.

Poetry and Prose in one volume *****

Entertaining, sad, and insightful. What a loss to the world. "Carbon" chapter is fascinating. Began second reading immediately following the first.

The Periodic Table. ****
It's an emblematic title for a book designed whit tales that confection a whole history. The book is a metaphor of the periodic table: elements conform substance so words conform ideas. Primo Levi is a mentor; he begins a melancholic tale, connecting us with characters and at less expected time we receive a little lesson about chemistry, -it's a good way to spread science, didn't it?- but that's not enough for him so we also get his testimony about how he suffered WWII. Primo's statement is hard: "... I felt guilty at being man, because man had built Auschwitz..." at last it's not clear if he got peace at his mind; but, I must recognize he is honest, because somewhere in the book he says that Primo Levi writes for Primo Levi. In conclusion, it's a gentle book wrote to present a testimony of a man who was born Jewish in Italy, studied chemistry and suffered the war.

The Periodic Table. ****

It's an emblematic title for a book designed whit tales that confection a whole history. The book is a metaphor of the periodic table: elements conform substance so words conform ideas.

Primo Levi is a mentor; he begins a melancholic tale, connecting us with characters and at less expected time we receive a little lesson about chemistry, -it's a good way to spread science, didn't it?- but that's not enough for him so we also get his testimony about how he suffered WWII.

Primo's statement is hard: "... I felt guilty at being man, because man had built Auschwitz..." at last it's not clear if he got peace at his mind; but, I must recognize he is honest, because somewhere in the book he says that Primo Levi writes for Primo Levi.

In conclusion, it's a gentle book wrote to present a testimony of a man who was born Jewish in Italy, studied chemistry and suffered the war.

good chemistry! *****
I didn't know what to expect when picking up this book. I'd recently finished the not unrelated Garden of the Finzi-Continis and thought I might find some variant on this. Yes, both books consider Jewish-Italian culture in the years surrounding WWII, with the specter of the holocaust in the background (mainly). But they are quite different. F.C. has at its roots the humanities, and P.T., the sciences. And what I most enjoyed about P.T. was the chemistry. It's a rarity in literature to find a subtle appreciation for the career of the scientist, and Levi succeeds admirably. This book would be an outstanding choice for any science and engineering student to read just to see how one can ply a trade, be it in the laboratory, the mine, or the consulting business. Bravo, Dr. Levi.

good chemistry! *****

I didn't know what to expect when picking up this book. I'd recently finished the not unrelated Garden of the Finzi-Continis and thought I might find some variant on this. Yes, both books consider Jewish-Italian culture in the years surrounding WWII, with the specter of the holocaust in the background (mainly). But they are quite different. F.C. has at its roots the humanities, and P.T., the sciences. And what I most enjoyed about P.T. was the chemistry. It's a rarity in literature to find a subtle appreciation for the career of the scientist, and Levi succeeds admirably. This book would be an outstanding choice for any science and engineering student to read just to see how one can ply a trade, be it in the laboratory, the mine, or the consulting business. Bravo, Dr. Levi.

Daringly creative ****
In this collection of stories, Primo Levi lets go of the Holocaust theme, and tells the story of his life through the prism of his profession as a chemist. As others have said, each chapter is headed up by a different element, and through the properties of that element he explores a theme. There are two chapters--"Lead" and "Mercury"--which are completely fanciful. "Lead" is about a mythical tribe that makes its living mining lead. Not knowing that the metal is deadly, they all ultimately die of a mysterious disease, but they accept it as their fate, the price they pay for fulfilling a special role among men. "Mercury" is about a couple living on a desert island, which holds inexhaustible reserves of mercury, and what happens when two newcomers, one an alchemist, joins them. Both stories are riveting. I have to admit that I, as well as my very literate book group, lost a lot by having forgotten most if not all of our knowledge of chemistry--not that we had much to begin with. Some familiarity with the science I'm sure reveals a whole new level to the writing. Some reviewers criticized the lack of insight about the author's time in Auschwitz, but I see that as one of the amazing aspects of this book. For good reason, so many Holocaust survivors are irreversibly marked and changed forever by their experiences. That Levi can write a rich and compelling book that gives weight and significance to the other parts of his life is evidence of an amazingly strong and resilient spirit.

Daringly creative ****

In this collection of stories, Primo Levi lets go of the Holocaust theme, and tells the story of his life through the prism of his profession as a chemist. As others have said, each chapter is headed up by a different element, and through the properties of that element he explores a theme. There are two chapters--"Lead" and "Mercury"--which are completely fanciful. "Lead" is about a mythical tribe that makes its living mining lead. Not knowing that the metal is deadly, they all ultimately die of a mysterious disease, but they accept it as their fate, the price they pay for fulfilling a special role among men. "Mercury" is about a couple living on a desert island, which holds inexhaustible reserves of mercury, and what happens when two newcomers, one an alchemist, joins them. Both stories are riveting.

I have to admit that I, as well as my very literate book group, lost a lot by having forgotten most if not all of our knowledge of chemistry--not that we had much to begin with. Some familiarity with the science I'm sure reveals a whole new level to the writing.

Some reviewers criticized the lack of insight about the author's time in Auschwitz, but I see that as one of the amazing aspects of this book. For good reason, so many Holocaust survivors are irreversibly marked and changed forever by their experiences. That Levi can write a rich and compelling book that gives weight and significance to the other parts of his life is evidence of an amazingly strong and resilient spirit.

Unique Autobiographical Stories, Beautifully Translated *****
I saw a negative review here, and so I want to say something in this book's defence. It's not that the great Primo Levi needs me, simply that The Periodic Table is the book I have most enjoyed reading in, say, the past couple of years. Levi was by profession a chemist. Every chapter is a story from his remarkable life; each has a chemical element for its title and that element is somehow a part of the story, either literally or metaphorically. In the first chapter, Levi tells something of the history of his family: Jews in southern France, Venice and lastly in the city of Turin, where Primo Levi grew up (except during the war he lived in the same apartment for his whole life). The first chapter is slightly harder going than the rest of the book (it has interesting information about some Hebrew names and how they were twisted via French into the local Piedmontese dialect), and I think that's where some readers got stuck -- too bad, because once you get further it gives a nice balance to the rest. Then there are stories about his interest in chemistry as a child, mixing things up and causing explosions, his university education, how Fascism started to become a factor in his life as a young man, and then the story of how as a captured anti-fascist fighter he got himself sent to Auschwitz as a Jew in order to avoid being shot by the Fascists as a 'traitor'. Having survived Auschwitz, Levi returned after the war to Turin, where he became the head of the chemistry department at a paint factory -- it's not the most obvious material for a writer, but Levi portrayed it here with the same extraordinary eye for the special, curious detail. Really, I cannot recommend The Periodic Table highly enough to do it justice. Raymond Rosenthal's translation is artfully done: it's beautiful English that doesn't disturb the original. As anyone who occasionally reads translated Italian knows it can easily become very turgid, and Rosenthal avoids that completely. There is a good introduction by Philip Roth, in which he tells of his meeting with Primo Levi in the 1980s. Honestly, for this price what a deal. Do yourself a favour and buy this book now.

Unique Autobiographical Stories, Beautifully Translated *****

I saw a negative review here, and so I want to say something in this book's defence. It's not that the great Primo Levi needs me, simply that The Periodic Table is the book I have most enjoyed reading in, say, the past couple of years.

Levi was by profession a chemist. Every chapter is a story from his remarkable life; each has a chemical element for its title and that element is somehow a part of the story, either literally or metaphorically. In the first chapter, Levi tells something of the history of his family: Jews in southern France, Venice and lastly in the city of Turin, where Primo Levi grew up (except during the war he lived in the same apartment for his whole life). The first chapter is slightly harder going than the rest of the book (it has interesting information about some Hebrew names and how they were twisted via French into the local Piedmontese dialect), and I think that's where some readers got stuck -- too bad, because once you get further it gives a nice balance to the rest. Then there are stories about his interest in chemistry as a child, mixing things up and causing explosions, his university education, how Fascism started to become a factor in his life as a young man, and then the story of how as a captured anti-fascist fighter he got himself sent to Auschwitz as a Jew in order to avoid being shot by the Fascists as a 'traitor'. Having survived Auschwitz, Levi returned after the war to Turin, where he became the head of the chemistry department at a paint factory -- it's not the most obvious material for a writer, but Levi portrayed it here with the same extraordinary eye for the special, curious detail.

Really, I cannot recommend The Periodic Table highly enough to do it justice. Raymond Rosenthal's translation is artfully done: it's beautiful English that doesn't disturb the original. As anyone who occasionally reads translated Italian knows it can easily become very turgid, and Rosenthal avoids that completely. There is a good introduction by Philip Roth, in which he tells of his meeting with Primo Levi in the 1980s. Honestly, for this price what a deal. Do yourself a favour and buy this book now.

A difficult book- review by 'Keyne Readers' ***
This turned out not to be a good choice for us. Many of the group did not manage to read much of the book. There were a variety of individual reasons, but perhaps the book is simply difficult to engage with, and uncomfortable when you do. A number of people started it but turned to lighter books for bedtime and holiday reading (which is when most of us do our reading for this group, so heavyweight reading does not go down well). Chapter 1 in particular was not popular. People struggled with it. Someone remarked that there were just too many characters. One member had a copy of the book on her shelves for 20 years and had never got round to reading it. She got bogged down in the first chapter, but persisted and found the book got better as she read alter chapters. Some people liked the fact that they could dip into chapters that were of different styles and different lengths. One of the group remembered that she had once worked on a course that used something of his called `The Mark of a Chemist', about learning to be a professional chemist. We discussed whether reading The Periodic Table would enthuse anyone to become a chemist. Some of us (non-chemists) felt that we got a sense of his excitement and passion for his work, and thre were places where we laughed at his mis-haps. Our professional chemistry academic loved it, but someone else who had studied chemistry with other sciences felt that she couldn't relate it to the chemistry she knew. For some it reminded them of why they gave up the subject. Although the book is a biography of a `jobbing' chemist, and authoritative about chemistry, many of the group preferred the parts about people. However, we also noted that Levi is the central character through out, other characters tend to be significant only with respect to their relationship to Levi, not as characters in their own right. Some members had an edition with an introductory chapter which discussed Levi's suicide. We were all shocked that he died in this way and we were aware of it as we read the book. Maybe knowing this was why some of us felt that the book was full of sense of foreboding. It is as much a retrospective story about the experience of Jewishness in the 20th century, as of being a chemist.

A difficult book- review by 'Keyne Readers' ***

This turned out not to be a good choice for us. Many of the group did not manage to read much of the book. There were a variety of individual reasons, but perhaps the book is simply difficult to engage with, and uncomfortable when you do. A number of people started it but turned to lighter books for bedtime and holiday reading (which is when most of us do our reading for this group, so heavyweight reading does not go down well). Chapter 1 in particular was not popular. People struggled with it. Someone remarked that there were just too many characters. One member had a copy of the book on her shelves for 20 years and had never got round to reading it. She got bogged down in the first chapter, but persisted and found the book got better as she read alter chapters. Some people liked the fact that they could dip into chapters that were of different styles and different lengths.

One of the group remembered that she had once worked on a course that used something of his called `The Mark of a Chemist', about learning to be a professional chemist. We discussed whether reading The Periodic Table would enthuse anyone to become a chemist. Some of us (non-chemists) felt that we got a sense of his excitement and passion for his work, and thre were places where we laughed at his mis-haps. Our professional chemistry academic loved it, but someone else who had studied chemistry with other sciences felt that she couldn't relate it to the chemistry she knew. For some it reminded them of why they gave up the subject. Although the book is a biography of a `jobbing' chemist, and authoritative about chemistry, many of the group preferred the parts about people. However, we also noted that Levi is the central character through out, other characters tend to be significant only with respect to their relationship to Levi, not as characters in their own right.

Some members had an edition with an introductory chapter which discussed Levi's suicide. We were all shocked that he died in this way and we were aware of it as we read the book. Maybe knowing this was why some of us felt that the book was full of sense of foreboding. It is as much a retrospective story about the experience of Jewishness in the 20th century, as of being a chemist.

wrong book *
This book with the title "The Periodic Table", "The best science book ever written" (comment by the London's Royal Institute) is completely misleading. If you are in search of a book explaining the periodic table, then this is NOT the one to buy. I couldn't care less about Primo Levi or the Jewish community in Piedmont. I'm returning this book! It's like buying a book called "The Christmas Cake, the ultimate cookery book" and ending up reading a story about sunny Africa. It goes into Room 101!

wrong book *

This book with the title "The Periodic Table", "The best science book ever written" (comment by the London's Royal Institute) is completely misleading. If you are in search of a book explaining the periodic table, then this is NOT the one to buy. I couldn't care less about Primo Levi or the Jewish community in Piedmont. I'm returning this book! It's like buying a book called "The Christmas Cake, the ultimate cookery book" and ending up reading a story about sunny Africa. It goes into Room 101!

Recommended for academic fairies. *
The first few paragraphs seemed to cover a phenomenal sense of history, humanity and with beautiful prose, but the "Essential penguin" edition is printed with characters the size of one lead atom (or possibly 9pt type) and is subsequently unreadable.

Recommended for academic fairies. *

The first few paragraphs seemed to cover a phenomenal sense of history, humanity and with beautiful prose, but the "Essential penguin" edition is printed with characters the size of one lead atom (or possibly 9pt type) and is subsequently unreadable.

A little disappointing ***
Levi's books about Auschwitz and its aftermath ('If This is a Man' and 'The Truce') are great works of twentieth century literature (and important documents of twentieth century history). By comparison, 'TPT' is slightly more self-indulgent, combining Levi's two great loves in life, chemistry and writing. It is a series of short stories (mostly non-fiction), each of which is based on a theme dictated by the properties of a chemical element and usually focussing on Levi's career. Levi deliberately omitted the Auschwitz years, making 'TPT' a generally quirky and upbeat read. I did find 'TPT' enjoyable, but much more frivolous and less emotionally involving than his other books. Perhaps it is unfair to look at Levi as only a holocaust survivor, but I didn't feel that he had much to say about the other parts of his life. There is an ominous quality to some of the writing, as he goes about his daily life barely paying attention to the gathering war, unaware of the horror it would eventually bring, but I found too much to be lightweight and uninteresting. The analogy to chemical elements was often forced or fleeting, providing very little cohesion to the book as a whole. I certainly didn't hate 'TPT', and perhaps my expectations had been raised too high by what I had previously read, but it wasn't, in my opinion, Levi at his best.

A little disappointing ***

Levi's books about Auschwitz and its aftermath ('If This is a Man' and 'The Truce') are great works of twentieth century literature (and important documents of twentieth century history). By comparison, 'TPT' is slightly more self-indulgent, combining Levi's two great loves in life, chemistry and writing. It is a series of short stories (mostly non-fiction), each of which is based on a theme dictated by the properties of a chemical element and usually focussing on Levi's career. Levi deliberately omitted the Auschwitz years, making 'TPT' a generally quirky and upbeat read.
I did find 'TPT' enjoyable, but much more frivolous and less emotionally involving than his other books. Perhaps it is unfair to look at Levi as only a holocaust survivor, but I didn't feel that he had much to say about the other parts of his life. There is an ominous quality to some of the writing, as he goes about his daily life barely paying attention to the gathering war, unaware of the horror it would eventually bring, but I found too much to be lightweight and uninteresting. The analogy to chemical elements was often forced or fleeting, providing very little cohesion to the book as a whole. I certainly didn't hate 'TPT', and perhaps my expectations had been raised too high by what I had previously read, but it wasn't, in my opinion, Levi at his best.