Napoleon's Buttons (2003)

Yum. I love a good science book. This one had the perfect ratio of technical details to useless knowledge. It started to get a little repetitive towards the end, though, because when it comes down to it, there are surprisingly few compounds found in nature, especially since most of the ones in the book are organic. ( )

The cornerstone of the plot line is the interwoven story of human history and chemistry. The title is misleading since many more molecules are covered within each chapter. There is a definite author bias toward organic molecules and I wish other types of metals such as iron had been explored. I was very much disappointing with the title. The story of Napoleon’s button is mentioned as an anecdote in the prologue and as an afterthought throughout the rest of the book. The authors obviously know about chemistry even drawing clear picture of the compound listed. However, I found that they went into to too much detail about chemical reactions, for example isoprene. While at other times not explaining how chemicals worked, such as quinine. Overall I found the authors writing styles to be a bit dry and I would probably not read it again. ( )

A description of 17 sets of molecules that have played crucial roles in our world both now and in the past. Interesting but not earth-shattering. Like most of this genre of popular non-fiction, there are lots of interesting facts, however there is ultimately no storyline. But an interesting blend of social history and chemistry nonetheless. ( )

The subtitle, 17 molecules that changed history is a bit misleading in Napoleon’s buttons, a book by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson. There are 17 chapters, each covering a molecule or a group of molecules with chemical and historical information. For example chapter 1 deals with peppers, nutmeg and cloves; several molecules are responsible for taste in this group. The chemistry of spices as well as the history of the spice trade is covered. This chapter explains why we speak English in the United States instead of Dutch.

The introduction sets the stage for the book and also deals with basic chemistry. The authors explain what is necessary to know in easy to read language and the diagrams reinforce the concepts. However, those sections dealing with the chemistry of the compounds (an alternate term for molecules which contain at least two different elements) in each chapter can be easily skipped without losing the narrative of the stories.

From scurvy to synthetic fabrics to explosives, the authors take a new look at major events in the history of the world. And no, Napoleon’s buttons do not get a special chapter but are mentioned in the introduction. They may have changed history but I’ll let you read the book and decide. ( )

It was interesting, but I resented this book for misrepresenting itself. Its title offers discussing 17 molecules that changed history- much too grand a claim to what it actually offers. In reality, it discusses natural and man-made compounds like, for example, quinine or polymers in history and their impact on the development on specific areas of life. It was interesting though for what it offered, and I found molecules of witchcraft, spices- peppers, nutmeg and cloves, dyes, morphine, nicotine and caffeine most interesting of the lot. ( )