Alan Holden (1904–1985)

This book can light up the imagination of a young person interested in doing science with their own hands. It did for me.

I had this book when I was a teenager and loved it. I could neither acquire nor afford most of the chemicals that I would have wanted, but I did finally get the local pharmacist to order me some alum.

My few successes and many failures using this book were so rewarding, and the explanations of equilibrium and saturation were so well done and interesting that this is one of a handful of books that led me eventually to become a professional chemist almost thirty years ago.

This is just about the perfect book for anyone interested in polyhedra. Starting with the basic Platonics, the book works its way through many other exotic polyhedra, in particular how they can be derived from one another. Richly illustrated throughout and with an informal text that takes you through this journey, this is an deep but enjoyable romp through the subject. Much less mathematical than Cromwell, and less formal than Wenninger, this is the book to go for for both fun, instruction show more and inspiration. show less

Remarkably easy to read and understand, this book contains recipes for growing your own beautiful crystals at home, but also a wealth of chemical and physical information described in clear language with simple black-and-white drawings and photographs.