13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire and Phosphorous

Discovered by alchemists, prescribed by apothecaries, exploited by 19th century industrialists, and abused by 20th century combatants, phosphorus is one of nature’s deadliest and most fascinating creations. Now award-winning author John Emsley combines his gift for storytelling with his scientific expertise to present an enthralling account of this eerily luminescent element. The book takes readers from murders-by-phosphorus where the bodies glowed green, to the match factory strike that helped end child labor in England, to the irony of the World War II firebombing of Hamburg, to even deadlier compounds derived from phosphorus today. The 13th Element weaves together a rich tableau of brilliant and oddball characters, social upheavals, and curious, bizarre, and horrific events that comprise the surprising 300 year history of nature’s most nefarious element.