Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Oliver Sacks's luminous memoir charts the growth of a mind. Born in 1933 into a family of formidably intelligent London Jews, he discovered the wonders of the physical sciences early from his parents and their flock of brilliant siblings, most notably "Uncle Tungsten" (real name, Dave), who "manufactured lightbulbs with filaments of fine tungsten wire." Metals were the substances that first attracted young Oliver, and his descriptions of their colors, textures, and properties are as sensuous and romantic as an art lover's rhapsodies over an Old Master. Seamlessly interwoven with his personal recollections is a masterful survey of scientific history, with emphasis on the great chemists like Robert Boyle, Antoine Lavoisier, and Humphry Davy (Sacks's personal hero). Yet this is not a dry intellectual autobiography; his parents in particular, both doctors, are vividly sketched. His sociable father loved house calls and "was drawn to medicine because its practice was central in human society," while his shy mother "had an intense feeling for structure ... for her [medicine] was part of natural history and biology." For young Oliver, unhappy at the brutal boarding school he was sent to during the war, and afraid that he would become mentally ill like his older brother, chemistry was a refuge in an uncertain world. He would outgrow his passion for metals and become a neurologist, but as readers of Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat know, he would never leave behind his conviction that science is a profoundly human endeavor. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

Long before Oliver Sacks became a distinguished neurologist and bestselling writer, he was a small English boy fascinated by metals–also by chemical reactions (the louder and smellier the better), photography, squids and cuttlefish, H.G. Wells, and the periodic table. In this endlessly charming and eloquent memoir, the author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings chronicles his love affair with science and the magnificently odd and sometimes harrowing childhood in which that love affair unfolded.

In Uncle Tungsten we meet Sacks’ extraordinary family, from his surgeon mother (who introduces the fourteen-year-old Oliver to the art of human dissection) and his father, a family doctor who imbues in his son an early enthusiasm for housecalls, to his “Uncle Tungsten,” whose factory produces tungsten-filament lightbulbs. We follow the young Oliver as he is exiled at the age of six to a grim, sadistic boarding school to escape the London Blitz, and later watch as he sets about passionately reliving the exploits of his chemical heroes–in his own home laboratory. Uncle Tungsten is a crystalline view of a brilliant young mind springing to life, a story of growing up which is by turns elegiac, comic, and wistful, full of the electrifying joy of discovery.

Customer Reviews:

Uncle Oliver.......2007-07-19

The relationship between uncle and nephew is the most precious. Why? Because nephews confide in uncles like they don't confide in a father or mother. And uncles are sort of pseudo fathers to nephews. The responsibility of an uncle is not less than a father: to inspire and stimulate the child wherever he resists parental influence. I would imagine the rapport between an aunt and a niece is the same way, looking up to the corresponding role model and same sex mentor.

Although Dr. Sacks paints a portrait of his extended family in this book, his Uncle Dave "Tungsten" is highlighted as an important source of inspiration. His retelling of his childhood and adolescence is fascinating. This is a beautiful book, sometimes overwhelming when scientific lingo becomes predominant but very warm and engaging. Even with a poor knowledge in chemistry -- my case -- it's immensely enjoyable. Dr. Sacks' childhood memories are colorful, jam-packed, very serious at times but also humorous, a bit like John Boorman's movie "Hope and Glory".

I wish all children were introduced to science like this!.......2007-05-15

Sigh...as a science educator who sees students turned off of science in spite of it being much more interesting and useful then English and history, it's frustrating to read about a child whose family managed to convey the fun of science. I've enjoyed Oliver Sacks books so much. He is such a great person, a great neurologist, a great writer who manages to introduce the world to his scientific world and keep them interested. Too bad we cannot get someone like Sacks to write some of our textbooks because they are too dry, without showing the practical applications of the science. Sack's was lucky in having a family with immense background in the sciences, who spent their entire lives performing or doing science in some way. Very few of us have access to the equipment and the materials needed to do lab science at home, but Sacks did have access to this stuff and he certainly made the most of it.

Sack's stories include information about his big family and their great variety of work in the sciences. His descriptions of his family members, his memories are filled with both love and awe for their patience with him and his interests in sciences which sometimes were not the same as theirs (his mom and dad wanted him to be a physician, and not a chemist).

Sack's books are usually compendiums of short stories, which make for interesting reading. He has had so many intriguing forays into different fields of chemistry, and his ability to remember the textbooks and the books that famous scientists from that golden age in England and Germany are phenomenal in the recall. I remember the teacher in science who made such an impact on my perception of science, and I am only too aware of how short we are in obtaining good science teachers and introducing science programs into public schools. Maybe reading this book will encourage other young people with talent to look into science as a career possibility.

Karen L. SAdler

Memory is Precious.......2007-03-15

I loved reading this book for multiple reasons, but I will restrict myself to mentioning two. The first is that it is a well constructed story with excellent writing---a combination I cannot resist. The narrative moves at a pace to engage and captivate the reader without making the story just a rush to get to the next page. Writing that is thoughtful makes sure that the reader will savor and think about the events presented. This is worth a read merely to have the understanding of one more perspective presented well.

But there is more to the book that makes me give this an enthusiastic five stars. As a chemist I was delighted to read a book that gave insight into this space of history of the chemistry profession. The history is two-fold: first it is a history of childhood enthusiasm for science and second it is a history of chemistry in the middle of the 1900s. many a child is enthusiastic about something. For all those children who loved science but never had the means to explore this book will bring sadness at what they lost for not being given such freedom and support. But the book also brings joy at reading that someone, somewhere had the chance to be the brilliant child you always thought you were. Today we highly restrict certain chemicals and also have an emphasis on safety in working with all chemicals. Sacks presents a time period when chemistry and science in general was done with little concern for safety. Instead of glossing over things Sacks presents information and experiments without deluding the reading into thinking it was perfectly safe.

This book is an excellent exploration of multiple themes that are well worth thinking about. I challenge anyone to read it and not find something in it that doesn't provoke some thoughts about what you are doing now with what you are enthusiastic about or what you loved childhood and now have lost as an adult.

If you rated it poorly, you'll never understand........2006-07-15

I ran across this book quite by accident, on the bottom shelf of the Engineering section in the bowels of a major brick-and-mortar bookstore. Perusing the first few pages convinced me to give it a try. I was hooked, and devoured the book in two nights.

There are enough reviews here to give you a feel for the book. My only point for writing this is that those who have given the book poor reviews simply don't "get it", nor, likely, shall they. If you grew up with an avid interest in what makes the world work, wore out VHS tapes of Cosmos, and were reading Gribbin, Rucker, and Asimov (nonfiction) in second grade, you "get it" and will adore this book. Sacks's voracious appetite for knowledge at this young age mirrored my own, and his enjoyment of discovery for discovery's sake made me nostalgic of my own youth within the first few pages - an amazing testimonial of the timelessness of his relevance, given the nearly-50-year difference in our ages.

Note: I'm a professional manager of computer geeks, not a chemist.

A Chemical Childhood.......2006-05-28

Oliver Sacks is one of my favorite authors and I especially like his autobiographical-chemical tome "Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood." I read it a while back and never reviewed it, but on the second reading while flying from El Paso, Texas, to Washington, DC, recently I was so delighted with it that I thought that I would put in my 2 cents worth.

I was lucky enough to meet Oliver Sacks about the time I read this book the first time and had a chance to talk with him (with a group of students) for a few minutes after his lecture. He is certainly a very interesting man and well versed in a number of fields.

His book on his early life and his association with chemistry as a nearly all consuming hobby was in many ways somewhat echoed in my own childhood- except I became consumed by both astronomy and chemistry in my teens. Still, like Sacks, I performed a number of experiments with a friend of mine that would now curl the hair of any parent, and in the process learned a lot about chemistry (it was my favorite science after biological sciences in college). Also like Sacks I became a biological scientist, but in a different specialty. Unfortunately I had no relatives who remotely understood my interests and I do envy him for his uncles and even his parents, who were not always so supportive, but did give him a love of learning and science.

Sacks has written an account of his early life with its sorrows (being sent away to a boarding school run by a sadistic head master during the Blitz in London) and the ecstasies (chemistry, books, science history and even marine biology)of a young boy caught up in the pure love of science and life, despite the trials. The book is simply charming and shows what a resourceful child can do, even under often difficult times, to make his or her life interesting and even joyful.

I recommend this book highly. It will brighten up any reader's day.

Uncle Tungsten, Memories of a Chemical Boyhood (2001, Knopf) a Borzoi Book

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Uncle Tungsten, Memories of a Chemical Boyhood (2001, Knopf) a Borzoi Book

Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf (USA)/Borzoi
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GAY60O

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Uncle Tungsten: Memories Of A Chemical Boyhood
Oliver Sacks
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JJOHRY

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Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
Oliver Sacks
Manufacturer: Picador
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GPAUWM

Enthralled by the Elements. (Chemistry).: An article from: American Scientist

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Enthralled by the Elements. (Chemistry).: An article from: American Scientist

Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
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Binding: Digital

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A Grand Tour of the Periodic Table with Dr. Sacks

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood

Manufacturer: Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media
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Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

A Grand Tour of the Periodic Table with Dr. Sacks.......2004-10-25

"It often happens that the mind of a person who is learning a new science, has to pass through all the phases which the science itself has exhibited in its historical evolution." (Stanislao Cannizzaro, Italian chemist, 1826 - 1910).

These words had a powerful resonance for Oliver Sacks. When the gifted neurologist wrote his autobiography, he also wrote a history of chemistry as recapitulated through his own childhood experiences. He grew up in a very scientific family--his mother and father were physicians, and his uncle Dave (the 'Uncle Tungsten' of the title) was both a chemist and a business entrepreneur, who "would spend hundreds of hours watching all the processes in his factories: the sintering and drawing of the tungsten, the making of the coiled coils and molybdenum supports for the filaments, the filling of the bulbs with argon..."

Uncle Tungsten allowed his nephew to perform chemical experiments in his laboratory, which contained samples of almost every element. Oliver's "physics uncle," Uncle Abe had a small telescopic observatory on top of his house, where he demonstrated the wonders of spectroscopy to his nephew: "The whole visible universe--planets, stars, distant galaxies--presented itself for spectroscopic analysis, and I got a vertiginous, almost ecstatic satisfaction from seeing familiar terrestrial elements out in space, seeing what I had known only intellectually before, that the elements were not just terrestrial but cosmic, were indeed the building blocks of the universe."

No wonder young Oliver grew up with a love for the elements and their chemistry!

Rarely do I read an autobiography and envy the author his childhood--most recent examples of this genre, e.g. "A Child Called 'It'" are grim, wailing texts--and that's not to say that Oliver didn't have his bad moments, too. He endured two horrible years at a Dickensian boarding school while London was being bombed by the Germans.

For the most part though, his formative years were spent in a fantastic 'castle of the elements' where his "many uncles and aunts and cousins served as a sort of archive or reference library" to his enquiring mind.

In "Uncle Tungsten," Dr. Sacks shares his learning experiences with us and in the process, writes a far more lucid history of chemistry and physics than any I've ever found in a textbook. He also takes his readers on a mesmerizing, personalized tour of the elements. If you enjoyed P.W. Atkin's quirky "The Periodic Kingdom" or Primo Levi's wonderful memoir "The Periodic Table," I can almost guarantee you'll fall in love with "Uncle Tungsten."

Book Description

This volume contains selected and rigorously scrutinized presentations made at the Second International Conference on Earthquake Hazard and Seismic Risk Reduction held in Yerevan, Armenia, on 14-21 September 1998.
The 46 contributions from authors from over 20 countries provide an overview of the achievements and experiences of different countries in disaster reduction since 1988. These contributions are presented in the volume in three parts, namely Disaster Reduction, Earthquake Hazards, and Earthquake Engineering.
This book will help to shape the direction that international disaster prevention will take by identifying crucial program functions and essential institutional responsibilities in the field of disaster reduction after the IDNDR.
Audience: This volume contains valuable information for seismologists, geophysicists, earth scientists, engineers, architects, and psychologists interested in earthquake hazard and seismic risk research. It is also useful for authorities responsible for public safety and natural hazards mitigation plans, and for insurance companies.

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Earthquake Hazard Analysis
Leon Reiter
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0231065345

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-- Science

Living With Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest

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a necessary read
Fascinating! Reader-friendly and intelligent, on top of it.
Fascinating! Reader-friendly and intelligent, on top of it.

Living With Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest
Robert S. Yeats
Manufacturer: Oregon State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0870710249

Book Description

In this expanded new edition of Living with Earthquakes, Robert Yeats, a leading authority on earthquakes in California and the Pacific Northwest, describes the threat posed by the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a great earthquake fault which runs for hundreds of miles offshore from British Columbia to northern California. New research reveals subtle movements on the deepest part of this fault every fourteen to fifteen months-building up strain toward the next major earthquake.

Combining cutting-edge research with practical safety information, Living with Earthquakes

*introduces new information about the danger from faults beneath major Northwest cities: the Seattle Fault, Tacoma Fault, and Portland Hills Fault

*explores such topics as earthquake forecasting, catastrophe insurance, tsunamis, soil liquefaction, and seismic waves in Northwest lakes caused by Alaskan earthquakes

*reviews earthquake preparedness and disaster response in the aftermath of the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, the worst natural disaster in Washington's history

*suggests actions that citizens can take to protect their families and homes

An essential guide for anyone interested in understanding earthquake science or in preparing for the next earthquake, this book is also a call to action. Vivid descriptions of recent disasters-including the great tsunami that swept down the Northwest coast in 1964, the 1993 Oregon earthquakes, and the 2001 Nisqually earthquake-underscore the urgent need for better earthquake planning and awareness.

Customer Reviews:

a necessary read.......1999-11-07

A book that will hopefully wake people up who live here in the NW and make them realize that we are at just as much risk for earthquakes as california. I was a 1 year old and my parents recall their terror of ensuring my safety as well as their own during the 1965 quake that hit Wa state measuring over a 7. We should all take heed to the words written and secure ourselves by having a 3 day supply of food and water, knowing what the energency response of our childrens's schools are. Because the quake that hit this summer is just a prelude to the massive one that will hit.

Fascinating! Reader-friendly and intelligent, on top of it........1999-03-06

The book is great for getting people aware that the PNW also has a fault line. And Mt. Rainier is more than a mountain. But he says it not to scare you. It educates you in a relaxing manner. This should be mandatory reading for grades 9-12. Highly recommend it!!!

Fascinating! Reader-friendly and intelligent, on top of it........1999-03-06

Earthquake Fears, Predictions, and Preparations in Mid-America

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Earthquake Fears, Predictions, and Preparations in Mid-America
John E Farley
Manufacturer: Southern Illinois University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0809322013

Book Description

The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) generated the strongest earthquakes ever observed in the lower forty-eight states in 1811 and 1812. And the region is overdue for another damaging quake. When self-proclaimed climatologist lben Browning predicted that a major earthquake would shatter the Heartland on 2 or 3 December 1990, many living within reach of the New Madrid fault zone reacted with varying combinations of preparation and panic.

John Farley’s study reports the results of four surveys conducted in the NMSZ both before and after the quake prediction. Thus, Farley notes the level of awareness and preparation at the height of the Browning-induced scare and shows to what extent earthquake awareness and preparedness were sustained in this region after the most widely publicized prediction in recent history proved baseless. All four surveys offer important insights into what people believe about earthquake risk in the NMSZ, what they know about earthquakes, what specific actions they have—and have not—taken in preparation for earthquakes, and what they think a severe quake would do to their neighborhoods.

Farley is the first researcher to study the response to an earthquake prediction while the prediction remained in effect and to continue the inquiry after the date covered by the prediction had passed. He is also the first researcher to look at earthquake awareness and preparedness in the NMSZ over an extended period of time.

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Mike Fink
Bowman Jc
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (Juv Trd)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0316104108

Washington State earthquake hazards (Information circular / Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources)

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Washington State earthquake hazards (Information circular / Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources)
Linda J Noson
Manufacturer: Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Earthquakes & Volcanoes | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Promoting Risk: Constructing the Earthquake Threat (Social Problems and Social Issues)

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Promoting Risk: Constructing the Earthquake Threat (Social Problems and Social Issues)
Robert Stallings
Manufacturer: Aldine Transaction
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Binding: Paperback

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Evaluation of Uncertainties and Risks in Geology

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Evaluation of Uncertainties and Risks in Geology
György Bardossy , János Fodor , Gy÷rgy Bardossy , and Jßnos Fodor
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540206221

Book Description

High levels of uncertainty are a trademark of geological investigations, such as the search for oil, diamonds, and uranium. So business ventures related to geology, such as mineral exploration and mining, are naturally associated with higher risks than more traditional entrepreneurial ventures in industry and economy. There are also a number of dangerous natural hazards, e.g. earthquakes, volcanic activities, and inundations, that are the direct result of geological processes. It is of paramount interest to study them all, to describe them, to understand their origin and - if possible - to predict them. While uncertainties, geological risks and natural hazards are often mentioned in geological textbooks, conferences papers, and articles, no comprehensive and systematic evaluation has so far been attempted. This book, written at an appropriately sophisticated level to deal with complexity of these problems, presents a detailed evaluation of the entire problem, discussing it from both, the geological and the mathematical aspects.

Living on an Active Earth: Perspectives on Earthquake Science

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Authoritative new treatise in seismology from Nat. Acad. Sci

Living on an Active Earth: Perspectives on Earthquake Science
National Research Council (U. S.)
Manufacturer: National Academy Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Earthquakes & Volcanoes | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0309065623

Customer Reviews:

Authoritative new treatise in seismology from Nat. Acad. Sci.......2003-09-23

A new 418-page authoritative treatise in seismology has been prepared by a select panel of 14 seismologists and one geologist under auspices of the National Academy of Sciences. The distinguished authors are: Jordan (chairman), Beroza, Cornell, Crouse, Deiterich, Frankel, Jackson, Johnston, Kanamori, Langer, McNutt, Rice, Romanowicz, Sieh, and Somerville.

The book is divided into 7 chapters with two appendices: (1) The Challenge of Earthquake Science; (2) Rise of Earthquake Science; (3) Facing the Earthquake Threat; (4) Observing the Active Earth -- current technologies and the role of the disciplines; (5) Earthquake Physics and Fault-System Science; (6) Research Opportnities and Requirements; and (7) Summary.

The title sounds rather trendy, but this book is not for the casual reader. It appears best suited for upper-division geology and seismology students and first-year graduate students in applied seismology, or general readers who want to catch-up with advanced concepts in applied seismology. "Living on an Active Earth" was over three years in preparation, and (like all National Academy publications) it has been heavily peer-reviewed for rigorous scientific content.

The book makes good use of colored maps, diagrams, and photos to convey applied seismology concepts. Each chapter contains an unusually large number of footnotes that carefully document each statement in the text. (example: Chapter 5 has 219 footnotes.)

"Living on an Active Earth" is available in both hardbound book format, and on CD-ROM. Because it is an authoritative treatise, it will greatly influence textbooks written for lower-division students. It will be particularly well suited to west coast states (California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming) in Seismic Zone 3 and 4 that have substantial earthquake hazards, plus mid-continent states that were affected by the great New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812 (SE Missouri, W Tennessee, W Kentucky); and the M7.3 Charleston, SC, earthquake of 1886.

The book cites hyperlinks to useful websites for additional information. Both Seismic Hazard Zone maps and Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone Maps of the California Geological Survey are show-cased as effective tools in earthquake hazard reduction.

"Living on an Active Earth -- perspectives on Earthquake Science" is highly recommended. It will be well-received by a wide spectrum of collegiate-level readers for its comprehensive evaluation of applied seismology, and its authoritative recommendations for future research topics in seismology.
Robert H. Sydnor, LM-SSA, LM-AGU, LM-AAAS
Engineering Geologist and Seismologist
Fair Oaks, California

Issues in Urban Earthquake Risk (NATO ASI Series. Series E: Applied Sciences, Volume 271)

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Issues in Urban Earthquake Risk (NATO ASI Series. Series E: Applied Sciences, Volume 271)

Manufacturer: Kluwer Academic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0792329147

Book Description

Urban seismic risk is growing worldwide and is increasingly a problem of developing countries. This book focuses on recent urban earthquake safety developments around the world; in particular, it provides approaches and procedures for the creation of earthquake damage scenarios (EDS). The articles will stimulate anyone -- scientist, engineer, government official, business leader, international aid provider -- considering an EDS project for a city, and they list some of the questions that should be asked, suggest methods of answering them, and describe some advantages and disadvantages of different approaches. Two articles discuss how the above strategies fared in a pilot EDS project nearing completion in Quito, Ecuador. Finally, authors from fourteen other earthquake-threatened cities in developed and developing countries attempt to summarize the earthquake safety of their cities. In the context of their particular social, economic, political, and technical settings, they discuss needs and approaches to reducing earthquake risk.

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