Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood

An image showing the book cover of Uncle Tungsten

20 years after it was first published, Oliver Sacks’ memoir remains a popular chemistry classic – and for good reason

As someone whose job it is to commission, edit and write articles about chemistry, it’s hard not to be infuriated by the popular science classic Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood. How did Oliver Sacks, who was a neurologist rather than a chemist, come to write one of the most popular and well-written chemistry books of all time?