Book excerpt: A popular dictionary of the elements giving the physical constants, discoverer, historical background, production, isotopes. It is reprehensible to publish such an introduction with no bibliography. Finding a book on the chemical elements that is neither an advanced, graduate-level text nor a simplistic overview for children is virtually impossible. Now, with Exploring Chemical Elements and Their Compounds, David L. Heiserman provides the perfect guide for anyone who need a good solid introduction to all of the 107 chemical elements.