SKU: 16532625476

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood

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Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical BoyhoodLong 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

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.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 09/17/2002
ISBN: 9780375704048
Pages: 337
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.70d

Review Citations: BookPage 10/01/2002 pg. 25
New York Times 09/22/2002 pg. 28
Entertainment Weekly 10/18/2002 pg. 118
Kliatt 03/01/2003 pg. 53
People Weekly 09/14/2015 pg. 50

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 60053 / Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood
Reading Level: 10.7 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 25
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SKU: 16532625476

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Louis G
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
Easy to install, very tough!
Color: White, Size: 16in, Color: White, Size: 16in
Seriously, scoring these shelf stands for $30 feels like an absolute steal! Four chunky wood boards with metal T-brackets that actually feel substantial - way sturdier than those flimsy IKEA ones I used to have. My old cheapo stands warped after half a year, but these hold up like a champ - I've got like 15 heavy textbooks stacked on them right now. Love the little details too: rounded edges so you won't scrape your hands, and rubber grip strips on the bottom. They look legit fancy in my living room as bookshelves and even class up my kitchen herb garden. My friend thought they were some high-end designer furniture! Honestly, the craftsmanship at this price puts my old $60 wooden shelves to shame. Already told my DIY group chat about these - trust me, you can't go wrong!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2025
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Chad Collins
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 4
Great look. Sturdy.
Color: Rustic Brwon, Size: 16in
Great look if you can get it installed. The sticker paper mounting guides rip so easy so he careful!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2025
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Lisa Bulkilvish
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 1
Worst item ever
Color: White, Size: 16in
Set up shelves and not sturdy at all. Followed the instructions perfectly. Very poorly made. I don’t have the box and now I’m stuck with the item. Garbage can here it comes.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2026
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Nancy
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Shelves
Color: Rustic Brwon, Size: 16in
Love the quality but got the wrong color. Company was easy to work with in return. If you need shelving these are awesome
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Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2026
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Kelly Cardenas
Draper, US
★★★★★ 3
There are better floating shelves
Color: Rustic Brwon, Size: 16in
Doesn’t feel very sturdy like other floating shelves I’ve bought, and they slant a little. The anchors and screws that it came with all broke so we had to get our own for it to feel more secure on the wall, but still feels wobbly. Overall, it looks good on the wall after the fact, but won’t be adding too much weight on it.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2026

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