These were far from the only books I consulted during my research, and you can find more information about my sources in the “Notes and Errata” section. These were simply the best books for a general audience, if you want to know more about the periodic table or various elements on it.
Patrick Coffey. Cathedrals of Science: The Personalities and Rivalries That Made Modern Chemistry. Oxford University Press, 2008.
John Emsley. Nature’s Building Blocks: An A–Z Guide to the Elements. Oxford University Press, 2003.
Sheilla Jones. The Quantum Ten. Oxford University Press, 2008.
T. R. Reid. The Chip: How Two Americans Invented the Microchip and Launched a Revolution. Random House, 2001.
Richard Rhodes. The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Simon & Schuster, 1995.
Oliver Sacks. Awakenings. Vintage, 1999.
Eric Scerri. The Periodic Table. Oxford University Press, 2006.
Glenn Seaborg and Eric Seaborg. Adventures in the Atomic Age: From Watts to Washington. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001.
Tom Zoellner. Uranium. Viking, 2009.