Great advances in human history—the exploitation of fire, development of pigments, and the discovery that metals could be smelted and worked, for example—have often been related to progress in chemistry. Anne Rooney traces a story of exploration and discovery, from the earliest evidence of pigment-making 70,000–100,000 years ago in South Africa through the advent of modern chemistry in the 17th century and its place today, in such chapters as "Chemistry without knowing it," "Airy nothings," and "What's in there?" Illustrated on nearly every page, Rooney's approach is as accessible as it is expansive.