The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments

The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments

The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments, written by Robert Brent and illustrated by Harry Lazarus, was a book published in the 1960s that was intended to explain to kids how they could set up a home chemistry lab and conduct simple experiments. Supposedly only 126 copies of this book exist in libraries worldwide. Sometimes you can find a copy on eBay for around $600-$700. You can read the book online in pdf format, for free. Alternatively, you can download the pdf of the book to save on your computer or print.

Why isn't it still in print? Well.... there were some concerns about safety. Here's an excerpt from the text:

Test hydrogen for purity by collecting a test tube full of it and bringing a lighted match to mouth of tube, as shown on page 25. Hydrogen mixed with air explodes with a sharp "bark". Pure hydrogen burns with a quiet "pop".

Fun.