A textbook on general chemistry, talented and fascinatingly written by an author from the UK. The book is replete with expressive illustrations. Brief biographical information about outstanding scientists, excerpts from popular science articles, which set out the essence of research and discoveries of many Nobel Prize winners in chemistry and physics, are given. It shows how closely chemistry is connected with the most diverse aspects of the life of modern society. The environmental aspects of modern chemistry are widely and vividly represented.