Four Elements: Water, Air, Fire, Earth

by Rebecca Rupp

First, an introductory section presents Greek science and modern atomic theory, Aristotle and the periodic table. The substantial sections devoted to each elements range widely from creation myths and volcanoes to plate tectonics and the tides. And at the core of each is a wonderfully informative discussion of every thus in 'Water' she talks of drinking water and mineral water and thermal springs, of bathing and swimming (by humans and animals and fish), of snow and ice and refrigeration, of rain and hydrographics, of waves and the oceans. Finally, 'The elements are more than the useful shorthand of chemical equations. The four, in their symbolic aspect, are the romance at the heart of science.' From atomic theory to oxygen bars, from supervolcanoes to the anatomy of the candle, Four Elements is a multifaceted journey of discovery through the elements, real and symbolic, that shape our lives. No one will leave this book without feeling hugely enriched.

Genres: Science

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Rebecca Rupp is the author of SARAH SIMPSON'S RULES FOR LIVING, JOURNEY TO THE BLUE MOON, THE DRAGON OF LONELY ISLAND and THE RETURN OF THE DRAGON. She lives in Swanton, Vermont.

Reviews

[Warwick Stubbs]

Short Review: A list of facts turned into sentences and paragraphs.

Rupp's book about the four classical elements is a 350 page compendium of almost everything related to them: from their historical places as spiritual connections to their modern scientific understanding with numerous sides from literature and history. It becomes quite tiresome after a while as you suddenly find yourself engrossed in an interesting passage only to have it end and completely different facts being presented. The most interesting part of this book was Part 1: How many elements? which serves better as an introduction as it charts the course of understanding elements from their classical four to the elements that are now understood as part of the periodic table. The book needed an editor that could chop a lot of excess out and have a more refined look at the progression of our understanding of elements and the continual influence of the four classical 'elements' of Water, Air, Fire, and Earth. But instead Rupp tries to shovel in as much as she can about each.

The style is enjoyable though, and that in itself makes most of the writing enjoyable to read. Quirky comments and witty observations pepper the text:

The United States has a supervolcano, and three million tourists blithely visit it every year, where they picnic on top and take pictures of bears. Beneath their sneakered feet Yellowstone National Park has built up a seething chamber of magma almost the size of the park itself. If Yellowstone blows, [like it did 620,000 years ago], it could bury half the United States in several feet of ash, instigate a volcanic winter, and push us all to the brink of extinction. Subterranean fire may just be the death of us all. This is knowledge, I realise, that I'd rather have done without.

In the end, you're better off just finding a more focussed book on a subject that interests you. This book is too unfocused, too haphazard, despite each chapter looking at one subject; if some of these facts and historical accounts had been written about as part of the progression shown in Part 1, much more would have gelled together and left me with a thoughtful and knowledgeable understanding of the historical importance of these four elemental forces.

[Pablo Roman]

A witty and well written book that explores the history of how humans have conceived of the elements. She weaves historical scientific fact with lovely little asides and cultural references to the four elements

[Dark-Draco]

When I read a non-fiction book, I like to note interesting facts or quotes in my journal, but I very quickly found with this book that I was pretty much adding each chapter, word for word, so had to stop. It was an awesome read!

The author takes each of the traditional elements - Water, Air, Fire and Earth - and basically discusses everything about them - from their scientific origins to how they've been used throughout history, from myths and legends to current uses, from the creatures that live in them to how they could destroy us. Physics, history, folklore, biology, geography, chemistry - it's all here. And packaged in a really entertaining way - the author has a real sense of humour that shines through in places. And with so much knowledge to impart, she does a great job at breaking up each chapter into bitesize pieces that you can easily read, digest and understand.

I learned so much here - some I kind of knew, but now understand better. Other things were totally new and blew my mind a little bit. Quite scary in places, but fascinating nonetheless.

Highly recommended - so much so that I've just ordered myself a hardback copy so that the paperback can be released next year as part of the Favourite Book of 2026 Roundabout.

[Ντε μης]

Excellent source of information. Everything one must know about earth fire water and earth. It helped me get the meaning of everything around the world. very good work by the author. Gongratulations.