The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry: A Humorous Illustrated College-Level Course―From Solubility and the Mole to Biochemistry

The Cartoon Guides

by Larry Gonick, Craig Criddle

If you have ever suspected that "heavy water" is the title of a bootleg Pink Floyd album, believed that surface tension is an anxiety disorder, or imagined that a noble gas is the result of a heavy meal at Buckingham Palace, then you need The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry to set you on the road to chemical literacy. You don't need to be a scientist to grasp these and many other complex ideas, because The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry explains them the history and basics of chemistry, atomic theory, combustion, solubility, reaction stoichiometry, the mole, entropy, and much more—all explained in simple, clear, and yes, funny illustrations. Chemistry will never be the same!

Genres: Science, Chemistry, Nonfiction, Comics, Graphic Novels, Education, Humor

256 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2005

About the author

Larry Gonick (born 1946) is a cartoonist best known for The Cartoon History of the Universe, a history of the world in comic book form, which he has been publishing in installments since 1977. He has also written The Cartoon History of the United States, and he has adapted the format for a series of co-written guidebooks on other subjects, beginning with The Cartoon Guide to Genetics in 1983. The diversity of his interests, and the success with which his books have met, have together earned Gonick the distinction of being "the most well-known and respected of cartoonists who have applied their craft to unravelling the mysteries of science" (Drug Discovery Today, March 2005).

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I relearned all I had forgotten from high school chemistry. Basically everything. Very amusing illustrations as well.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a bit harder to follow than the other ones, but that may be because I actually took enough chemistry that I couldn't just shrug off the technical parts, but have forgotten enough over the 40 years since I took it that it was a struggle to recall stuff.

[meme · Rating 3 out of 5]

These type of books provides a unique approach to a subject usually considered accessible only to eggheads. It is crammed with clear, concise, amusing illustrations. Definitions are reduced to clear, simple sentences, but the book has plenty of equations, which do require some thought. As palatable as the author makes the subject, it is still chemistry. I like that the book has brief descriptions of theories, provides perspective and an idea of how major theories developed and built over the centuries. A good spare time book or supplemental read.

[Nadinastiti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had this book since university years but never had any chance and interest to actually read it, haha. It makes clear that the graphology result which say I am more to Mathematical and Physics than Chemistry and Biology composite is totally true. Nevertheless, I wish I had read this before I took that Basic Chemistry class in my freshman year, because the book contains the basic concept of ALL the lessons from the atoms, periodic table, and organic chemistry.

[Gordon Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gem from Larry Gonick. And don't let the title fool you—the cartoon aspect of the book doesn't mean it's dumbed down. On the contrary, this is hard science and a solid foundation in the subject. I wish I'd had this as my high school chemistry textbook.

[~Lyn~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Formalin, boraks, arsenik, antioksidan, metanol, sampai nuklir, merupakan istilah-istilah teknis ilmu kimia. Di buku ini, bentuk, asal-usul, dan dampak benda-benda itu dapat dipelajari.

[Angela Barakat]

I read this with my son.

[Prismo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i never took ap chem but i bet this would go crazy as prep for the exam

[Anas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Approved!
Kartun Kimia mampu merangkum sekaligus menyederhanakan pelajaran Kimia SMA (alias kimia dasar) menjadi komik kurang dari 300 halaman. Penjelasan dalam 12 Bab cukup runut dan sangat mirip dengan kurikulum Kimia SMA, meski tentunya tidak untuk menggantikan buku diktat sekolah.
Untuk kamu-kamu sekalian yang kesulitan memahami Kimia yang diajarkan di sekolah, cobalah buku ini sebagai bacaan tambahan (suplemen) untuk menambah wawasan.
Tak lupa ada beberapa humor dari Larry Gonick yang cukup menggelitik, meski beberapa guyonannya kurang mengena akibat penerjemahan.
Tapi, seperti buku-buku komik Gonick lain yang telah ku baca, Kartun Kimia benar-benar menghibur sekaligus tidak kehilangan esensinya.

[Alex Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to review alot of the chemistry, that I had forgotten from Gen. Chem. This was very helpful in doing so the illustrations and quirky humor really helped to enforce some points in the book. I had also learned alot about fun facts in chemistry through this book. Although every time it would break out formulas or other arithmetic, the explanations were general and I had to look up other sources to understand. Also, some points weren't stressed and/or expounded on that I felt needed to be, and led me again to other sources.

[Barbora Zapletalová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Za mě stejný případ jako komiksový biologie a filozofie. Co se nám snaží předat je opravdu velmi těžké a komplexní téma. Ale kresby tomu alespoň za mě moc nepomáhaly, kolikrát jsem ani nevěděla, na co se dívám. První 3 kapitoly mě sice velmi bavily a byly zajímavé, ale pak jsem měla pocit, že se v tom všem ztrácí, nemá to hlavu a patu atd. Kdybych nestudovala chemii a biologii, těmto knihám bych asi měla problém porozumět, nevím jestli by to mohlo pomoct třeba nějakým středoškolákům před maturitou.

[Nick Khormaei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give it a 4 / 5 stars because I enjoyed all the information it had, along with the pictures that gave it extra spice. Another thing I liked was that the information corresponded with our class pretty well, as it started with the mole stuff and ended with K and equilibrium. The only flaw that I saw was that it was it wasn’t colored, as that would make everything else pop. But all in all, I enjoyed it a lot, and it was a great book.

[Mikhael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chem class in a comic book. I skimmed over some of the technical equations, just getting the gist. The first half of the book is pretty calculation-light. The second half lays it on heavily, expecting that you may want to even practice the calculations yourself. Still worth skimming the second half, even if you don’t plan on truly getting into it.

[Lightdee · Rating 3 out of 5]

first half of the book is a fairly easy read and I could follow everything. the artwork is enjoyable and adds to understanding. the complexity ramps up quickly in the second half and left me in the dust. I'm finished with it for now, maybe I'll come back to it someday and try to understand the more difficult concepts

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda skimmed over most of the second half since I'm not teaching much of the math of chemistry to the kids at this time. But I got some good metaphors and feel generally refreshed in my knowledge of the subject, so yay!

[Stasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but I wish it would have been slightly dumbed down. After all, it IS a cartoon guide. I didn't think explaining electron orbitals could possibly be more confusing than what's already in my chemistry book.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a lot of basic facts, from the discovery of fire to the explanation of the periodic table. The cartoon made it more funny and interesting and got me in the book.

[Emerson John Tiu Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book to learn Chemistry in a light approach

[Andika Lesmana · Rating 3 out of 5]

After 16 long years, chemistry seems quite difficult

[Eddi Firmansyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bahasannya cukup advance walaupun judulnya kartun, jadi agak kewalahan memahaminya

[Asaf Cygelberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read half of the book. At some point I felt a bit tired of the material.

However, the book is light and pretty clear, and somehow interesting.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informational and interesting, would recommend it to anyone taking chemistry. Some concepts are extremely hard to understand such as what orbitals are but worth the trouble research those ideas.

[Δάσκαλος · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meski kartun, bacaan ini tetap berat bagiku. 😅

[Nicole Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

[Miss. Judy Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little complicated for me, felt like I was reading a textbook but I always say if I learned at least one thing it wasn't a waste of time for me.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for kids. Some clear exposition of concepts but material is not deep enough. Just a light hearted survey of concepts.

[LibrisNaEx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ideální pomůcko k učení chemie (např. na maturitu).

[Yuvaraj kothandaraman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliantly playful science education disguised as comic relief. Larry Gonick and Craig Criddle take you from ancient alchemists distilling urine to advanced thermodynamics all through cartoons, witty banter, and surprisingly solid explanations that make chemistry feel less like memorization and more like detective work.

The format is genius. Each concept gets a visual explanation that makes abstract ideas concrete. Electrons aren't just mathematical abstractions they're characters with personalities. The book covers ambitious ground without feeling rushed: atomic structure, chemical bonding, molecular shapes, reactions, entropy, electrochemistry. The humor never feels forced; it actually teaches. When Gonick shows how Democritus imagined atoms thousands of years ago, or depicts Mendeleev dreaming up the periodic table, it's both entertaining and illuminating. The Lewis diagrams are particularly cleversuddenly covalent bonding makes sense because you're drawing it, not just memorizing rules. And the progression is masterful: starting with history, building through atomic theory, then showing why things actually happen the way they do.

This book succeeds because it treats chemistry as fundamentally human—a story of curious people solving puzzles about matter. Gonick doesn't make you memorize; he makes you want to understand. By the end, you've absorbed more than you realize, and suddenly chemistry doesn't feel impossible anymore.

[Bthompson2500gmail.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book to use when teaching chemistry to students.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

540 - 2013

#Program BUBU

Dari judulnya saja sudah kartun, tapi tetap kuberi nomor baca yang menandakan buku ini bukan komik selayaknya manga dan sejenisnya. Mengapa? Karena dibanding kartunnya lebih banyak tulisannya :)

Ruwet, tapi menarik banget. Coba waktu kuliah kimia dulu buku pegangannya semenarik penyampaian Larry Gonnick. Mungkin aku nggak bakal pindah ke akuntansi... dan kayaknya Larry Gonnick tidak membuat Kartun Akuntansi deh :D

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Dulu aku membeli dan membaca buku ini tahun 2007.