I'll second your Gergel recommendation. Gergel's book is not quite as good as "Ignition" because he brags a little more and gets specific a little less, but it'

I'll second your Gergel recommendation. Gergel's book is not quite as good as "Ignition" because he brags a little more and gets specific a little less, but it's still good. The place it's better than "Ignition" is in the descriptions of the insane risks which early chemists took - with their own lives, their neighbors' lives, and the lives of anyone living there afterwards. It's a fascinating piece of anthropology.