Dmitrii Mendeleev (1834–1907) is a name we recognize, but perhaps only as the creator of the periodic table of elements.
Generally, little else has been known about him. “A Well-Ordered Thing” is an authoritative biography of Mendeleev that draws a multifaceted portrait of his life for the first time.
As Michael Gordin reveals, Mendeleev was not only a luminary in the history of science, he was also an astonishingly wide-ranging political and cultural figure.
