We think we can control the elements but recent disasters like the tsunami of 26th December 2004 and Hurricane Katrina make it clear that we cannot. Never has it been more essential to understand how and why they happen. In a book that brings together science, history, literature and mythology, Rebecca Rupp demonstrates how humans relate to the elements. Full of intriguing facts and fascinating stories, Four Elements examines why we call people airy fairy, fiery tempered or down to earth; why the US National Bureau of Standards actually calculated the temperature of the pit of hell (44 degrees C); how the eruption of Tambora in 1815 inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein; and why there is a 98.2% chance that an air molecule in your lungs at this precise moment was one of Caesar's last breaths. Four Elements is a journey of discovery through the elements - real and symbolic - that shape our lives. No one will leave this book without feeling hugely enriched.