钨丝舅舅 (2001)

《钨丝舅舅--少年奥立佛．萨克斯的化学爱恋》（英语：Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood），为美国神经学家奥利佛·萨克斯的一部少年回忆录，该书于2001年出版。书名以萨克斯的舅父为名，他为一间制造灯泡所用钨丝原料厂的老板，他非常爱好钨丝，并认为它是化学的未来。

这是一部关于化学学习的佳作，通俗易读。除了关于萨可斯对化学的沉迷，书中还叙说了他年少时在学校的点点滴滴，例如水晶宫的火灾及在家里实验室搞摄影化学的故事。

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood is a memoir by Oliver Sacks about his childhood published in 2001. The book is named after Sacks's Uncle Dave, whom Oliver nicknamed Uncle Tungsten because he was secretary of a business named Tungstalite, which made incandescent lightbulbs with a tungsten filament. Uncle Tungsten was fascinated with tungsten and believed it was the metal of the future. According to family members, Oliver used the single nickname, Uncle Tungsten, to refer to a combination of Dave with several other individuals in the same family.

Sacks' middle name is 'Wolf', and in most European (especially Germanic, Spanish and Slavic) languages, tungsten is named "Wolfram", which is the origin of the chemical symbol W.

The book combines autobiographical elements with a primer in the history and science of chemistry. However, it is not all about his youthful passion for chemistry, but also is eclectic, relating his memories of the catastrophic fire at the Crystal Palace, his terrible experiences of sadism at school, his interest in amateur chemistry, and a passing obsession with coloring his own black-and-white photographs in his home laboratory.

Reception

Upon release, Uncle Tungsten was generally well-received among the British press.