This book describes the exciting discovery of every isotope observed on earth to date which
currently numbers some 3000. The discoveries are arranged in chapters according to the
observation techniques or production methods. Each chapter contains tables listing the first
authors of the first publication as well as details about the production and detection methods
used. At the end a comprehensive table lists all isotopes sorted by elements. The book is
based on individual paragraphs for each isotope which were published over the last few years
as separate articles in the journal ¿Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables¿. The work
re-evaluates all prior assignments judging them with a uniform set of criteria. In addition
the author includes over 100 new isotopes which have been discovered since the articles
published. This book is a source of information for researchers as well as enthusiastic laymen
alike. From the prepublication review: ¿The explanations focus on the essentials which makes
the various chapters pleasingly compact. The phrasing is well understandable also for
non-experts. This makes the book easy to read even thrilling. I have to confess that parts of
the manuscript I was even reading as an evening lecture in the bed so exciting was the history
of isotope discoveries.¿ Sigurd Hofmann Helmholtz Professor at GSI Darmstadt Germany and a
leading expert in superheavy nuclei
