I think that that was important, that I didn’t give, as early chapters, the theory, I gave the facts. And then interpreted the facts according to the best modern theory but... if it was appropriate... but didn’t emphasise the theory above the facts. Because it seemed to me that one wanted the substance of the subject, which as I’ve said before, the facts don’t change as often as the theories do, they help us with our current understanding.

So they are themes I think which make the book interesting. We were able to get, of course, a lot of good illustrations.

And after I’d got quite a way though the book, as I mentioned at the beginning, I found that time was running away. I’d taken sabbatical leave for half a year at one point to write it, but I was doing many other things as we’ve been talking about; international travel with the Chemical Society in the university in my research groups and so forth, so there was only a certain amount of time to put to this.