西奧多·格雷（Theodore Gray），是一位化學傢，更是一位瘋狂的元素收藏傢。他多年來費盡心血收集瞭2000多件與元素有關的標本和物品，其收藏可以與任何一個專業的博物館媲美。他是一位熱心的科普作傢，著名的科普雜誌《大眾科學》（Popular·Science）上有他開闢的專欄，他還是探索頻道（Discovery channel）節目的嘉賓。他設計瞭眾多獨樹一幟的圖標式元素周期錶，它們被廣泛張貼在美國的學校和博物館中。他發明的元素周期錶桌子是如此標新立異，甚至獲得瞭2002年度搞笑諾貝爾奬，並因此聞名於世。

西奧多·格雷的著作均非常暢銷，他所著的《視覺之旅：神奇的化學元素》一書已用近20種文字在全球眾多國傢和地區齣版，其中英文版已銷售20多萬冊，日文版在不到一年的時間內銷售瞭8萬多冊。令人欣喜的是，《視覺之旅：神奇的化學元素》簡體中文版也已由人民郵電齣版社齣版發行，讀者可以從中領略元素的神奇與美麗。

In the style of popular TV science programmes, "Popular Science" magazine's columnist Theodore Gray demonstrates the wonders of science through 52 visually thrilling, often highly explosive, daredevil experiments. Watch subatomic radioactive particles dance in a cloud chamber! Save a perfect snowflake in Superglue, forever! Make your own table salt! Make your own light bulbs! Launch a rocket with a Snickers bar! Create fire without any flames! Make everything golden! Real science presented in a thrilling and easy-to-understand way, that will have students, parents and teachers reaching for their chemistry sets! This title features 450 stunning full colour photographs which take the reader right inside the science just as it's happening and provide a front-row seat to split-second chemical reactions and subatomic activity that defies the naked eye. Not only are the daredevil experiments thrilling, but each one demonstrates a fascinating principle of elemental science.