Foreword David Knight; Part I. The Big Three: 1. The Organisation of Chemistry in Nineteenth-century France Maurice Crosland; 2. The Profession of Chemistry in France: the Société Chimique de Paris/de France 1770–1914 Ulrike Fell; 3. Two Segments, One Profession: the Chemical Profession in German society 1780–1870 Ernst Homburg; 4. Origins, Education and Career Opportunities of the Profession 'Chemist' in the second half of the nineteenth century in Germany Walter Wetzel; 5. Chemistry in an Offshore Island: Britain, 1789–1840 David Knight; 6. 'A plea for Pure Science': the Role of Academia in the Making of the English Chemist, 1841–1914 Gerrylynn K. Roberts; 7. A British Career in Chemistry: Sir William Crookes (1832–1919) William H. Brock; Part II. Medium Developed Countries: 8. Developments of Chemistry in Italy, 1840–1910 Luigi Cerruti, and Eugenio Torracca; 9. The Evolution of Chemistry in Russia during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries Nathan M. Brooks; 10. Seeking an Identity for Chemistry in Spain: Medicine, Industry, University, the Liberal State and the new 'Professionals' in the Nineteenth Century Agusti Nieto-Galan; 11. The Profession of Chemistry in Nineteenth-century Belgium Geert Vanpaemel, and Brigitte van Tiggelen; 12. Chemistry in Ireland David Knight, and Gerrylynn K. Roberts; 13. Chemistry on the edge of Europe: Growth and Decline in Sweden Colin A. Russell; Part III. On the Periphery: 14. Out of the Shadow of Medicine: Themes in the Development of Chemistry in Denmark and Norway Helge Kragh; 15. Chemistry and the Scientific Development of the Country: the Nineteenth Century in Portugal António M. Armorim da Costa; 16. The Transmission and Assimilation of Scientific Ideas to the Greek-speaking world c. 1700–1900: the Case of Chemistry Kostas Gavroglu; 17. The First Chemists in Lithuania Mudis Salkauskas; 18. Individuals, Institutions and Problems: a Review of Polish chemistry between 1863 and 1918 Stefan Zamecki; Afterword: the European Commonwealth of Chemistry Helge Kragh; Notes on contributors; Index; Maps of Europe in 1815 and 1914.

Review of the hardback: '… this is much more than just a collection of national case-studies. It outlines the general trends, the main developments and the key actors in the process leading to the professional chemist, while providing a wealth of information that qualifies and diversifies the general scheme. In this respect, it is a model of collaborative publication, with genuine exchanges between the contributors and a thorough job of co-ordination by the two editors.' Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent, Nature