| 1 The Genesis Taboo | 1 |
| 2 Voyage to the Center of the Earth | 16 |
| 3 The Geologic Calendar | 38 |
| 4 Stones Falling from the Sky | 60 |
| 5 The Planetological Adventure | 82 |
| 6 From Newton to Mendeleyev | 104 |
| 7 The Cosmic Palimpsest | 135 |
| 8 Societies of Atoms | 179 |
| 9 Planet Earth | 202 |
| 10 The Kingdom of Water | 227 |
| Appendix. The Atomic Structure of Matter | 263 |
| References | 269 |
| Credits | 277 |
| Index | 279 |