Episodes from the History of the Rare Earth Elements

At the beginning of the "Biochemistry of the Lanthanides" (Plenum, NY, 1990), I made some remarks concerning the history of the rare earth elements and commented that there was "enough material here for an historian of science to write an instructive book on the identification of the lanthanides in its own right". Little did I think when writing these words that just a few years later I would be editing such a volume which, in recognition of the growing industrial, biological and medical importance of these elements, has been extended to include a second section, devoted to their application.
Interest in the history of these elements has been increasing in recent years, a trend accelerated by the bicentenary, in 1987, of the discovery of the first rare earth mineral. Although there exist scattered articles and book chapters pertaining to the history of the rare earths, there is only one other serious volume entirely devoted to historical matters concerning these elements: "Two hundred year impact of rare earths on science" edited by K.A. Gschneidner and L.R. Eyring (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1988). This book, most chapters of which are highly technical and scientific in nature, contrasts with the present volume which concentrates more on matters of historiography and contextual interpretation. Taken together, they constitute comprehensive package both from the point of view of history and science.