This latest product of the well-oiled Asimov typewriter is an historical survey of the "noble" gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, etc.). They are referred to by some as the "rare" gases because of their relative sparsity on the planetary scene (although they are abundant in the universe as a whole). Until recently scientists dogmatically asserted that these aristocratic vapors would never, never form compounds with other elements under any conditions, but the discovery of xenon fluorides has disproved this theory. This refreshing development shows that scientists can be wrong, too. Aside from this particular turnabout the book contains little original material and is written with competence but no elegance. Yet it's readable and bears the magic Asimov name and offers a popular treatment of a somewhat obscure subject. (Kirkus Reviews)