I have a student working in my labs this summer who is a history buff.  He is very interested to read about the history of chemistry (especially inorganic chemistry) to try and understand how we got to where we are today.  We began the discussion at about the Bronze Age and tried to move from there....but there seemed to be a lot of disconnect that I was unable to fill in.  Does anyone know of a book that traces the history of inorganic chemistry and the various paths that have been taken?  Thanks for any and all suggestions.