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Katie Hafner & Matthew Lyon Where Wizards Stay Up Late Engaging history of the early days of what would become the Internet Technology
Tony Hallam Catastrophes and Lesser Calamities A worth attempt to include all the options to explain prehistoric mass extinctions that's sadly rather dull Earth science
Mike Hally Electronic Brains The early days of electronic computer are uncovered around the world - US, UK, Australia and USSR - in an engaging little book Technology
Michael Hanlon 10 Questions Science Can't Answer (Yet) A truly thought-provoking and fascinating exploration of areas of science that aren't fully understood, from dark matter to why so many people are fat. Overview
Michael Hanlon The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The wacky world of Douglas Adams opened up to the scientific spotlight. Sometimes too brisk, but otherwise good Overview
Mark Hanson & Peter D. Gluckman Mismatch Gets its three stars for the excellent idea - the mismatch between humans and environment - but the delivery is poor. Human science
David Harel Computers Ltd Interesting meta-math exploration of the limits of computers. Four star for computing fans, otherwise Technology
Judith Rich Harris No Two Alike A real page turner as the author explores how personalities differ, with a style that owes as much to a murder mystery as a science book Human science
Adam Hart-Davis & Paul Bader The Cosmos: A Beginner's Guide A beautifully illustrated book from a BBC TV series that's really more about the equipment we use to study it than the cosmos. Cosmology
Adam Hart-Davis Just Another Day Excellent concept of going through a composite everyday life and exploring the science and technology. A lot of the author in it, so a book you'll love or hate. Overview
Adam Hart-Davis Why does a ball bounce? The UK's favourite TV boffin explains 101 phenomena - much too short, but still great fun Overview
Marc D. Hauser Moral Minds A detailed exploration of the science of morality, with some excellent content but let down by being over-long and not taking into account some obvious questions. Human science
Thomas Häusler Viruses vs Superbugs An intriguing but frightening look at one alternative to antibiotics - will phages save us as killer bacteria become resistant?  Human science
Mark Haw Middle World Dull looking book, which is a shame because it's a brilliant, very readable tour of the nanoscale from Brownian motion to biological machines. Physics
STEPHEN HAWKING Biography
Stephen Hawking A Brief History of Time The one that started it all - and much more readable than you might think Cosmology, physics
Stephen Hawking (with Leonard Mlodinow) A Briefer History of Time Attempt to make Brief History more approachable - good content, but suffers from übergloss Cosmology, physics
Stephen Hawking The Universe in a Nutshell Workings of the universe, well illustrated, for lay readers Cosmology, physics
Robert M. Hazen Genesis Wonderfully personal exploration of the possible origin of life from both experiment and field work, with engaging description of how experimental science works Biology
Sandra Hempel The Medical Detective [The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump] Fascinating medical history of the attempts to discover how cholera spread, and John Snow's detective work to trace the origins of the Broad Street outbreak Human science
John Henry Knowledge is Power Flawed but interesting exploration of the work of Francis Bacon Overview
Robert Henson The Rough Guide to Climate Change An excellent introduction to the whys and wherefores of global warming: mix of politics and science, hence relatively low score Earth science
Nick Herbert Faster Than Light Age and so-so writing pull down the rating for this book, but still has good insights on getting around the light barrier Physics
Nick Herbert Quantum Reality Stodgy and impenetrable trip around the metaphysics underlying quantum theory Physics
Fukagawa Hidetoshi & Tony Rothman Sacred Mathematics Remarkable historical idea of geometry problems displayed in Japanese temples - but all seems a bit pointless. Maths
J. Allan Hobson Dreaming Dream and sleep science hauled out of the Freudian dark ages with an excellent introduction Human sciences
Douglas Hofstadter Gödel, Escher, Bach Linking the music of Bach, the art of Escher and the maths of Gödel to illustrate human thought Psychology, overview
Richard Hollingham & Sue Nelson How to Clone the Perfect Blonde Eight fascinating applications of science, beautifully explained, but let down a little by childish humour Overview
Mark L. Brake & Neil Hook Different Engines Interesting topic - the interplay between science and science fiction - with some good points, but not hugely readable, and some glaring omissions. Overview
Jim Horne Sleepfaring: A journey through the science of sleep Wonderfully readable tour of the science of sleep. Sags just a little in the middle, but overall excellent Biology
Michael Hoskin The History of Astronomy Part of the "very short introduction" series. Best on ancient history, but fine up to 1800s. Astronomy
Jeff Hughes The Manhattan Project: Big Science and the Atom Bomb The Manhattan Project is just an example in this slightly disappointing story of the growth of megascience Overview
Jay Ingram The Velocity of Honey 23 fun excursions into the science of the everyday from falling toast to skipping stones Overview
Walter Isaacson Einstein: His Life and Universe Perhaps the best of the Einstein biographies - really seeks to get the man behind the legend, and does well at explaining the physics. Biography
Lucy Jago The Northern Lights Kristian Birkeland, the Norwegian scientist who first uncovered the secret of the Northern Lights Biography, physics
Dairmuid Jeffreys Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder Drug The story of aspirin from quinine substitute to heart medicine. Excellent background; truly fascinating  Chemistry, human sciences
George Johnson Miss Leavitt's Stars Not the biography the title suggests - sadly little is known of Miss Leavitt - but a good, brief introduction to measuring the size of the universe Astronomy
George Johnson The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments Engaging look at ten real desktop experiments through history. You can dispute if he's got the best, but certainly makes them highly readable. Overview
Richard A. L, Jones Soft Machines Interesting book on one aspect of nanotechnology (nano machines), but more of a good textbook than popsci Technology, biology
Steve Jones Coral The parts of this far-ranging book about coral are good, but the asides take up far too much of it.. Biology
Steve Jones The Single Helix One hundred light and enjoyable newspaper columns, collected to give an excellent dip into pretty well every area of science. Overview
James Kakalios The Physics of Superheroes One of the better 'science of'/'physics of' books, using the exploits of superheroes to explore everything from mechanics to electromagnetism.. Physics
Michio Kaku Parallel Worlds Fascinating ideas on parallel universes, cosmology and string theory only slightly let down by oversimplification and mixed writing. Cosmology, physics
Eric R. Kandel In Search of Memory Excellent account of the work of the Nobel Prize winner Kandel, putting his studies of the cellular nature of memory into the context of his life.. Biology
Robert Kanigel The Man Who Knew Infinity Biography of 20th century mathematical genius, Srinivasa Ramanujan Biography, maths
Robert Kaplan The Nothing that Is An enjoyable tour around that most significant gap in our counting system, zero Maths
Robert & Ellen Kaplan The Art of the Infinite Good idea of explaining why mathematics is worthy of passion that singularly fails to deliver Maths
Martin Kemp Seen | Unseen A thick, glossy attempt to find parallels in the way scientists and artists perceive the world - not entirely successful. Overview
Brian King & Martin Plimmer Beyond Coincidence Great opportunity to explain apparently spooky coincidences that gives way to amazement Maths, sceptics
Lawrence M. Krauss The Physics of Star Trek How much can real science make the wonders of Star Trek possible? TV, physics
Ray Kurzweil The Singularity is Near Futurologist Ray Kurzweil argues that in the next 40 years Human 2.0 will emerge from a combination of human and technology. Interesting subject, clumsily addressed.. Human sciences
Nick Lane Oxygen Not, as it may seem a book on the element, but on its complex relationship with life. Great content but very hard work for the reader. Biology, human sciences
Nick Lane Power, Sex, Suicide It sounds like a political thriller, but it's a fascinating if fat exploration of the role of mitochondria, the invader power packs of complex life. Biology
John Langdon Wordplay Clever graphic designs that can be read in more than one direction, as used by Dan Brown - but the "science" is weak to say the least Overview
Robert M. Laughlin A Different Universe An argument for a different kind of physics, that is more dependent on emergent properties, rather than bottom up. Interesting but not entirely convincing. Physics
Alistair Lax Toxin A readable combination of history of the discovery of the role of bacteria and their toxins and the science behind it Biology
Eric Lax The Mo[u]ld on Doctor Florey's Coat The true story of the development of penicillin - both fascinating and very different from the myth Biology, biography
Leon Lederman & Dick Teresi The God Particle In-depth and often funny look at the history of particle physics and the development of the standard model, viewed by an insider. Physics
Armand Leroi Mutants Truly remarkable book that uses human mutation to explain how we are all formed while avoiding the voyeurism of the freak show Human science
Mark Leyner & Billy Goldberg Why Do Men Have Nipples? Delightful answers to all those silly questions people want to ask doctors, only missing perfect because of the painfully unfunny sections in between the Q&A Human science
Mario Livio The Equation that Couldn't be Solved Brilliant popular maths coverage of group theory and symmetry, throwing in a quick history of algebra. Highly approachable with excellent historical context. Mathematics
Seth Lloyd Programming the Universe An attempt to make quantum theory and quantum computers more approachable by using information theory just makes things harder Physics
Charles Lockwood The Human Story Well-illustrated introductory guide to the stages of evolution from pre-human to Homo sapiens using the fossil record. Human science
Michael Lockwood The Labyrinth of Time Attempt to explore the universe through a better understanding of time that doesn't quite make it Physics, cosmology
James F. Luhr Earth One of DK's highly illustrated books that sits between a reference and a coffee table book - fascinating if not true popular science Earth science
Matthew Lyon & Katie Hafner Where Wizards Stay Up Late Engaging history of the early days of what would become the Internet Technology
Mark Lynas Six Degrees: our future on a hotter planet An important book - graphically tells of the impact of one to six degrees of temperature rise on the planet. Gets a little repetitious, but still important. Earth sciences
Ronald Mallett & Bruce Henderson The Time Traveller Moving and highly readable story of a physicist's mission to build a time machine to visit his dead father - just finishes a bit too soon. Physics
Robert Malone Ultimate Robot Highly illustrated and fun guide to robots as cultural icons - could do with more on the science though Technology
Charles C. Mann Ancient Americans/1491 Superb revelation of the remarkable prehistoric cultures of the Americas - full of surprises and eminently readable Human science
Michael Marmot Status Syndrome Brilliant research on the way social standing affects health and life expectancy, but so-so book Human science
Ben Marsden Watt's Perfect Engine Interesting story of James Watt, particularly focussing on steam engines - but not a lot of science Technology
Robert Matthews 25 Big Ideas Condensed book style makes this introduction to the key areas of modern science useful but a little dry Overview
Robert Matthews Q&A: Cosmic Conundrums and Everyday Mysteries of Science Lots of fun and some significant surprises in this selection of answers to the scientific questions we'd all like to ask, but haven't Overview
Brian May, Patrick Moore, Chris Lintott Bang! The Complete History of the Universe A superbly illustrated introduction to the basics of cosmology, for all ages, though we think it works best for younger readers. Astronomy, cosmology
J.P. McEvoy & Oscar Zarate Introducing Quantum Theory Wacky but good illustrated introduction to the concepts of quantum theory Physics
Christopher McGowan The Rainhill Trials Pure technology, but a fascinating insight into the men and machines that brought railways into being Technology
Bill McGuire Seven Years to Save the Planet Excellent analysis of the  threats we face from climate change, and how they will change our world, but poor, over-simplistic solutions. Earth science
Bill McGuire Surviving Armageddon Good, short book on the possible disasters facing the earth and how we can overcome them Earth science
Andrew Meharg Venomous Earth Interesting exploration of arsenic's duel role as poison and medicine, fascinating on poisonous wallpaper Chemistry
Rebecca Mileham Powering Up Thought-provoking exploration of the effects computer games have on us. Sometimes over-enthusiastic, but mostly good. Technology
Arthur I. Miller Empire of the Stars The battle over the nature of white dwarf stars and the emergence of black holes in the life of Chandrasekhar, well told but long Cosmology, biography
Steven Mithen After the Ice Huge history of humanity between 20,000 and 5,000 BC with neat "observer" style Human science
Steven Mithen The Singing Neanderthals Interesting study of the origins of music, that gets a little lost along the way Human science
Simon Mitton Conflict in the Cosmos/Fred Hoyle: A Life in Science Biography of brilliant astronomer and huge character, Fred Hoyle. Fascinating, but could have been better Biography, astronomy
PATRICK MOORE Biography
Patrick Moore The Autobiography A remarkable combination of stories from life an opinions on the world from the UK's best known astronomer and TV eccentric Biography, astronomy
Patrick Moore, Brian May, Chris Lintott Bang! The Complete History of the Universe A superbly illustrated introduction to the basics of cosmology, for all ages, though we think it works best for younger readers. Astronomy, cosmology
Patrick Moore Eyes on the Universe Enjoyable if rather compact guide to the history of the telescope Astronomy
PETE MOORE Biography
Pete Moore Being Me A remarkable and very different book that looks into what it means to be human, using interviews to open up human characteristics. Science-based, but goes wider too. Human science
Pete Moore Enhancing Me Although using a restrictive definition of enhancement, a thought-provoking look at how humans can be made more than human. Human Science, technology
Pete Moore The Forensics Handbook A useful mini-encyclopedia of the practices and technology of police forensics, but lacks narrative and the science Human Science
Pete Moore Little Book of Big Ideas: Science Nice collection of quick summaries of the achievements of key individuals in science, clearly written, but highly oversimplified Overview
Pete Moore The New Killer Germs Very effective if depressing account of our battle against bacteria and viruses, and how things are likely to get worse in the future Human science
Wendy Moore The Knife Man Unexpectedly impressive life of John Hunter, surgeon, dissector and inspiration for Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde Human Science
Michael Morange A History of Molecular Biology Molecular biology, explaining biological functions at the molecular level, has transformed the science. An interesting book, but not enough on the people. Biology
Charles Morris The Surgeons By turns gory and over-awed, but still a dramatic account of the author's stint with New York heart surgeons. Human Science
Iwan Rhees Morus Michael Faraday and the Electrical Century Combines skimpy biography of Faraday with interesting insights into early attitudes to electricity Biography, physics
James Muirden The Cosmic Verses Astonishingly effective history of our ideas on the universe, all in verse - certainly could have been much worse. Cosmology
Richard A. Muller Physics for Future Presidents One of the cleverest concepts we've ever come across - the physics you ought to know if you are going to be US president - and wonderfully delivered too. Physics
Mary Mulvihill Ingenious Ireland An enjoyable guidebook of Irish scientific and technological wonders - rating reflects reference use, not contents Overview
Toby Murcott The Whole Story: Alternative Medicine on Trial This should be a brilliant book, as alternative medicine is crying out for a proper investigation. Still good, but not really popular science Human science
Mary Mycio Wormwood Forest An engrossing personal experience of the contaminated zone from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, revealing the amazing spread of wildlife since the accident Biology

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Last update 05 June 2007