|
The Dancing Wu Li Masters |
Gary Zukav |
Dated but reasonable attempt
to explain "new" physics flawed by unnecessary mysticism
 |
Physics |
|
Dark Side of the Moon |
Wayne Biddle |
A summary history of the rise
of Nazi Germany and of the von Braun family combine to explain how Wernher
von Braun went from aristocrat to US hero.
 |
Technology |
|
Dark Side of the Moon |
Gerard DeGroot |
Shows clearly how the race to
the moon was driven by politics, not science. Only scores low because
there's so little science in the story |
Technology |
|
Darwin: Discovering the
tree of life |
Niles Eldredge |
Not just another Darwin
biography, but a very readable and well illustrated attempt to show just how
Darwin's thinking was shaped  |
Biology, biography |
|
Darwin: The Life of a
Tormented Evolutionist |
Adrian Desmond & James Moore |
A rich narrative of a "billionare
of bizarre facts" and his struggle between a revolutionary idea and a
conservative social context. |
Biography |
| Darwin's Dangerous Idea |
Daniel Dennett |
Good exploration of
evolution, but irritating attempt to put it at the heart of all science |
Biology |
|
Dazzled and Deceived |
Peter Forbes |
Excellent book on the
fascinating topic of mimicry and camouflage, covering both the natural world
and military attempts. Great insights into evolutionary mechanisms. |
Biology,
technology |
|
Death by Black Hole |
Neil deGrasse Tyson |
Reasonable collection of
cosmological articles. Well written, but failed to excite.
|
Cosmology |
|
Deciphering the Cosmic
Number |
Arthur I. Miller |
Though mostly on physicist
Wolfgang Pauli, intertwines the life and work of Carl Jung. Interesting
science, but too much mystical claptrap and dream analysis.
|
Physics, biography |
|
Decoding the Heavens |
Jo Marchant |
The twists and turns of the
story of a remarkable 2,000 year old mechanical computer and how it was
decoded. |
Technology |
|
Defusing Armageddon |
Jeffrey T. Richelson |
Very dull story of NEST, the
organization that deals with nuclear incidents.
|
Technology |
|
The Demon and the Quantum |
Robert J. Scully
with Marlan O. Scully |
Interesting exploration of thermodynamics that
unfortunately loses the reader as it tries to tie into quantum theory.
|
Physics |
| The Demon Haunted World |
Carl Sagan |
An eloquent plea for reason
and the scientific method instead of wide-eyed acceptance |
Sceptics, overview |
|
A Devil's Chaplain |
Richard Dawkins |
Collection of essays from our
foremost spokesperson for neo-Darwinian thinking. Superb and challenging (in
a positive sense). |
Overview |
|
The Devil's Doctor |
Philip Ball |
Revealing look at the medieval
mix of magic and science that lay behind the life and theories of Paracelsus
the strange and often reviled early medic
|
Biography |
|
Deep Simplicity |
John Gribbin |
Chaos, complexity and
simplicity related to the origins of life, but sadly not very well
explained. |
Maths, overview |
|
De La Mettrie's Ghost -
The Story of Decisions |
Chris Nunn |
Enjoyably written but patchy
exploration of the scientific basis for free will and how we choose to act
|
Psychology, human science |
|
Different Engines |
Mark L. Brake & Neil Hook |
Interesting topic - the
interplay between science and science fiction - with some good points, but
not hugely readable, and some glaring omissions.
|
Overview |
|
A Different Universe |
Robert M. Laughlin |
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 |
|
Digging up the Dead |
Druin Burch |
Riveting, if occasionally
stomach churning biography of the top surgeon from around 1800, Astley
Cooper. Highly recommended.
|
Human Science |
|
The Discovery of the Germ |
John Waller |
Much more interesting than the
title sounds - the transformation of medicine from fantasy to reality
|
Biology, human science |
|
Dissent over Decent |
Steve Fuller |
Almost impossible to decipher what this
analysis of evolution and intelligent design is trying to say.
|
Biology |
|
Don't be Such a Scientist |
Randy Olson |
Excellent book on how scientists can
communicate better and learn from the movies, but not really for a general
audience.
|
Overview |
|
Don't You Have Time to Think |
Richard Feynman |
Absolutely fascinating
collection of letters from one of the greatest scientists ever
|
Biography |
|
Donald Michie: on Machine
Intelligence, Biology & more |
Donald Michie & Ashwin Srinivasan (ed.) |
An enjoyable collection of
writings by a pioneer of artificial intelligence and IVF.
|
Technology |
|
Doomsday Men |
P.
D. Smith |
History of the hydrogen bomb
concentrating on mass destruction, Leo Szilard and reflections in fiction.
|
Technology |
|
The Double Helix |
James D. Watson |
Forget the tendency to
disregard this book because it's not politically correct - it's a wonderful
personal account of the discovery of the structure of DNA
|
Biology, physics |
|
Dreaming |
J.
Allan Hobson |
Dream and sleep science hauled
out of the Freudian dark ages with an excellent introduction
|
Human sciences |
|
Drive On! A social
history of the motor car |
L.
J. K. Setright |
Infuriatingly pompous, yet
fascinating exploration of the development and impact of the automobile
|
Technology |
|
Dry Store Room No. 1: the secret life of the
Natural History Museum |
Richard Fortey |
A passionate tour of this British institution,
taking in the exhibits and the people who work there and reflecting on the
changes that are under way. |
Biology |
|
Dying to Live |
Susan Blackmore |
One of the few books to
address a possible piece of evidence for life after death (near death
experiences) in a rational, scientific fashion
|
Human science |
|
E=mc2 |
David Bodanis |
Great historical storytelling,
if a little sketchy on the science in this biography of an equation,
reviewed on
E=mc2's
100th birthday |
Physics |
|
Earth |
James F. Luhr |
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 |
|
The Earth: an intimate history |
Richard Fortey |
Not only a good explanation of
how the Earth works, but a tour of key locations too.
|
Earth science |
|
The Earth Moves |
Dan Hofstadter |
In depth look at Galileo's
enhancement of the telescope and his trial, with some interesting unfamiliar
material. |
Biography, astronomy |
| Eclipse |
Duncan Steel |
The history of eclipses and
humanity's scientific and spiritual reactions to them |
Astronomy |
|
Ecologic |
Brian Clegg |
Moves green issues away from
knee-jerk emotional responses and bogeymen to uncover greenwash and
establish what really is effective for the environment. |
Earth science |
|
The Egypt Code |
Robert Bauval |
Don't be put off by the new-agey
title: this is a real thriller of an exploration of the relationship between
Ancient Egyptian buildings and stellar observation. |
Archaeology, astronomy |
|
Einstein: A Life in Science |
Michael White & John Gribbin |
Between them, White & Gribbin iron out each
others faults to produce a good, balanced Einstein biog
|
Biography, physics |
|
Einstein: His Life and
Universe |
Walter Isaacson |
Perhaps the best of the
Einstein biographies - really seeks to get the man behind the legend, and
does well at explaining the physics. |
Biography |
|
Einstein's Heroes |
Robyn Arianrhod |
Excellent exploration of the
move of maths to centre stage in physics, mostly focussing on the life and
work of James Clark Maxwell
|
Physics, maths |
|
Einstein's Mistakes |
Hans C. Ohanian |
Brilliantly different
exposition of Einstein's work, only slightly let down by smugness and at
least one error.
|
Physics |
|
Einstein's Moon |
F.
David Peat |
Good simple explanation of
quantum theory coupled with rather fuzzy exploration of what reality is
|
Physics |
|
Einstein's Refrigerator
[A Matter of Degrees] |
Gino Segre |
Excellent exploration of temperature, heat and cold,
taking in a trip through much of science |
Physics,
overview |
| Einstein's Refrigerator |
Steve Silverman |
Rather 'gee whiz'
exposition of weird but true, mostly science-based tales |
Overview |
|
Einstein's Telescope |
Evalyn Gates |
Okay exploration of the hunt
for dark matter and dark energy.
|
Cosmology |
|
The Electric Life of
Michael Faraday |
Alan Hirshfeld |
A fascinating look at the life
and particularly the work of this pre-eminent Victorian physicist. |
Biography, physics |
|
Electric Universe |
David Bodanis |
Excellent as a teen
introduction to the wonders of electricity, but a bit too gushing for some
adults. |
Physics |
|
Electronic Brains |
Mike Hally |
The early days of electronic
computer are uncovered around the world - US, UK, Australia and USSR - in an
engaging little book
|
Technology |
|
The Elements of Murder |
John Emsley |
A history of the use of
several key elements from mercury to lead in poisonings - fascinating
stories and surprisingly interesting
|
Human science |
|
The Essential Einstein:
His Greatest Works |
Albert Einstein |
Stephen Hawking edits and
comments on Einstein's best work - but you probably need a physics degree..
|
Physics |
|
Evolving the Alien [What
does a Martian Look Like] |
Jack Cohen & Ian Stewart |
Clever idea of exploring alien
life possibilities, partly driven by SF ideas, but suffers from smugness
|
Biology |
|
The Elegant Universe |
Brian Greene |
Precursor to Fabric of the
Cosmos with considerable overlaps. Not as good on relativity/quantum theory
but more on string theory. |
Physics, cosmology |
|
The Elegant Universe of
Albert Einstein |
Tom Barnes et al |
Collection of essays based on
radio broadcasts linked to the 100th anniversary of Einstein's great year. A
little fragmented, but some very good.
|
Physics |
|
The Emperor's New Drugs |
Irving Kirsch |
An analysis of the
ineffectiveness of anti-depressant drugs and the importance of the placebo
effect that is a good guide to scientific method.
|
Human science |
|
Empire of the Stars |
Arthur I. Miller |
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 |
|
Endless Universe: Before
the Big Bang |
Neil Turok & Paul J. Steinhardt |
Accessible and readable book
from the respected proponents of a theory of the creation of the universe
without a big bang.
|
Cosmology |
|
Enhancing Me |
Pete Moore |
Although using a restrictive
definition of enhancement, a thought-provoking look at how humans can be
made more than human.
|
Human Science,
technology |
|
Entanglement |
Amir Aczel |
Over-technical background to the workings of quantum entanglement
|
Physics |
|
An Entertainment of Angels |
Patricia Fara |
Interesting if compact story
of eighteenth century electrical psuedo-science
|
Physics |
|
The Equation that
Couldn't be Solved |
Mario Livio |
Brilliant popular maths
coverage of group theory and symmetry, throwing in a quick history of
algebra. Highly approachable with excellent historical context.
|
Mathematics |
|
The Essential Difference |
Simon Baron-Cohen |
Fascinating new evidence on the genetic difference between male and female
brains, but a bit stodgy
|
Human science |
|
The Eternal Child |
Clive Bromhall |
Stunningly effective theory of
how the human ape became more like an infant to survive in large groups, and
its impact on our bodies and behaviours
|
Human science |
|
Eureka Man |
Alan Hirshfeld |
Attempting the impossible with
a biography of Archimedes, about whom little is known. Partially
successful.. |
Biography, maths |
|
Eureka! The Birth of
Science |
Andrew Gregory |
Although it's arguable the
ancient Greeks didn't do science, they certainly laid the foundations: this
book is essential reading
|
Overview |
|
Everyday Survival |
Laurence Gonzales |
Brilliant first half of the
book on the way our programmed behaviour puts us at risk, ruined by poor
second half.
|
Human science |
|
Everything and more: a compact
history of ∞ |
David Foster Wallace |
Much more style than
readability in this patchy infinity title
|
Maths |
|
Evolution: A Very Short
Introduction |
Brian & Deborah Charlesworth |
Pocket-sized but effective
basic introduction to evolution. Could do with a bit more historical
context, but fine. |
Biology |
|
Eyes on the Universe |
Patrick Moore |
Enjoyable if rather compact guide to the history
of the telescope
|
Astronomy |
|
The Fabric of the Cosmos |
Brian Greene |
Great exploration of the
nature of space, time and matter, starting with relativity and quantum
theory and reaching out to the universe
|
Physics, cosmology |
|
Faster |
James Gleick |
A description of the way we are constantly
demanding to fit more and more into our time - probably Gleick's weakest
book, but still interesting |
Overview |
|
Faraday in 90 minutes |
John Gribbin & Mary Gribbin |
Quick and dirty intro to Faraday. No great
shakes, but gives you the basics
|
Biography |
| Faster Than Light |
Nick Herbert |
Age and so-so writing pull down the rating for
this book, but still has good insights on getting around the light barrier
|
Physics |
|
Fatal Attraction |
Patricia Fara |
Enlightenment magnetism seen
through the lives of three key characters: Halley, Knight and Mesmer
|
Biography |
|
The Father of Forensics |
Colin Evans |
The life and work of pioneer
forensic pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury. Great read, but more true crime
than science.
|
Biography |
|
The Fellowship |
John Gribbin |
History of the founding of the
Royal Society built on biographies of the key figures - comes alive with
Hooke, but elsewhere can be dull.. |
Overview |
| Fermat's Last Theorem |
Simon Singh |
The history and the final
solution of this knotty mathematical problem |
Maths |
|
Findings |
Hugh Aldersey-Williams |
Examination of 20th century
science by pulling apart in detail a scientific paper for each decade. Heavy
going but full of insights.
|
Overview |
| The First Scientist |
Brian Clegg |
Readable biography of
thirteenth century friar and proto-scientist, Roger Bacon.
|
Biography, overview |
|
The Fly in the Cathedral |
Brian Cathcart |
Brilliant story of the race to
crack open the atomic nucleus: a must!
|
Physics |
|
The Forensic Casebook |
Ngaire E. Genge |
An attempt to explore the
science of crime scene investigation, very readable but let down by style
|
Human Science |
|
The Forensics Handbook |
Pete Moore |
A useful mini-encyclopedia
of the practices and technology of police forensics, but lacks narrative and
the science |
Human Science |
|
Four Laws (that drive the
Universe) |
Peter Atkins |
A good concise introduction to
the four laws of thermodynamics that would be great for a physics
undergraduate, but just doesn't hack it as popular science. |
Physics |
|
Francis Crick |
Matt Ridley |
A very readable and insightful
biography of one of the key figures in the discovery of the structure of DNA
- much more than retelling a well-known story
|
Biography |
|
Frank Whittle: Invention
of the Jet |
Andrew Nahum |
Unsatisfactory attempt to tell
the story of the struggle to produce a working jet engine
|
Technology, biography |
|
Freaks of Nature |
Mark Blumberg |
Interesting take on how developmental
pressures can produce freaks as much as genetic faults.
|
Human science |
|
Fred Hoyle: A Life in
Science/Conflict in the Cosmos |
Simon
Mitton |
Biography of brilliant
astronomer and huge character, Fred Hoyle. Fascinating, but could have been
better
|
Biography, astronomy |
|
Fred Hoyle's Universe |
Jane Gregory |
A thorough and effective
biography of the great astronomer Fred Hoyle - not perfect, but probably the
best |
Biography, cosmology |
|
Freedom Evolves |
Daniel Dennett |
Fascinating (if long-winded) exploration of
free will, only low scoring as more philosophy than science
|
Psychology |
|
The Friar and the Cipher |
Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone |
Limited biography of
proto-scientist Roger Bacon coupled with speculation on supposedly connected
enciphered manuscript
|
Overview |
|
From Cosmos to Chaos |
Peter Coles |
Stunning introduction to
probability and statistics, particularly in cosmology, plus Bayesian
statistics, sadly only readable by a degree-level science student or above.
|
Mathematics |
|
From Here to Infinity |
Ian Stewart |
Surprisingly readable and
low-equation tour of the heart of today's mathematics
|
Maths |
|
Froth |
Mark Denny |
The science of beer - starts
well with a good history, but then becomes much too technical on yeast
populations, beer thermodynamics and more.
|
Physics |
|
The Fruits of War |
Michael White |
A huge sweep - effectively a
brief history of all of technology, pointing out where its development was
accelerated by war proves interesting but too much to cover
|
Overview |
|
The Future is Wild |
Douglas Dixon & John Adams |
Wonderful idea, mostly
extremely well done, of speculating on the way animal life will evolve in
the next 200 million years. Glossy & illustrated.
|
Biology |
|
The Future of Food |
Brian J. Ford |
A sharp assessment of what's
wrong with the way we produce and consume food, and how things might change.
Idiosyncratic tone might irritate, but will also interest.
|
Overview |
|
Future Proof |
Nick Sagan, Mark Frary and Andy Walker |
Good, if unoriginal concept of
showing how the future technology of earlier days hasn't come into being.
Glossy, but not very inspiring.
|
Overview |
|
Galileo's Daughter |
Dava Sobel |
Biography of Galileo and
exploration of his work, cunningly linked by a series of letters from his
daughter |
Biography, overview |
| Galileo's Finger |
Peter Atkins |
Attempt to identify the key
scientific breakthroughs of history |
Overview |
|
Galileo in 90 minutes |
John Gribbin & Mary Gribbin |
Quick and dirty intro to Galileo. No great
shakes, but gives you the basics
|
Biography |
|
The Georgian Star |
Michael D. Lemonick |
Workmanlike but ultimately not
hugely exciting biography of William Herschel.
|
Biography |
|
The Gecko's Foot |
Peter Forbes |
Wonderful examples of the potential
for nature to inspire
remarkable new technology, particularly at the nano level.
Highly recommended
|
Biology, technology |
|
Genesis |
Robert M. Hazen |
Wonderfully personal
exploration of the possible origin of life from both experiment and field
work, with engaging description of how experimental science works |
Biology |
|
Genius: The Life and science
of Richard Feynman |
James Gleick |
The best biography of this superb physicist
and complex man - still flawed but well worth reading
|
Biography |
|
Genome |
Matt Ridley |
Already classic exploration of human genetics
via 23 genes - excellent |
Human science |
|
Giant Leaps |
John Perry & Jack Challoner |
Light and surprisingly good
collaboration between the Science Museum and the tabloid newspaper, The Sun,
covering our greatest scientific advances.
|
Overview |
|
God Does Play Dice with
the Universe |
Shan Gao |
Interesting theory on the
random and discontinuous nature of movement, but poorly written.
|
Physics |
|
The God Effect |
Brian Clegg |
Remarkable exploration of
quantum entanglement, a bizarre effect that has amazing applications.
Excellent explanation of the science |
Physics |
|
The God Particle |
Leon Lederman & Dick Teresi |
In-depth and often funny look
at the history of particle physics and the development of the standard
model, viewed by an insider.
|
Physics |
| Gödel, Escher, Bach |
Douglas Hofstadter |
Linking the music of Bach,
the art of Escher and the maths of Gödel to illustrate human thought
|
Psychology, overview |
| God's Equation |
Amir Aczel |
An exploration of
'Einstein's greatest mistake' - the cosmic constant
|
Biography, cosmology, physics |
|
God's Philosophers |
James Hannam |
Highly informative and
surprisingly readable book filling in just what developments were made in
the history of science during the medieval period.
|
Overview |
|
The Goldilocks Enigma |
Paul Davies |
Why are all the physical constants so fine-tuned for an environment we can
live in? A thought provoking exploration of the cosmological reasons why
things are just right. |
Cosmology |
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