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ASTRONOMY |
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|
|
|
The Autobiography |
Patrick Moore |
A remarkable combination of stories from life
an opinions on the world from the UK's best known astronomer and TV
eccentric  |
Biography,
astronomy |
| Bad Astronomy |
Philip Plait |
Misapprehensions and the
even more fascinating facts in astronomy
 |
Astronomy, sceptics |
|
Bang! The Complete History of the Universe |
Patrick Moore,
Brian May, Chris Lintott |
A superbly illustrated introduction to the
basics of cosmology, for all ages, though we think it works best for younger
readers. |
Astronomy,
cosmology |
|
Beyond UFOs |
Jeffrey Bennett |
Warm and well-written book on the search for
extra terrestrial life, but no real surprises.
|
Astronomy |
| The Calendar |
David Ewing Duncan |
The struggle to establish a
calendar that matches reality |
Astronomy, technology |
|
Conflict in the Cosmos/Fred Hoyle: A Life in
Science |
Simon Mitton |
Biography of brilliant astronomer and huge
character, Fred Hoyle. Fascinating, but could have been better
|
Biography,
astronomy |
| Eclipse |
Duncan Steel |
The history of eclipses and
humanity's scientific and spiritual reactions to them |
Astronomy |
|
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 |
|
Eyes on the Universe |
Patrick Moore |
Enjoyable if rather compact guide to the history
of the telescope |
Astronomy |
|
The History of Astronomy |
Michael Hoskin |
Part of the "very short introduction" series.
Best on ancient history, but fine up to 1800s.
|
Astronomy |
| The Magic Furnace |
Marcus Chown |
Where atoms come from
- a remarkable story that takes us from the big bang to now
|
Physics, astronomy, cosmology |
|
Measuring the Universe |
Kitty Ferguson |
A solid survey of the attempts to pin down the
size of the universe through the ages. Fine, but never soars. |
Cosmology,
astronomy |
|
Miss Leavitt's Stars |
George Johnson |
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 |
| Our Cosmic Habitat |
Martin Rees |
A clear and well-written
guide to the universe from the Astronomer Royal |
Cosmology, astronomy |
|
The Planets |
Dava Sobel |
Highly poetic and personal exploration of the
solar system - enjoyable reading but a little weak on science
|
Astronomy |
|
Postcards from Mars |
Jim
Bell |
Great photographs of the Martian surface taken
by the rovers, with good explanatory text, but after a while the pictures
are very similar to each other.
|
Astronomy |
|
The Sun Kings |
Stuart Clark |
Well-written and enjoyable history of
discoveries about the Sun and its influence on the Earth from renaissance
times.
|
Astronomy |
|
The Transit of Venus |
Peter Adds et al |
Mixed collection of essays on the eponymous
transit, its significance to New Zealand, and New Zealand's significance to
science. |
Astronomy |
|
Universe: a journey from Earth to the Edge of
the Cosmos |
Nicholas Cheetham |
Nice idea - photographic record of a 'journey'
from Earth to the edge of the universe, but the result is a coffee table
book. |
Astronomy |
|
BIOGRAPHY |
|
|
|
|
Animal |
David Burnie (Ed.) |
Wonderful illustrated reference guide to the
animal kingdom - not popular science really, hence only
|
Biology |
|
The Autobiography |
Patrick Moore |
A remarkable combination of stories from life
an opinions on the world from the UK's best known astronomer and TV
eccentric |
Biography,
astronomy |
|
The Autobiography |
Charles Darwin |
Not at all stuffy - short book is a fascinating insight into Darwin as a
human being |
Biography, biology |
|
Avoid Boring People |
James D. Watson |
Dull autobiography that has none of the style
and panache of the much younger Watson's The Double Helix.
|
Biography |
|
The Born-Einstein Letters |
Max Born & Albert Einstein |
Fascinating letters between two of the 20th
century greats of physics.
|
History, physics |
|
Broken Genius |
Joel Shurkin |
Exceedingly well-told biography of William
Shockley, physics Nobel prize winner and founder of Silicon Valley whose
reputation was ruined by his social theories.
|
Biography |
|
The Comet Sweeper |
Claire Brock |
Interesting view of the life of Caroline
Herschel, the first female professional astronomer, if a little tinted by
the author's viewpoint.
|
Biography |
|
Conflict in the Cosmos/Fred Hoyle: A Life in
Science |
Simon Mitton |
Biography of brilliant astronomer and huge
character, Fred Hoyle. Fascinating, but could have been better
|
Biography,
astronomy |
|
The Curies |
Denis Brian |
Interesting and in-depth biography of both the
Curies and the Joliot-Curies, though could have been even better with
judicious editing. |
Biography |
|
Curious Minds |
John Brockman (Ed) |
27 "why I turned to science" essays that is so
much more interesting than it sounds. Really.
|
Biography |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Fatal Attraction |
Patricia Fara |
Enlightenment magnetism seen through the lives
of three key characters: Halley, Knight and Mesmer
|
Biography |
|
Faraday in 90 minutes |
John Gribbin & Mary Gribbin |
Quick and dirty intro to Faraday. No great
shakes, but gives you the basics
 |
Biography |
| The First Scientist |
Brian Clegg |
Readable biography of
thirteenth century friar and proto-scientist, Roger Bacon.
|
Biography, overview |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 in 90 minutes |
John Gribbin & Mary Gribbin |
Quick and dirty intro to Galileo. No great
shakes, but gives you the basics
|
Biography |
| God's Equation |
Amir Aczel |
An exploration of
'Einstein's greatest mistake' - the cosmic constant
|
Biography, cosmology, physics |
| Heal Thyself (US) |
see
The Herbalist |
|
|
|
The
Herbalist (UK) |
Benjamin Woolley |
Life and works of herbalist
and medic Nicholas Culpeper |
Biography, human
science |
| Isaac Newton |
James Gleick |
Newton biog with good
insight into his physics |
Biography, physics |
|
Isaac Newton |
Gale Christianson |
Short Newton biography, strong on historical
context, not so good on the science
|
Biography |
| Isaac Newton, the Last
Sorcerer |
Michael White |
Newton biog with emphasis on
personal development and his interest in alchemy |
Biography, physics |
|
Jurassic Mary |
Patricia Pierce |
Detailed insight into the life of Mary Anning,
one of the great Victorian fossil hunters whose name is largely hidden
because she was a working class woman
|
Biography |
|
The Last Man Who Knew Everything |
Andrew Robinson |
The first modern biography of the polymath
Thomas Young whose strong contributions to physics, engineering and more
make him a fascinating if enigmatic character.
|
Biography |
|
Lavoisier in the Year One |
Madison Smartt
Bell |
Good to see a chemistry popular science book,
and Lavoisier's contribution is interesting (as were the times), but overall
disappointingly dull
|
Chemistry,
biography |
| Leonardo, the First Scientist |
Michael White |
A biography of Leonardo da Vinci concentrating on his
contributions to science rather than art
|
Biography |
| Longitude |
Dava Sobel |
Clockmaker John Harrison's
attempts to devise an accurate chronometer for navigation |
Biography, technology |
| The Man Who Knew Infinity |
Robert Kanigel |
Biography of 20th century
mathematical genius, Srinivasa Ramanujan |
Biography, maths |
|
The Man Who Stopped Time |
Brian Clegg |
Engaging biography of the motion picture
pioneer and murderer. Not a huge amount of science in his life, but brings
out the science of photography etc. well.
|
Biography |
|
Mathematics with Love |
Mary Stopes-Roe |
Delightful correspondence and maths lessons
between Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb and his sweetheart |
Biography,
technology |
|
Max Perutz and the Secret of Life |
Georgina Ferry |
A delightful surprise to find out about this
pioneering molecular biologist, supported by excellent writing. |
Biology, Biography |
|
Michael Faraday and the Electrical Century |
Iwan Rhees Morus |
Combines skimpy biography of Faraday with
interesting insights into early attitudes to electricity
|
Biography, physics |
|
The Mo[u]ld on Doctor Florey's Coat |
Eric Lax |
The true story of the development of
penicillin - both fascinating and very different from the myth
|
Biology, biography |
|
The Mystery of the Aleph |
Amir Aczel |
Good biography of Georg Cantor and explanation
of his maths of the infinite. |
Maths, biography |
| The Northern Lights |
Lucy Jago |
Kristian Birkeland, the
Norwegian scientist who first uncovered the secret of the Northern Lights
|
Biography, physics |
|
Pandora's Breeches |
Patricia Fara |
Interesting exploration of women's early role
in science
|
Biography |
|
Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten
Track [Don't You Have Time to Think?] |
Richard Feynman |
Absolutely fascinating collection of letters
from one of the greatest scientists ever
|
Biography |
|
Possessing Genius: The Bizarre Odyssey of
Einstein's Brain |
Carolyn Abraham |
Occasionally gory but fascinating account of
what happened to Einstein's brain after his death
|
Biography, human
science |
| The Queen's Conjuror |
Benjamin Woolley |
The remarkable John Dee and
his fascinating mix of science and magic
|
Biography |
| Richard Feynman: A Life in Science |
John Gribbin & Mary Gribbin |
Plodding style and under-done explanation of
the science make this biog of super-scientist Feynman disappointing
|
Biography, physics |
| Sex, Botany and Empire |
Patricia Fara |
Joseph Banks (and Linnaeus)
and his contribution to biological classification
|
Biography, biology |
|
Strange Angel |
George Pendle |
The totally bizarre and fascinating story of
the life and horrible death of rocket science and occult enthusiast John
Whiteside Parsons |
Biography |
| Surely you are Joking, Mr
Feynman |
Richard Feynman |
Wonderful anecdotes from
the great physicist |
Biography, physics |
|
The Third Man of the Double Helix |
Maurice Wilkins |
Autobiography of the third DNA Nobel prize winner.
Not great writing, but fascinating insight, especially into the Frankin
affair
|
Biography, biology |
|
What Do You Care What Other People
Think? |
Richard Feynman |
Feynman's follow up collection of
reminiscences, distinguished by amazing section on the Challenger enquiry
|
Biography |
|
When We Were Kids |
John Brockman (Ed) |
27 "why I turned to science" essays that is so
much more interesting than it sounds. Really.
|
Biography |
|
BIOLOGY |
|
|
|
|
After Dolly |
Ian Wilmut & Roger Highfield |
Excellent combination of a history of the
development of the first animal clone, Dolly the sheep, with an exploration
of the ethics and practicality of cloning by one of the team behind Dolly's
birth. |
Biology |
|
The Ancestor's Tale |
Richard Dawkins |
Atypical Dawkins - less polished argument than coffee table gloss. Still
excellent content in this trip into our biological past, but very bitty.
|
Biology |
|
The Autobiography |
Charles Darwin |
Not at all stuffy - short book is a fascinating insight into Darwin as a
human being |
Biography, biology |
|
The Blind Watchmaker |
Richard Dawkins |
Superb explanation of how complexity emerges through evolution, slightly let
down by writing style |
Biology |
|
The Creation |
E. O. Wilson |
A short and beautifully put together plea for
better stewardship of the natural world, let down by lack of coherence.
|
Biology |
|
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's Dangerous Idea |
Daniel Dennett |
Good exploration of
evolution, but irritating attempt to put it at the heart of all science |
Biology |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
The Future is Wild |
Douglas Dixon & John Adams |
Excellent idea, mostly extremely well done, of
speculating on the way animal life will evolve in the next 200 million
years. Glossy & illustrated.
|
Biology |
|
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 |
|
If Dogs Could Talk |
Vilmos Csányi |
Real eye-opener on the nature and
sophistication of the mind of a very familiar creature: the dog
|
Biology |
|
In Search of Memory |
Eric R. Kandel |
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 |
| In
the Beginning was the Worm |
Andrew Brown |
Delightful introduction to the first creature
to have its genome sequenced - and the scientists who did it
|
Biology |
|
Lonesome George |
Henry Nicholls |
The attempts to mate the sole known tortoise
from Pinta Island in the Galapagos is used to introduce the islands
themselves, and a touch of Darwin
|
Biology |
|
The Long Tomorrow |
Michael R. Rose |
Excellent description by evolutionary
biologist Michael Rose of his work on aging in fruit flies, put into the
context of his life and the possibilities for understanding human aging.
|
Biology |
|
Max Perutz and the Secret of Life |
Georgina Ferry |
A delightful surprise to find out about this
pioneering molecular biologist, supported by excellent writing. |
Biology, Biography |
|
The Mo[u]ld on Doctor Florey's Coat |
Eric Lax |
The true story of the development of
penicillin - both fascinating and very different from the myth
|
Biology, biography |
|
The Music of Life |
Dennis Noble |
An attempt to put right the misunderstanding
generated by the selfish gene metaphor, let down by a confusing musical
alternative
|
Biology |
|
Nature's Robots: A History of Proteins |
Charles Tanford & Jacqueline Reynolds |
Accessible history of science textbook on
proteins and their discovery, but not really popular science
|
Biology |
|
Our Inner Ape |
Frans de Waal |
The affection the author feels for chimps and
bonobos comes through strongly as he explores the behaviour of our closest
relatives, and what it can tell us about ourselves
|
Biology |
|
Oxygen |
Nick Lane |
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 |
|
Pleasurable Kingdom |
Jonathan Balcombe |
Can animals feel pleasure? Pet owners will say
"yes" - this book shows they're probably right, and explains why it happens
and why we should consider it in animal welfare.
|
Biology |
|
The Poison Paradox |
John Timbrell |
Comprehensive but rather repetitive and weakly
edited guide to the nature of poisons, both natural and synthetic
|
Biology, chemistry |
|
Power, Sex, Suicide |
Nick Lane |
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 |
|
Rats |
Robert Sullivan |
A study of the wild rat in New York, in Robert
Sullivan's unique style that brings in many fascinating tangential stories
|
Biology |
|
Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the
Way We Think |
Alan Grafen & Mark
Ridley |
Collection of essays inspired by Richard
Dawkins, sadly lacking his style and readability, and not addressing the man
himself |
Biology |
| Science of
Discworld III: Darwin's Watch |
Terry Pratchett,
Ian Stewart & Jack Cohen |
The highly entertaining and original combo of
Discworld fantasy and scientific precision is aimed at evolution. A few
quibbles but great
|
Biology |
|
Scientists Confront Intelligent Design and
Creationism |
Andrew J. Petto &
Laurie R. Godfrey |
Despite being a collection of academic essays,
this is surprisingly readable explanation of what creationism and
intelligent design are, and why they mistakenly take on evolution.
|
Biology |
| The Selfish Gene |
Richard Dawkins |
Evolutionary biology from its foremost protagonist |
Biology |
|
Seven Deadly Colours |
Andrew Parker |
Superb description of nature's mechanisms for
producing colour and colour's impact on the eye, a little let down by poor
physics |
Biology |
| Sex, Botany and Empire |
Patricia Fara |
Joseph Banks (and Linnaeus)
and his contribution to biological classification
|
Biography, biology |
|
Sleepfaring: A journey through the science of
sleep |
Jim Horne |
Wonderfully readable tour of the science of
sleep. Sags just a little in the middle, but overall excellent
|
Biology |
|
Soft Machines |
Richard A. L,
Jones |
Interesting book on one aspect of
nanotechnology (nano machines), but more of a good textbook than popsci
|
Technology,
biology |
|
The Third Man of the Double Helix |
Maurice Wilkins |
Autobiography of the third DNA Nobel prize winner.
Not great writing, but fascinating insight, especially into the Frankin
affair
|
Biography, biology |
|
Toxin |
Alistair Lax |
A readable combination of history of the
discovery of the role of bacteria and their toxins and the science behind it
|
Biology |
|
Why Do Men Have Nipples? |
Mark Leyner &
Billy Goldberg |
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 |
|
Wormwood Forest |
Mary Mycio |
An engrossing personal experience of the
contaminated zone from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, revealing the amazing
spread of wildlife since the accident
|
Biology |
|
CHEMISTRY |
|
|
|
|
Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder Drug |
Dairmuid Jeffreys |
The story of aspirin from quinine substitute
to heart medicine. Excellent background; truly fascinating
|
Chemistry, human
sciences |
|
Lavoisier in the Year One |
Madison Smartt
Bell |
Good to see a chemistry popular science book,
and Lavoisier's contribution is interesting (as were the times), but overall
disappointingly dull
|
Chemistry,
biography |
|
The Periodic Table |
Eric R. Scerri |
An in-depth exploration of the birth and
development of the periodic table. Too technical and not enough context for
the general reader.
|
Chemistry |
|
The Poison Paradox |
John Timbrell |
Comprehensive but rather repetitive and weakly
edited guide to the nature of poisons, both natural and synthetic
|
Biology, chemistry |
|
Venomous Earth |
Andrew Meharg |
Interesting exploration of arsenic's duel role
as poison and medicine, fascinating on poisonous wallpaper
|
Chemistry |
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