Per Scott Keir’s request I’ll throw my two cents in on my favorite science book.
Admittedly, I haven’t read too many science books in my day, and the few that I have read are fairly popular, so you won’t find a recommendation for something obscure here. Instead, I’d have to say my favorite science book is Bill Bryson’s 2004 A Short History of Nearly Everything. The title more or less speaks for itself. It’s a story about science (and scientists) and is written at a level that virtually anyone can get some enjoyment from.
Granted, there are a few errors in his explanations, but there is something to be said about being able to write so cohesively, across such a broad range of topics, for a general audience. His descriptions of complicated material that usually induced instantaneous sleepiness are entertaining while at the same time informative. For example, a line from his section on the Big Bang:
“In three minutes, 98 percent of all the matter there is or will ever be has been produced. We have a universe. It is a place of the most wondrous and gratifying possibility, and beautiful, too. And it was all done in about the time it takes to make a sandwich.”
Although books by proper scientists (e.g. Feyman, Sagan, Gould) are entertaining to me as a scientist, it’s interesting to me that it took an author with no scientific training only a few years of background research to write one of the truly great popular science books of our time. If you haven’t made time to read it yet, I highly recommend it.
Other reviews of A Short History…
Science: Nota Bente: Moving Mountains
Nature: James Bond with a Feather Duster
I haven’t read this book, but my husband, a professor of biomedical sciences has, and he agrees with you that it is a jolly good book.
I am not sure what my favourite science book is as I don’t read all that many — I like biographies that explain the science as well — eg Ronald Clark’s JBS Haldane.
I’m completely with you on Bryson – and also that memorable quote.
Is that your bookshelf? It looks like library tags on the bottom of each book, so I’m curious if you are incredibly precise with your home library, or if that’s a stock shot that happens to have a Nature book in it too.
Can you tell I’m the sort of person that likes browsing people’s bookshelves when in their office or home?
:) No that’s not my bookshelf, I found the image on Flickr using the Creative Commons filter. It was the most interesting photo I found with the A Short History… cover in it. My bookshelf at home is much more messy that that one!