Storm Warning Sutton, 2004 ISBN: 075093215 While many of us may complain about innaccuracies in the weather forecast, for some the weather is a matter of life or death. This was particularly the case in the 19th century, when a major storm could cause great loss of life and property in the wrecking of ships. Storm Warning by Pauline Halford tells the story of how the governments of Britain and the USA set up systems for the collecting information about the weather and for getting that information to those who need it, as well as the attempts at forecasting. Continued..

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Beyond AI Prometheus Books, 2007 ISBN: 9781591025115 The idea of a robot turning on it's creator is popular in fiction, but how likely is this scenario in reality? In Beyond AI: Creating the Conscience of the Machine J Storrs Hall looks at where Artificial Intelligence is going, and at what we should do to ensure that it is beneficial to humanity. Continued..

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Eternity Macmillan, 2009 ISBN: 9780230219311 As a species we tend to be very short term in our thinking - we are preoccupied with the way things are now, and find it hard to think that it may be otherwise. In Eternity: Our Next Billion Years Michael Hanlon tries to get away from such parochialism and looks at our prospects for the long term. Continued..

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God's philosophers Icon books, 2009 ISBN: 9781848310704 The middle ages are often seen in a negative light - a time of superstition and stagnation which only ended with the coming of the Renaissance. James Hannam doesn't buy this. In God's philosophers: how the medieval world laid the foundations of modern science he argues that this period was in fact a one of considerable advancement. Continued..

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Built by Animals Oxford University Press, 2007 ISBN: 9780199205561 When we see animals using tools or behaving in a way similar to humans, we are likely to see is as a mark of intelligence, but we are sometimes prone to take for granted the structures which animals create. In Built by Animals: The natural history of animal architecture Mike Hansell argues that we should be more impressed with what animals can build. Continued..

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Storms of my Grandchildren Bloomsbury, 2009 ISBN: 9781408807453 James Hansen has been warning us about Global Warming since the 1980's. InStorms of my Grandchildren:The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity he argues why we need to do much more than at present to avoid disaster. Continued..

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Algorithmics : the spirit of computing Addison Wesley, 1987 ISBN: 0321117840 Mentioned in P vs NP Co-author Feldman,Yishai The ubiquity of computers means that most people who get into programming won't have been through a formal computer science course. However, if you are such a programmer, then you may well want to find out more about the subject. Algorithmics : the spirit of computing by David Harel provides an excellent resource for this purpose, and it would also be a useful introduction for those thinking of taking a computer science course. The book gives a wide ranging overview of computation and algorithms, but goes into more detail than most popular accounts of the subjects. It has exercises for each chapter, with solutions at the end, as well as copious notes for those wanting to study the topics further. Continued..

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Computers Ltd. What they Really can't do Oxford University Press ISBN: 0198604424 Mentioned in P vs NP Computational complexity, that is the study of the resources needed to solve problems by computer, is a central part of computer science. Unofortunately this area may seem difficult to understand, despite the fact that many people have a good working knowlegde of computers. The inclusion of the P v NP question as one of the Millennium problems in mathematics may draw attention to the subject, but doesn't make it look any easier. In this book David Harel provides a short account of the subject in a way that can be understood by the non-specialist reader. It's an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a better understanding of just what the limitations of computers are. Continued..

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Game Theory: A critical text Routledge ISBN: 0415250951 Co-author Varoufakis,Yanis Game theory has sometimes been claimed to be a natural centrepiece for the study of the social sciences. Game Theory: A critical text, by Shaun P Hargreaves Heap and Yanis Varoufakis, gives an explanation of the theory for social scientists, looking at topics such as the prisoners dilemma, evolutionary games and psychological games, showing in each case how game theory can be applied to social situations. However the book also discusses many of game theory's failings, thus contesting the excessive claims made for the subject. For instance Nash equilibria are described, followed by many examples in which they quite clearly do not agree with the way people actually behave. Continued..

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The price of altruism Bodley Head, 2010 ISBN: 9780099531661 Evolutionary theory seems to say that every creature is battling with every other for survival, but in nature there are plenty of examples of cooperation. This is a paradox which has been argued about for many years. In The price of altruism: George Price and the search for the origins of kindness Oren Harman tells the story of how one mans work has helped to clarify the arguments. Continued..

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Pavlov's Dogs and Schrodinger's Cat Oxford University Press, 2009 ISBN: 9780199238569 The use of animals in science is an emotive subject, but in Pavlov's Dogs and Schrödinger's Cat: Scenes from the Living Laboratory Rom Harré takes a different tack, looking at the many different ways in which, at different times in history, living things have contributed to scientific experiments. Continued..

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Cosmology : The Science of the Universe Cambridge University Press ISBN: 052166148X Mentioned in Cosmic horizons This is a substantial book with 26 chapters thus giving a comprehensive introduction to the science of cosmology. However the reader needn't be intimidated, as each of the chapters can be read on its own if desired, and the book mostly uses only simple mathematics. There is plenty of historical material and philosophical discussion - readers with questions like 'does the universe have a centre or an edge' will find help in this book. Each chapter ends with sections entitled 'Reflections', 'Projects', 'Further reading' and 'Sources', and so the reader is certainly encouraged to think about and helped to delve deeper into the subject. Continued..

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The philosophies of science Oxford University Press ISBN: 0198880561 Many of you must have attempted to read philosophy books and given up. Like me, you have probably found that a lot philosophers delight in using obscure language to say nothing in particular. If this is the case, then you will find that this book is a breath of fresh air. Rom Harré gives us a well presented overview of ideas in the philosophy of science in a compact volume. Despite the small size of this book, he covers a wide area and even manages to fit in a comprehensive summary at the end of each chapter. Continued..

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Just Another Day Orion Books, 2006 ISBN: 0752873342 In Just Another Day: The Science and Technology of our Everyday Lives Adam Hart-Davis takes a look at the history and science behind many of the things we use in our day-to-day living. Starting with the clock which tells him when to get up, he moves on to the morning wash, with a look at the development of the toothbrush, of soap and other cleansing products, and a history of shaving. The third chapter examines the clothes we wear and what is considered a reasonable breakfast in different cultures. There's also a look at that ever popular subject - visiting the lavatory. Continued..

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Wild Minds Penguin Books ISBN: 0141007184 When we see the behaviour of an animal, for instance an ant returning to its nest, we naturally tend to interpret it in terms of human behaviour. But how valid is this interpretation - can we say that animals think in the same way as humans? That is the question addressed by Wild Minds by Marc Hauser . Each chapter looks at an aspect of mind, such as self-awareness and explains what research has been done to study this aspect in animals. Thus our intuitive view of animal thought processes is critically examined via scientific studies. The book is well written, and will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the behaviour of animals. Continued..

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Nonplussed Princeton University Press, 2007 ISBN: 0691120560 In Nonplussed! : mathematical proof of implausible ideas Julian Havil gives us a collection of mathematical ideas which seem rather counterintuitive, but which turn out to be true when you do the maths. Continued..

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Music to move the stars Macmillan, 1999 ISBN: 0333746864 Stephen Hawking is probably the best known scientist alive today, but his disability might have posed an insuperable obstacle to his career if it hadn't have been for the dedication of his wife Jane. In Music to move the Stars she tells the story of the 30 years of their life together. We hear of her struggles in the early years to look after their small children as well as Stephen. As he became more well known, she tells of life on the conference circuit, and in particular of meetings with the families of other well-known cosmologists. Continued..

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A Brief History of Time Bantam ISBN: 0593043162 Mentioned in Black Holes It's getting on for 20 years since Hawking wrote 'A brief history of time', but on rereading it now it doesn't seem that dated. Possibly this is because Hawking isn't trying to tell us the latest theories of the universe, rather he's explaining the basics of the subject in simple terms. (This relates to the original 1988 edition - there is now a 1998 edition which does include some of the new discoveries). Now I know that this book has the reputation of often being unfinished by readers, but they can't be trying very hard - as science books go it's one of the easiest to follow that I've read. That said there is 'A briefer history of time' with less text and more pictures. Also 'Black holes and baby universes' is more autobiographical, and so some people might find it easier to follow. Continued..

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Black holes and baby universes Bantam ISBN: 0553374117 Mentioned in Black Holes In A Brief History of Time Stephen Hawking gave us an introduction to some of the important ideas of modern phsyics. Black holes and baby universes takes a different tack. It is a collection of essays written by Hawking, many based on lectures he has given at various times. Many of these explain his views on various issues rather than trying to teach the reader about modern physics, Hence some people might find it a gentler introduction to his work than A Brief History and more advanced readers will benefit from insight into how a brilliant scientist goes about his work. Continued..

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Foundations of modern cosmology Oxford University Press ISBN: 0195104978 Mentioned in stretchy space Cosmic horizons Co-author Holcomb,Katherine Non-technical introduction to cosmology

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Genesis: The Scientific quest for Life's Origin Joseph Henry Press, 2005 ISBN: 0309094321 The origin of life on Earth from non-living matter nearly 4 billion years ago is a topic which should be of interest to us all. However books on the subject either tend to lack detail, or become too technical for the general reader. Hazen has a background of making science more accessible and here has managed to create a book which is easy to read, but also covers much of the research in this area. It's a subject in which controvesies abound, and I would recommend this book to all readers who want an informed account of the question of life's origin. Continued..

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Science matters Cassell, 1993 ISBN: 0304342424 Co-author Trefil,James Science is sometimes seen as being difficult - something which only experts need to know about. But anyone who believes this is essentially opting out of playing a full part in today's society. Hazen and Trefil attack this problem by providing an overview of science for the non-scientist in the form of this book. I have to say that it's impressive how much of the basics of science they get into less than 300 pages - physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, biology and ecology are all dealt with. I feel that they have succeeded admirably in their task, and whether read through or used for reference this book deserves a place on the bookshelf of any non-scientist who wants to improve their knowledge in this area. Continued..

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Extraterrestrial Intelligence Cambridge University Press, 1997 ISBN: 0521585635 Is there life elsewhere in the universe? And if so how might we find out about it and make contact with it. These are the questions which Jean Heidmann looks at in his book Extraterrestrial Intelligence Continued..

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Physics and philosophy Allen & Unwin, 1958 ISBN: 004530016X Werner Heisenberg is well known for his central part in the development of quantum theory (and for his work on atomic weapons). In Physics and philosophy : the revolution in modern science he explains his thoughts on some of the issues involved. Continued..

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Invitation to the Mathematics of Fermat-Wiles Elsevier ISBN: 0123392519 Mentioned in fermat undecidable This books goes into the mathematical details of the different areas needed for an understanding of the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. In my opinion it's the best way for the mathematically experienced reader to gain understanding of the proof.

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The Time Traveller Doubleday, 2006 ISBN: 9780385612432 Co-author Mallett,Ronald When Ronald Mallett was 11 his father died and he took in very badly. Over the next few years he began truanting from school, and looked to be going nowhere in life. But then he read some sci-fi stories about time travel, and realised that if he could build a time machine then he could go back and prevent his father's death. The time traveller is his story. We hear of how he started to study assiduously, and got a job in the air force, where he could continue his studies, and which also paid for his university tuition afterwards. Continued..

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The Rough Guide to Climate Change Rough Guides, 2006 ISBN: 1843537117 Mentioned in Full Review Global Warming is a hot topic at the moment, and The Rough Guide to Climate Change is a useful addition to the growing literature aimed at helping readers to understand this phenomenon. It's a complicated subject, but the book explains it in an non-technical way. It gives plenty of information on the changes in weather that has already been observed and what we might expect for the future, on the science of climate change, and on the question of what can be done about it. I felt it was especially helpful in allowing the reader to see beyond some of the simplistic ideas which are often provided by the media. Continued..

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Quantum reality - Beyond the new physics Rider, 1985 ISBN: 0385235690 Mentioned in Local Realism

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Fusion - the search for endless energy Cambridge University Press, 1990 ISBN: 0521383730 After the first H-bomb was exploded, it was thought that fusion would follow much the same path as fission - it would quickly become a source of power generation. However, although in priniciple we know how to use fusion to generate electricity, putting it into practice has turned out to be much harder than expected. This describes the long struggle for a working fusion reactor. Books on the history of technology can sometimes be somewhat dull, but Herman manages to avoid this by skillfully mixing biographical details of the participants with information about the technology and the politics behind the funding. As such it gives an insight into 'Big Science' - how an area goes from struggling for limited funds to getting ever larger amounts of money from the state. Continued..

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18 unconventional essays on the nature of mathematics Springer, 2006 ISBN: 0387257179 Of all subjects, mathematics is the one which is supposed to be based on firm ground. But what is it really based on - is it just manipulation of meaningless symbols, or is there a Platonic world of mathematical forms? In 18 unconventional essays on the nature of mathematics different authors present their views on the status of mathematics. For instance acceptance of a mathematical proof is seen to be very much a social phenomenon. I recommend the essay by William P Thurston on how his early mathematical career was too successful - no one else wanted to enter his field. So in later work he made sure that there was plenty of opportunity for others to participate. Continued..

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Gnomes in the fog Birkhäuser ISBN: 0817665366 Mentioned in Excluded muddle This book looks at the development of Brouwer's Intuitionism, and its reception by the mathematics community. Is mathematics just axioms, or is there more to it? How are we to think of infinite sets? The book will certainly be of interest to students of the history of mathematics. It might also be of interest to those wanting to know about the culture in the 1920's - how the war had introduced uncertainty everywhere. It certainly requires some knowledge of university level mathematics, but was more readable than I expected. Readers who topped up what they learned at school with some reading about mathematical axiomatics would probably be able to follow it, in particular chapters 1, 2, and 6. It would also be of use to those considering research into the foundations of mathematics - possibly as a warning of the quagmire that this can become. Continued..

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Feynman Lectures on Computation Penguin Books, 1996 ISBN: 0140284516 Mentioned in quantum computing Co-authors Feynman,Richard Allen,Robin Feynman Lectures on Computation is based on a series of lectures given by Richard Feynman in the early 1980's. Note that it isn't a comprehensive look at computer science in the model of his Lectures on physics. Its more like 'A physicist looks at computation'. Rather than taking the 'black box' view of computers, Feynman clearly wants to know whats in those boxes and how it works. So whilst you might think that the lectures in this book would be out of date, I would say that they still contains much of interest, which is presented in Feynman's usual (reasonably) easy to read style. Continued..

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Nets, Puzzles and Postmen Oxford University Press, 2007 ISBN: 9780199218424 In Nets, Puzzles, and Postmen: An exploration of mathematical connectionsPeter M Higgins shows how the theory of networks has a surprisingly wide range of applications Furthermore that you don't need to be a professional mathematician to find out how to apply ideas from this theory to your everyday life. Continued..

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The undivided universe Routledge, 1993 ISBN: 041512185X Mentioned in road to reality Local Realism Co-author Bohm,David Those of you who have an interest in quantum mechanics will know that there are several different interpretations of the subject. 'The undivided universe' deals with one of those interpretations, Bohm's ontological interpretation. If you have read some of Bohm's popular accounts then you might have felt that his ideas were a bit 'wooly'. This book shows that, on the contrary they are precisely thought out - indeed I would say they are better thought out than many of the other interpretations. The book uses undergraduate level mathematics and a previous knowledge of 'orthodox' quantum theory would be useful, but no specific prior knowledge of the subject is required. Continued..

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The Chemistry of conscious states Little, Brown & co, 1994 ISBN: 0316367540 Mentioned in Consciousness The relationship between consciousness and the brain is something which has been pondered upon by a great many people. In The chemistry of conscious states J Allen Hobson looks at how the question relates to dealing with mental illness. Hobson is an expert on the effects of sleep disorders, and has several interesting case studies in the book. He makes the point that whatever your philosophy, you should treat mental illness by dealing with both the mind and the brain. Hence rather than a having a deep divide between treatment with drugs and with psychoanalysis, it shoudl be recognised that drug treatments are useful in some circumstances, but it's more important to know about a patient's lifestyle. Continued..

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One to Nine Short Books, 2007 ISBN: 9781904977759 If you're the sort of person who likes a bit of light mathematical reading then you should take a look at Andrew Hodges new book One to Nine: The Inner Life of Numbers, which explores a wide range of mathematical topics. There are nine chapters and the topics in each chapter are very loosely based on the number of that chapter. Continued..

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I am a strange loop Basic books, 2007 ISBN: 0465030785 Mentioned in Gdel's incompleteness theorem Full Review In 1979 Douglas Hofstadter shot to fame with his book Gödel, Escher Bach. He realised, however, that readers weren't picking up what he thought was one of its main messages, that is the parallelism between Gödel's incompleteness theorem creating metamathematics within mathematics itself, and the emergence of mind from inanimate matter. In I am a strange loop he gives a more direct explanation of this parallelism. The book looks at feedback loops and at how higher order systems emerge from simple entities, as well as examining what we mean by reality and how we should think of the soul. Continued..

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Godel, Escher, Bach Penguin, 1979 ISBN: 0140289208 Mentioned in Gdel's incompleteness theorem Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid is Douglas Hofstadter's classic work on self-reference, and its application to the mind, music, art and of course Gödel's incompleteness theorem. Continued..

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Foundations of modern cosmology Oxford University Press ISBN: 0195104978 Mentioned in stretchy space Cosmic horizons Co-author Hawley,John F Non-technical introduction to cosmology

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The History of Time: A very short introduction Oxford University Press, 2005 ISBN: 0192804995 Our use of the clock and the calendar are so ingrained that sometimes it's hard to imagine that things can have ever been otherwise. But they can, and in The history of time Leofranc Holford-Strevens has given us lots of information about how the ways we describe time have come about. For instance the word noon comes from the latin for 9 meaning 3 o'clock in the afternoon - work that one out if you can! The book is mostly concerned with the history of the current calendar, but also has information on time-keeping in other cultures such as the Mayan calendar. Continued..

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The Age of Wonder HarperCollins, 2008 ISBN: 9780007149520 We live in a scientific age, with new discoveries coming at a rapid rate. In The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science Richard Holmes shows how similar it was two centuries ago when there were also rapid advances in science and exploration. Continued..

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Living with Enza Macmillan, 2008 ISBN: 9780230217744 At the end of the First World War there was a flu pandemic which killed more people than the war. Strangely though it was not remembered as a big event in our history. In Living with Enza: The Forgotten Story of Britain and the Great Flu Pandemic of 1918 Mark Honigsbaum tells of what he has found out about this pandemic. Continued..

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In Search of the ultimate building blocks Cambridge University Press ISBN: 0521550831 In Search of the ultimate building blocks by Gerard 't Hooft gives a concise look at the development of particle physics at the end of the 20th century. The first few chapters give a simple introduction to some of the basics of modern physics, but I don't think that this is a book for the complete beginner, since it quickly moves on to more advanced material. Although this is dealt with in a non-technical way, I feel that there isn't enough detail for a reader without at least a little previous knowledge of the subject. Continued..

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The end of science Abacus, 1997 ISBN: 0316640522 Can science keep going on at an ever accelerating rate, or will the flow of new ideas dry up in the near future? John Horgan asks plenty of well known scientists but doesn't listen to their answers - he's already decided in his own mind, in which science seems to be a form of post-modernist literary criticism. Science is called naïve when dealing with something which is well known, ironic when it's more speculative, so you can't win either way. There's not much here if you want a map of how science will progress in the coming decades, but the book is worth reading for the interviews with such a diverse range of scientists - Horgan manages to get them to answer some awkward questions without being thrown out of the door. Continued..

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Eureka Wiley, 2002 ISBN: 0471402761 We've all heard the story of Archimedes leaping from his bath. In Eureka Leslie Alan Horvitz tells about similar moments for a dozen scientists and inventors, although I have to say that in fact the book suggests that discoveries are not made via Eureka moments. Those that come closest - Newton's apples and Kekule's snakes catching their own tails - are most likely to be myths. Instead we see the great variety of processes by which these people came to their discoveries. All of the chapters are well written and despite a few quibbles the book is well worth reading - as long as you don't believe the title. Continued..

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The construction of the heavens Cambridge University Press, 2012 ISBN: 1107018382 The work of William Herschel was part of a watershed in the study of cosmology, where rather than being uniform and static, the universe began to be seen as subject to change and containing a heirarchy of structures. In The Construction of the Heavens: William Herschel's Cosmology Michael Hoskin tells of Herschel's contribution. Continued..

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Seeing Red Harvard University Press, 2006 ISBN: 0674021797 The nature of consciousness - what precisely is the 'redness' that we experience when looking at a red object - is one of the 'hard' problems of philosophy. In Seeing Red: A Study in Consciousness Nicholas Humphrey offers some new insights into the question. Continued..

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The velocity of honey Viking Books, 2003 ISBN: 1845130235 In The Velocity of Honey (and more science of everyday life) Jay Ingram demonstrates that the scientific mind will find plenty to investigate in our day-to-day lives. The book starts with the science of various breakfast foods and goes on to consider things such as coin spinning and why leaves turn red, as well as psychological topics such as social networks, and our perception of the passage of time - are there really people who can wake themselves up at a predetermined time? Ingram shows that there are plenty of unexpected things to be found when we start to investigate what is happening in our daily lives. Continued..

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