Quantum Physics:Illusion or Reality Cambridge University Press, 1986 ISBN: 0521467160 Mentioned in Local Realism The interpretation of quantum theory is often presented as an obscure topic, with links to mystical philosophies. Alistair Rae's Quantum Physics:Illusion or reality? is a non-technical introduction to the subject and does a lot to clear up the mysteries. He starts with by looking at the dual particle/wave nature of light and matter, and in particular experiments involving the polarisation of light. Chapter 3 on Bell's inequalities has a few equations, but they are all fairly simple. Rae then gets on to the different interpretations of quantum theory, pointing out that they all tend to have similar flaws. Continued..

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An introduction to the science of cosmology Institute of Physics, 2001 ISBN: 0750304057 Mentioned in stretchy space Cosmic horizons Co-author Thomas,Ted An introduction to the science of cosmology by Derek Raine and Ted Thomas is a concise cosmology textbook aimed at undergrauates, without assuming a background knowledge of astrophysics. The book falls roughly into three parts. The first part describes the observations which cosmologists have to make sense of. These include the redshift indicating the expansion of the universe, the 'missing matter' problem in galaxy dynamics, and the cosmological microwave background radiation. The second part introduces general relativity, and shows how this can be used to model the universe. There are also descriptions of the experimental tests which can be used to choose between such models. Continued..

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Phantoms in the brain Fourth Estate, 1998 ISBN: 1857026187 Co-author Blakeslee,Sandra Starting from the phenomenon of phantom limbs, Ramachandran looks at how the human mind responds to physical and neurological problems. He moves on through such conditions as: blindsight, neglect of one half of the body, and denial of paralysis. However his goal is wider than just describing the medical effects, he also takes the opportunity to explore the consequences for the philosophy of mind. He seems prepared to speculate more than most, but always recognises the vital importance of experimental support for ideas. If you are interested in the workings of the mind then this book will provide you with some fascinating insights Continued..

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Warped Passages Allen Lane, 2005 ISBN: 0713996994 Some of the ideas floating around in theoretical physics seem a bit far out, and the non-expert might wonder whether there is any real substance to them - string theory sounds weird enough, but multidimensional branes seem to be stretching credibility to the limit. In this book an expert physicist describes the work she has been doing on this subject, but does so in a way that is accessible to the novice, skillfully using metaphor to explain each point. Thus we hear about the development of string theory and the standard model, leading on to the latest ideas of why space might seem to be three dimensional when in reality it has more, 'hidden' dimensions. Continued..

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Knocking on heaven's door Bodley Head, 2011 ISBN: 1847920691 In Knocking on heaven's door: how physics and scientific thinking illuminate the universe and the modern world Lisa Randall looks at the place of science in society, and in particular at what some of the large scale experiments are aiming to achieve. Continued..

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A User's Guide to the Brain Abacus, 2001 ISBN: 9780349112961 Since the brain is the seat of thought, it's easy to believe that we know what's going on in there. Reading A User's Guide to the Brain by John Ratey, however, shows that there's more to thinking than you may think. Continued..

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The nemesis affair Norton, 1999 ISBN: 0393319180 It is now accepted that there was a massive meteorite impact about 65 million years ago which was, at least partly, responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs. In The Nemesis Affair: A Story of the Death of Dinosaurs and the Ways of Science , David M Raup describes the more controversial idea that extinction events occur regularly, every 26 to 30 million years. Continued..

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Incompleteness, nonlocality, and realism Paladin, 1987 ISBN: 0198242387 Mentioned in Local Realism

Our Cosmic Habitat Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN: 0297829017 In this book Sir Martin provides the reader with a snapshot of our current understanding of Cosmology, adding historical context when he feels it is necessary. If you want a blow by blow account of stellar development, inflation, extra-solar planets or any of the multitude of other topics discussed, then this is not the book for you. However, if you want to get a feeling for the current understanding of the universe, for what are regarded as the triumphs and failures of modern cosmology, for the areas of controversy, and for what are likely to be the growth areas in cosmological research in the next decade and beyond, all explained in a clear and lucid style by somebody who has himself been a leading researcher in the field for many years, then I can definitely recommend this book to you. Continued..

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Just Six Numbers Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN: 0297842978 Mentioned in stretchy space In 'Just six numbers' Rees examines the question of why the universe seems so finely tuned for life. He looks at six dimensionless parameters of the universe, and explains why each had to have the value that it does in order for life to arise. The book is well written, by an expert in the subject, although sometimes I felt that it lacked the enthusiasm that a less knowledgable writer might bring. But there are no equations, and a few well placed diagrams, so I can recommend it to anyone who wants an expert view on some of the intruiging questions of life in the universe. Continued..

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Gravity's Fatal Attraction Scientific American Library ISBN: 0716750740 Mentioned in Black Holes Co-author Begelman,Mitchell A non-technical work with plenty of pictures in a large format book.

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The Man who found Time Simon & Schuster, 2003 ISBN: 073820692X The age of the earth is a question that has been pondered upon since the earliest times, The first ideas came from religious texts, but in the eighteenth century people started to get an idea of the vast timescales involved in geological processes. 'The Man who found Time' tells the story of James Hutton, whose saw that geological formations implied slow laying down and erosion of rocks. He put a great deal of effort into promoting his ideas including writing a book, but this was difficult for the public to understand. Jack Repcheck shows how his ideas might have died with him were it not for the work of John Playfair, who summarised Hutton's work in a more understandable form, thus saving it for a later re-emergence. Continued..

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An introduction to statistical thermodynamics World Scientific, 1995 ISBN: 9810223722 Mentioned in Absolute zero Co-author Gasser,Robert An introduction to statistical thermodynamics by Gasser and Richards is a small book, but the authors manage to pack a significant amount of useful material into it. The book contains the typical applications of thermodynamics to physics, such as calculation of heat capacities and the behaviour of materials at low temperatures but since the authors are professors of chemistry, the book also has several chapters on topics related to that subject, such as rates of reaction and spectroscopy. The final chapter looks at the thermodynamics of biopolymers, showing how the subject relates to the behaviour of DNA and proteins. Continued..

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A Darwin selection Fontana ISBN: 0006863213 Darwin is well known for his works on evolution, in particular the 'Origin of Species'. However he worked in many other areas of biology, and it is sometimes said that even without his work on evolution he would have been considered one of the eminent biologists of the 19th century. In this book Mark Ridley has put together a selection of chapters from the works of Darwin, giving an indication of the breadth of his work. Ridley has chosen well, often helping to illustrate something of Darwin's mode of thought. Naturally there are chapters from the books on evolution, but there are also ones on his early work on the formation of coral reefs, and his later work on the action of earthworms. Continued..

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Francis Crick : discoverer of the genetic code HarperCollins, 2006 ISBN: 0007213301 It's now over 50 years since the discovery of the structure of DNA and, perhaps surprisingly, there is more interest in the discovery now than there was at the time. In Francis Crick : discoverer of the genetic code, Matt Ridley tells of the life of one of the discoverers.Thus we find out how Crick's combination of a supremely logical mind with a tendency to go against the flow resulted in an uncanny ability to pick the right hypothesis. Crick's contribution to science certainly didn't stop with the structure of DNA - he went on tho play an equally important part in working out the code DNA uses to make proteins. Continued..

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The Rational Optimist Fourth Estate, 2010 ISBN: 9780007267118 Doom and Gloom are ever in the news. The world in going downhill fast, and only drastic action now will prevent disaster - or maybe it's already too late. Matt Ridley has a different opinion. In the The rational optimist: how prosperity evolves he argues that our wellbeing has improved greatly over the centuries, and that there's no reason to think that it won't continue to do so. Continued..

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Hydrogen, the essential element Harvard University Press, 2002 ISBN: 0674007387 Hydrogen is the simplest of the elements, and is also the most abundant in the universe. Hence it is often studied by physicists and cosmologists. The stories of some of these investigations form the basis for John Rigden's book Hydrogen, the essential element. Each chapter looks at the work of one scientist, or a small group, and explains how the work they did relates to this element. Thus we are taken through the development of quantum mechanics and see the technologies which this lead to such as nuclear magnetic resonance and atomic clocks. The last few chapters look at recent developments, such as Bose-Einstein condensates, antihydrogen and exotic hydrogen-like atoms. Continued..

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Relativity-special, general, and cosmological Oxford University Press ISBN: 0198508360 Mentioned in Cosmic horizons road to reality Advanced (graduate level) cosmology textbook

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The Shadows of Creation Oxford University Press, 1993 ISBN: 019286159X Co-author Schramm,David The Shadows of Creation:Dark Matter and the Structure of the Universe is a look at the nature of dark matter, and why it is necessary to postulate it in cosmological models. The book was published in 1993, which was before the COBE results showed the detailed structure of the Cosmological Microwave Background Radiation, and the ensuing addition of dark energy to the model of the universe. Hence the book is somewhat dated. However, you might find it interesting to see what the problems were which faced cosmologists at that time, so that you can get an idea of which ones have now been solved. Continued..

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Packing for Mars Oneworld, 2010 ISBN: 9781851687800 Life in space is very different to life on Earth. Many problems have needed to be solved to enable people to travel in space, and for longer trips there are going to be even more problems to be faced In Packing for Mars: the curious science of life in the void Mary Roach gives a glimpse into the studies which have been done to help make living in space more like normal life. Continued..

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The last man who knew everything Oneworld, 2006 ISBN: 1851684948 In today's world of specialisation, it's virtually impossible to contribute to more than one area of study. Even two centuries ago this was very difficult, but in The last man who knew everything Andrew Robinson tells the story of Thomas Young, who was a prime example of such a polymath. We hear of how Young was an expert in many areas, in particular overthrowing Newton's ideas of light corpuscules with his wave based theory, and deciphering Egyptian heiroglyphics from the Rosetta stone. Young also contributed articles to the Encyclopedia Britannica on a wide range of subjects, and all the while had to spend most of his time on his 'day job' as a doctor. Continued..

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Stalking the Riemann Hypothesis Jonathan Cape, 2005 ISBN: 0224062530 Mathematicians, both professional and amateur, find the study of the primes fascinating. However, there are still aspects of them which are not well understood, of which the Riemann Hypothesis is an example. The first part of this book discusses each of the main contributors to the subject, and shows how the different aspects of the Riemann hypothesis fit together. It then gets on to more current work, showing links to some surprising areas of study. Rockmore does an excellent job of making mathematics accessible to the non-mathematician readers, and I cna't help thinking that maybe the eventual solution to the problem will come from someone inspired by this book. Continued..

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Symmetry and the Monster Oxford University Press, 2006 ISBN: 0192807226 In the early 1980's there was an unusual buzz in the normally quiet pure mathematics departments of many universities. It looked like the classification of finite groups, a major milestone in the subject, had been completed. Mark Ronan's 'Symmetry and the Monster' gives the history of this process, and in particular the discovery of the last of the 'sporadic' groups known as the 'Monster'. Of particular interest are the 'Moonshine' connections which have been found between this object and totally different areas of mathematics. The book tells the stories of the main contributors to the subject, from Galois up to the present day, and is aimed at the non-specialist reader. Continued..

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INTRODUCING Fractal Geometry Icon books, 2006 ISBN: 1840467134 Co-authors Lesmoir-Gordon,Nigel Edney,Ralph I was a bit doubtful when I picked up INTRODUCING Fractal Geometry as to whether such a book could contain anything of use. Its quirky pictures make it look more like a comic strip than a book on mathematics. But surprisingly the format seems to work very well. Much of the useful information about a subject can be summarised in short pieces of text, but on its own such text would be excessively terse. The pictures in the book help to make a book that is easy to skim through, but still gives the reader a helpful introduction to the subject. Continued..

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The 21st century brain Jonathan Cape, 2005 ISBN: 0224062549 Mentioned in Consciousness Neuroscience is making significant advances in understanding the workings of the brain, and these are likely to bring new treatments for mental illnesses. There is also the possibility of mental enhancement, and even of some form of mental control. In The 21st century brain:Explaining, Mending and Manipulating the Mind, Steven Rose explains the background to such possibilities, and looks at where they may lead. Continued..

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A place for consciousness Oxford University Press ISBN: 0195168143 Mentioned in Consciousness Recent book introducing the Liberal Naturalism paradigm, giving a dualist slant on the philosophy of mind

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Quantum Enigma Duckworth, 2007 ISBN: 9780715636541 Co-author Kuttner,Fred Most of you will have heard about the strangeness of quantum theory. Many writers use this as an excuse for the promotion of a mystical world view. Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner is different: here the authors show that however down-to-earth you try to be - remember that quantum theory is involved in the production of many of the devices we use in our everyday lives - you have to acknowledge that there are some questions about the theory which are difficult to answer. The book looks at the differences between classical and quantum physics then moves on to look at the EPR paper and Bell's theorem, ending up with a discussion of the authors' ideas on the links between consciousness and physics. Continued..

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Struck by Lightning Granta, 2005 ISBN: 9781862079960 We live in an uncertain world, and an understanding of probability is vital to prevent us from being decieved by false claims of certainty. In Struck by Lightning:Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities , Jeffrey Rosenthal gives a gentle introduction to the subject to those untutored in the ins and outs of probability. Continued..

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Quantum gravity Cambridge University Press ISBN: 0521837332 Mentioned in road to reality You'll probably know about the difficulty of quantising gravity, and of the arguments over the viability of String Theory as a solution. But what alternatives are there? Well the main contender is Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG). Carlo Rovelli's book Quantum Gravity gives a research level treatment of this subject. The first part of the book looks at general relativity, classical mechanics and quantum theory, including quantum field theory. However, these chapters don't try to teach the reader these subjects. Rather they provide a new way of looking at them for readers who have already devoted some time to studying them. Continued..

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Cosmology Clarendon ISBN: 0198518846 Mentioned in Cosmic horizons stretchy space A reasonably comprehensive cosmology text in a concise book.

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The philosopher at the end of the universe Ebury Press, 2003 ISBN: 0091889219 I believe that science fiction has a lot to offer in making philosophical ideas more easily understood. The philosopher at the end of the universe is based on this idea. Mark Rowlands uses science fiction films to illustrate various ideas in philosophy, for instance The Matrix for Descartes thoughts about what is real. Some of it is a bit stretched, for instance the chapter on Nietzshe seems to suggest that Darth Vader should have subsumed his evil and written poetry instead. However, if you like watching sci-fi films then the book provides a useful link to ideas from philosophy . Continued..

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Four Elements: Water, Air, Fire, Earth Profile Books, 2005 ISBN: 1861972342 There are now nearly 120 elements known, and these don't include water, air, fire or earth. But these original four still hold an important place in the history of science. Rebecca Rupp's book Four Elements uses them as the inspiration for a collection of essays, looking at science, history and a great deal more besides. Sometimes the connection is fairly straightforward, for instance ocean currents, geology and weather link directly to water, earth and air. For other subjects the path is more indirect, for instance air links to air-bourne molecules and so to perfumes and on to the measures taken in biblical times to keep secret the location of frankincense trees. Continued..

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Introduction to cosmology Addison Wesley, 2003 ISBN: 0805389121 Barbara Ryden's 'Introduction to cosmology' fills something of a gap in the market for cosmology textbooks. Whilst most are aimed at postgraduate researchers, with hefty doses of tensor calculus and possibly quantum field theory too, this book is aimed at undergraduates. There's plenty of mathematics, indeed Ryden seems to introduce a new calculation at every opportunity, and I wouldn't recommend the book to anyone who wasn't willing to work through these calculations. But it's mathematics of the sort which shouldn't be too taxing for a physics undergraduate and so the book should find a place in many university physics courses. Continued..

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The concept of mind Penguin ISBN: 0141182172 Mentioned in Consciousness Highly influential book on the philosphy of mind. Origin of the phrase 'Ghost in the machine'

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