Initial Academic Exposure by means of books for a curious layperson

[tuxscholar]

Hello! this is my first post ever in physicsforums so pardon me for any errors. Also I'm very grateful for the existence of forums like this.

This is just a thread considering about what can be a proper initial introductory exposure to any academic discipline in the realm of science and humanities (not just physics or math) for any inquisitive layperson or general scientifically oriented person who is fond of reading non fictional prose.

Here a compiled some books pertaining to distinct academic domains at an introductory level >
• Textbooks for Initial Exposure to a Particular Field :
1. Philosophy
~ The Big Questions : The Short Introduction to Philosophy by Robert C. Solomon et al.

2. Mathematics
~ What is Mathematics : An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods by Richard Courant et al.

3. Computer Science
~ Computer Science : An Overview by J. Glenn Brookshear et al.

4. Physics
~ Conceptual Physics by Paul G. Hewitt et al.

5. Biology
~ Biology by Neil Campbell et al.

6. Psychology
~ Psychology by Richard Gross

7. Chemistry
~ Chemistry by Raymond Chang

8. Astronomy
~ Astronomy Today by Eric Chaisson et al.

9. Linguistics
~ The Study of Language by George Yule et al.

10. Literature
~ Norton Introduction to Literature by Kelly J. Mays et al.

11. History
~ The Penguin History of the World by J. M. Roberts et al.

12. Visual Art
~ Art Fundamentals : Theory and Practice by Otto G. Osvirk et al.

13. Music
~ Language of the Spirit : An Introduction to Classical Music by Jan Swafford et al.

14. Economics
~ Economics by Paul Samuelson et al.

15. Sociology
~ Introduction to Sociology by Richard P. Appelbaum et al.

Do anyone have any alternatives to the books included here? feel free to give your opinions. You also can include books to any other academic domain of your choice. Thank you!

 

[Hornbein]

Politics : The Agenda by Bob Woodward
Locked In The Cabinet by Robert Reich

The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro. Four thick volumes so far.

 

[fresh_42]

What immediately came to my mind were Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" and Hofstadter's "Gödel, Escher, Bach" or Popper's "The Logic of Scientific Discovery". I personally do not like the latter very much, but it fits the list above.

I know that Jean Dieudonné wrote a couple of books about the history of mathematics which I find extremely interesting. I have a rather thick one, however, I couldn't find an English version of it. But he has a couple of others that have been translated into English.

Another author who needs to be mentioned is Guerino Mazzola who dedicated his research to the relation between mathematics and music.

 

[Hornbein]

There's Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions