Searching for Interesting Science Books by Non-Specialists

[martine]

Hello,

I'm in search for books dealing with topics within sciences that I can read and understand without being a specialist in that field of research. The area doesn't really matter as long as it's well written and the topic explained in an interesting way.

So far I only read
Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh
Noah's Flood by Ryan and Pitman

I really liked the first a lot eventhough I did not understand much (well, nothing) of the mathematical concepts behind it. But what makes this a good read for me is the human component sketched out, the determination and struggeling.

I read the second book within 2 or so days. Not the most thrilling book as most of the concepts discussed were not new to me, but still an ok read for a holiday. Also a good impuls to look for literature dealing with the contents and searching for updates fi I find time.

I hope you know of more, similar books,

martine

 

[Daverz]

N. David Mermin, It's About Time
B. K. Ridley, Time, Space, and Things
George Gamow, Gravity and Thirty Years That Shook Physics

 

[JasonRox]

N. David Mermin, It's About Time
B. K. Ridley, Time, Space, and Things
George Gamow, Gravity and Thirty Years That Shook Physics

Fermat's Last Theorem - Amir D. Aczel
The Music of the Primes - ? (I forgot.)

There are plenty out there.

I'm personally a fan of Isaac Asimov. He right's non-fiction essays that are compiled into a book. Very entertaining and a new topic for every essary or chapter, usually 17 in a book.

 

[3trQN]

Fermats Last is a great fun read, i couldn't put it down :)

 

[neutrino]

Any book by John Gribbin.

 

[turbo]

I highly recommend "Chaos" by James Gleick. I found it hard to put down. His biography of Richard Feynman is quite entertaining - "Genius" is the title.
I also like John Gribben, and I think he gave Arp, Burbidge, et al a fair shake WRT intrinsic redshifts in his book "Spacewarps".

 

[devoured_elysium]

michio kaku - hyperspace, visions, parallel worlds
brian greene - elegant universe, fabric of the cosmos
lee smolin - three roads to quantum gravity, life of the cosmos, trouble with physics

 

[neutrino]

Daverz's post reminds me of yet another gem from Gamow - Mr.Tompkins in Paperback. This one's actually two books in one, and is quite old, especially in the parts regarding cosmology, but very fun to read nonetheless.

 

[franznietzsche]

I highly recommend "Chaos" by James Gleick. I found it hard to put down. His biography of Richard Feynman is quite entertaining - "Genius" is the title.
I also like John Gribben, and I think he gave Arp, Burbidge, et al a fair shake WRT intrinsic redshifts in his book "Spacewarps".

Chaos is an EXCELLENT work, IMO.

Beat of a Different Drum, Mehra's bio of Feynman also includes a large amount of detail on all of his major work. Some of it is a little dense, but none of it really beyond what a senior-undergrad could understand.