Jonny_MacQueen Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Hey guys I'm new to the forums! Just wondering if anybody has any good books on physics and natural history that they would recommend/swap or sell. I'm also quite interested in human biology. At the moment I'm reading through A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson. Thanks Jonny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I love that book by Bill Bryson, and finished it recently. For general science, how about Carl Sagan? He's quite a popular author and easily accessible. For physics, Stephen Hawking is probably the most mainstream choice. For Natural History, how about Richard Fortey? I haven't read any of his books, but Bryson mentions him a fair bit in A Short History of Nearly Everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I can only recommend sorry but for Natural History I recommend Oliver Rackham's History of the coutryside, also his Trees and Woodlands in the Landscape. For a bit more sciency The Secret Life of Trees by Colin Tudge. For something a bit different but fascinating nonetheless The Molecule Hunt - Archaeology and the Hunt for Ancient DNA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny_MacQueen Posted November 5, 2011 Author Share Posted November 5, 2011 Thanks for the replies, I will certainly check them out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I recommend Guns, Germs, and Steel and Why is Sex Fun, both by Jared Diamond. Both are must-reads for anyone interested in human evolution, biology, history, and anthropology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 (edited) Gosh, where to start? OK, books I have enjoyed on physics: Six Easy Pieces and Six Not So Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman are a series of essays on the basics of physics, based on Feynman's lectures. They are pretty much what they say they are! The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene The Universe and In Search of Schrodinger's Cat (an introduction to quantum physics) by John Gribbin Quantum by Manjit Kumar (more emphasis on the history of how current thinking came about) The first three are well known writers across the subject, so would probably be worth further exploring. Natural history is a huge area, but a few writers/books that I'd recommend if you are looking at the more scientific, I.e. biology, side: Richard Dawkins is outstanding on evolution. Choose from The Blind Watchmaker, The Selfish Gene, Climbing Mount Improbable,The Ancestor's Tale, The Greatest Show on Earth and others. Stephen Jay Gould was the master of the natural history essay, a long standing series of which were published in Natural History Magazine (in the States). A good starter would probably be the collection of 'best' essays, entitled The Richness of Life. If you enjoy them, there's a whole series of books (about 10), starting with Ever Since Darwin. Steve Jones is another leader in his field, and pretty much anything is highly readable: try for instance The Language of Genes, Almost Like a Whale (a modern day version of the Origin of Species) or Darwin's Island (about Darwin's work in England). Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin was a superb read examining how we have evolved from the Tiktaalik, the 'fish' that came on land (or at least could use its forelimbs for support). Jerry Coyne's Why Evolution is True is equally outstanding on its (fairly obvious) subject. Genome by Matt Ridley focuses more on the human genome The Diversity of Life by EO Wilson looks at how life on earth evolved Charles Darwin himself is actually quite readable - definitely worth a try. I hope that's what you mean by natural history (especially as you mention human biology). If not, please say what you are interested in (eg examples of what you've enjoyed), and will try and provide some other suggestions (I read a fair bit across the natural history spectrum). (Having read some of the others whilst I've been putting this together, can only support the suggestions of Oliver Rackham and Jared Diamond. Rackham's History of the Countryside is a close rival for my all-time favourite non-fiction read). Edited November 5, 2011 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 The late Sir Fred Hoyle also springs to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny_MacQueen Posted November 5, 2011 Author Share Posted November 5, 2011 Gosh, where to start? OK, books I have enjoyed on physics: Six Easy Pieces and Six Not So Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman are a series of essays on the basics of physics, based on Feynman's lectures. They are pretty much what they say they are! The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene The Universe and In Search of Schrodinger's Cat (an introduction to quantum physics) by John Gribbin Quantum by Manjit Kumar (more emphasis on the history of how current thinking came about) The first three are well known writers across the subject, so would probably be worth further exploring. Natural history is a huge area, but a few writers/books that I'd recommend if you are looking at the more scientific, I.e. biology, side: Richard Dawkins is outstanding on evolution. Choose from The Blind Watchmaker, The Selfish Gene, Climbing Mount Improbable,The Ancestor's Tale, The Greatest Show on Earth and others. Stephen Jay Gould was the master of the natural history essay, a long standing series of which were published in Natural History Magazine (in the States). A good starter would probably be the collection of 'best' essays, entitled The Richness of Life. If you enjoy them, there's a whole series of books (about 10), starting with Ever Since Darwin. Steve Jones is another leader in his field, and pretty much anything is highly readable: try for instance The Language of Genes, Almost Like a Whale (a modern day version of the Origin of Species) or Darwin's Island (about Darwin's work in England). Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin was a superb read examining how we have evolved from the Tiktaalik, the 'fish' that came on land (or at least could use its forelimbs for support). Jerry Coyne's Why Evolution is True is equally outstanding on its (fairly obvious) subject. Genome by Matt Ridley focuses more on the human genome The Diversity of Life by EO Wilson looks at how life on earth evolved Charles Darwin himself is actually quite readable - definitely worth a try. I hope that's what you mean by natural history (especially as you mention human biology). If not, please say what you are interested in (eg examples of what you've enjoyed), and will try and provide some other suggestions (I read a fair bit across the natural history spectrum). (Having read some of the others whilst I've been putting this together, can only support the suggestions of Oliver Rackham and Jared Diamond. Rackham's History of the Countryside is a close rival for my all-time favourite non-fiction read). Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll definitely check them all out. I'm interested in pretty much everything from the big bang to the now (I know that's a huge area) Anything that is well written and informative. I'am not sure about this subject but I'm also quite interested in how and when countries and continents were formed and split etc, if that makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lumo Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I'd second The Selfish Gene - whatever one thinks about Richard Dawkins the book is excellently written and a persuasive idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyzenthlay Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Can I recommend "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!" by the amazing Richard Feynman. It's well explained and an easy read, mostly in the area of physics and biology and a number of anecdotes from the life of a scientist. He was an incredibly intelligent man, and a nobel prize winner to boot. Reeeaaaaad iiiiiiitttt *does star wars jedi mind trick sign* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny_MacQueen Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 Can I recommend "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!" by the amazing Richard Feynman. It's well explained and an easy read, mostly in the area of physics and biology and a number of anecdotes from the life of a scientist. He was an incredibly intelligent man, and a nobel prize winner to boot. Reeeaaaaad iiiiiiitttt *does star wars jedi mind trick sign* Hmm that name sounds familiar... Did Bill Bryson mention him in A Short History of Nearly Everything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 (edited) Ooh I love reading on physics. I'm actually reading a book on time at the moment by Paul Davies. I would certainly recommend him as a readable pop science writer. I've already read 3 of his other books, including one on black holes and one on chaos theory, both of which I enjoyed a lot. The time one is really good too. He is very engaging and doesn't delve very deeply into the details, which is a pro or a con depending on what you're looking for. I think he is actually a philosopher - some of his books do get quite philosphical, and you can tell that he enjoys exploring the more interesting ideas in theoretical physics and speculating on their philosophical implications. I would definitely second Quantum by Manjit Kumar. You can read my review of it here. I also enjoyed The Quantum Universe by Tony Hey and Patrick Walters which goes into quite a lot of depth and has lots of pretty picture to look at My thoughts on it are here I would second the Feynman books suggested, not because I've read them but because I would like to. I've also got Brian Greene on my wishlist. Let us know what you decide on. Edited November 8, 2011 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny_MacQueen Posted November 11, 2011 Author Share Posted November 11, 2011 Ooh I love reading on physics. I'm actually reading a book on time at the moment by Paul Davies. I would certainly recommend him as a readable pop science writer. I've already read 3 of his other books, including one on black holes and one on chaos theory, both of which I enjoyed a lot. The time one is really good too. He is very engaging and doesn't delve very deeply into the details, which is a pro or a con depending on what you're looking for. I think he is actually a philosopher - some of his books do get quite philosphical, and you can tell that he enjoys exploring the more interesting ideas in theoretical physics and speculating on their philosophical implications. I would definitely second Quantum by Manjit Kumar. You can read my review of it here. I also enjoyed The Quantum Universe by Tony Hey and Patrick Walters which goes into quite a lot of depth and has lots of pretty picture to look at My thoughts on it are here I would second the Feynman books suggested, not because I've read them but because I would like to. I've also got Brian Greene on my wishlist. Let us know what you decide on. Thank's I'll put them on my list. Just finishing off a short history of nearly everything today, then I've got The selfish gene next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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