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The books that I have found interesting in recent years fall (roughly) into the following categories:
Written early in this century, this book is of lasting value in helping us understand how science uncovered basic germ theory. An interesting discussion about this book is at Microbe Hunters Revisited. ISBN 978-0-15-602777-9.
This is an entire book focused on one particular microbe, the Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). It describes Bb's passage through deer ticks, mice, deer, and humans. Although some of the earlier chapters seemed excessively wordy, the book provides a useful introduction to the world of infectious diseases and immunity. It includes a thorough description of the symptoms and history of Lyme disease. ISBN 0-375-40199-7.
Great companion to de Kruif's classic, covering smallpox, rabies, tobacco mosaic virus, Chamberland Filter, Bacteriophages, polio, Epstein-Barr, common cold, influenza, and AIDS. Very nicely done! ISBN 0-316-73217-6.
The exciting story of outbreaks of the Marburg and Ebola viruses in Africa and Reston, Virginia. ISBN 0-385-47956-5.
Autobiographical account of C.J. Peters, a key figure in "The Hot Zone". Extremely informative account of virology detective work on Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Sin Nombre (4 Corners) virus, Bolivian and Argentinian hemorrhagic fever viruses, Rift Valley fever virus, Marburg and Ebola viruses, and others. He ends with an scary discussion of the dangers of biological war and terrorism as well as the possibility of devastating future global epidemics. ISBN 0-385-48558-1
This is a truly impressive account of the 1918 influenza pandemic in which 0.65% of the US population died within a few months, most of them young adults. The author spends the first third of the book describing the historical context - political, military, and medical - leading up to 1918. He then describes the spread of the disease and its horrifying impact on the country along with inadequate attempts by the medical establishment to control it. Finally, he gives stories of key scientists who attempted to understand its cause but were frustated by deadly secondary bacterial infections. The reader learns a great deal about science, politics, and WW I history. After reading this, be sure to read Gina Kolata's Flu book. ISBN 0-14-303649-1
This is an excellent complement to the book by John Barry. Barry's book tells much more about what happened in 1918 and this book tells much more about the subsequent search for the details of the virus. Her descriptions of the searches in the arctic for intact frozen bodies from which the 1918 virus might be found are excellent. Similarly, she gives a detailed description of the successful decoding of the viral RNA by researchers at the US Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Recent flu outbreaks and the swine flu vaccine effort are also described and placed in the context of the 1918 flu pandemic. ISBN-13 978-0-7432-0398-2
This is the true story of a family with an inheritable prion disease (GSS, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease) which causes a horrific brain deterioration that begins at about 45 years old. The deeply religious rural South Carolina family of medical and legal professionals is the focus of the story which Kolata explains while providing interesting details about prions diseases, rural life, and religious beliefs. Normally, there is a 50-50 chance that a gene for the defective prion protein will be passed to children, but new technologies make possible the extraction of eggs, in vitro fertilization with the husband's sperm, and genetic selection before implantation in the mother's womb. Necessarily, some fertilized eggs will not be used running into a conflict with beliefs about the sanctity of life at even the extremely early stages. One daughter's decision about whether to use this technology to guarantee that her children will not have the gene is described in the later chapters. ISBN 978-1-250-06444-8
The author uses numerous examples to explain why "bad" genes survive evolution. The short answer is that they provide some alternate beneficial value, but the longer answers provide an interesting insight into how all organisms in the world coevolve and how evolution must make complicated compromises to perpetuate each particular species. ISBN 978-0-06-088966-1
Fascinating story of kuru, scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob and mad cow diseases. ISBN 0-684-84425-7
This comprehensive book (622 dense pages plus 108 pages of footnotes) reviews contagious disease history over the past 50 years up to 1994. Machupo, Marburg, yellow fever, Lassa fever, Ebola, Legionnaires' disease, herpes, toxic shock syndrome, AIDS, hantaviruses, and others are described together with their unavoidable political and sociological complications. It provides the context within which we must consider the likelihood of more serious future outbreaks. ISBN 0-14-025091-3.
Details of the salmonella poisoning in Dalles, Oregon, the sarin gas attack in a Tokyo subway, and the biological weapon programs of the US, USSR, and Iraq are described by three New York Times investigative reporters. ISBN 0-684-87158-0
The author of a number of classic non-fiction books wrote this excellent fictional account of a possible germ attack on the United States. This book was strongly recommended in the non-fiction book Germs. ISBN 0-345-40997-3
Centered on the danger of bio-engineered smallpox being released in the future, Preston gives an excellent summary of the eradication of smallpox in the 1970's, biological weapon efforts during the cold war, the anthrax release in the late 1990's, and the current state of smallpox DNA storage and research. ISBN 978-0-345-46663-1.
An engrossing history of blood from 25 centuries of bloodletting to the aftermath of AIDS disaster for hemophiliacs. The history of transfusion, blood storage technology, blood banks, blood component use, hepatitis, and AIDS contamination are covered with abundant notes and references. ISBN 0-688-17649-6.
An enlightening and clearly written narration guiding the reader through the results of cancer research up to 1998. No references, but otherwise very informative. ISBN 0-465-07276-3.
An outstanding tour of the effort to conquer cancer from ancient history through 2009. The author explains the ups and downs of surgical approaches, chemotherapeutic approaches, and more recent use of specialized antibodies to disrupt cancers. Mixed in with the technical details are explanations of the political forces that affected the progress of cancer research and clinical trials. ISBN 978-1-4391-7091-5.
This is another excellent tour of biological history, this time following genetics from before Mendel through the discoveries leading to gene editing, and ending with thoughts about the moral dilemas we will face in the future. This is a tough read since the author has an enormous vocabulary and alludes to a wide range of concepts outside of biology from physics to literature. There is too much to summarize. If you want to understand all aspects of genetics, this is an excellent place to start. ISBN 987-1-4767-3350-0.
A compendium of chapters about interesting aspects of cell biology. Chapters describe the history of cell discoveries, its connection with many diseases, fertilization, development into a multi-celled organism, and ways to alter cells. A chapter is devoted to blood and its associated diseases as well as how the immune system works. The Covid-19 pandemic is briefly discussed, but really needs a separate book. Finally, there is a detailed discussion of the history and advances in tissue transplantation. It has an excellent index which I frequently needed to locate earlier discussions of people and topics. ISBN 978-1-9821-1735-1.
This story begins with a brief history of the discovery of DNA and the elucidation of its structure by James Watson, Francis Crick, and Rosalind Franklin. The bulk of the book is about the development of the CRISPR gene editing technology with Jennifer Doudna at its focus. The many important contributions of other scientists are also explained along with their brief biographies. This is likely to be the best book about CRISPER you will find. ISBN 978-1-9821-1585-2.
Biological and medical research have benefitted tremendously from cancer cells (called HeLa cells) that came from Henrietta Lacks before permission was required. This extremely engrossing story not only teaches the reader about tissue cultures and cancer cells, but provides a detailed history of Henrietta Lacks and her extended family together with a look into her poverty-stricken life and the black experience in the mid-20th century. It is outstanding science, a remarkable social study, and a discussion of ownership of extracted body tissue all beautifully woven together. ISBN 978-1-4000-5218-9.
The immune system is usually presented in a chapter in a biology text or in a full course in medical school. This book fits in between these extremes and provides the curious reader with a detailed overview of how the immune system operates. Furthermore, the author's writing style is relaxed and entertaining. Without a doubt, this books is a tough read with numerous confusing technical terms -- it made me think of the problem of names in a Russian novel. The later chapters were easier once the earlier chapters were read and then reread. I made frequent reference to its glossary and index, but also made this page of notes.
Years after studying the 4th edition of this book, I bought the 7th edition and studied it. It had significant revisions of earlier chapters and added new chapters about the intestinal immune system and Covid-19. Also, at the end of each chapter sections about "Unknown Unknowns" were added. ISBN 978-1-119-89068-3.
This book explains how the endocrine system sends chemical messages to increase or decrease the activity of various organs in our bodies. It is hard to read because there are numerous references to medications that doctors use to manipulate our endocrines which interact in quite complicated ways. ISBN 978-1-118-93148-6 (2016).
A very readable description of our immune system written using anthropological references to the actions and personalities of the many elements of our immune system. Numerous color illustrations are included. Those, and the author's casual writing style make this tough topic much more understandable and memorable. ISBN 978-0-593-24131-8 (2021).
This autobiography by a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist contains detailed explanations of how enzymes are isolated and their functions determined. ISBN 0-674-30776-3.
A great factual introduction to genetics illustrated with humorous drawings.
Using actual data on atomic positions in the proteins and other molecules key to life, the author has created beautiful drawings of them and added clear, concise explanations of how they perform their job. Besides giving a feeling for the size and function of the molecules, he also provides an idea of the rapid time scale under which they operate. This is a truly remarkable book. ISBN 978-0-387-84924-9.
This book explains in detail how biological molecules can create movement in spite of (or using) the thermal agitation present at room temperature. It covers linear movement required in muscles and in cell division as well as rotary motion used to activate flagella or generate the ATP molecules used as the energy currency of biological systems. ISBN 978-0-465-02253-3 (2012).
Upon buying a Celestron Celestron 44340 Microscope, I bought this book to help explain microscopes and the microscopic world to my grandchildren. This turned out to be much better than I had hoped with great illustrations showing all sorts of interesting things that can be examined. It also explained about slide preparation, microscope care, and the different kinds of microscopes used in science. ISBN 978079451558-4.
When observing microscopic organisms, it can be quite hard to identify the various creatures. This book does an outstanding job of helping with that problem. It has pictures and sketches as well as habitat and behaviorial information on 115 species and additional information on many more related ones. Its appendicies provide considerable help on the techniques of collection and observation. ISBN 0-531-11266-7.
A guide to thinking at a gene level about Darwinism. Full of thought-provoking ideas and explanations of nature's varied means of propagating genes. Although this is not light reading, it is neither obscure nor annoyingly pedantic. ISBN 0-19-286092-5
An in-depth analysis of evolution detailing how it can produce complex structures like the eye. The kind of book you would like to have available when "creation science" phonies are pressuring your schools. ISBN 0-393-31570-3.
Based on a multi-peaked mountain metaphor, Dawkins gives another fascinating analysis of how evolution works. He uses spider webs, natural flying mechanisms, various kinds of eyes, sea shell varieties, and the fig to drive home the key concepts of evolution by natural selection. ISBN 0-393-31682-3.
A tour through some of the most fascinating aspects of zoology and molecular biology loosely modeled after Chaucer's Cantebury Tales. Dawkins takes us back to each meeting with the ancestors we have in common with other species starting with chimpanzees and ending up after some 40 junctions with the ancestor we have in common with thermophilic bacteria. Mixed in are 60 short explanations of important points in biology centered around particular species met along the way. So much solid information in these 613 pages that the reading is slow, but well worth the effort. ISBN 0-618-61916-X.
The authors contend that small incremental changes from mutations are not sufficient to explain the major changes associated with the creation of new species. Their prime examples are the merging of photosynthetic and oxygen-burning bacteria with primordial cells to produce the fundamental cells of plants and animals with their chloroplasts and mitochondria. Other ways in which bacteria associations have led to new species are described in support of their contention that nature has generated new species by the merging of whole genomes. I would have benefited by first studying a glossary at the end of the book since it appears that the authors wrote this primarily for fellow biologists rather than for the general reader. ISBN 0-465-04392-5.
This book was a fascinating, but difficult read - fascinating because of the full range of the topic, and difficult because of the author's propensity to use very long sentences with multiple interjections. The familiar metamorphoses of moths and frogs are only a small part of the full story told by Ryan. The reader also learns in great detail about a vast array of sea creatures and their larval forms. Even human puberty is discussed as a form of metamorphosis. Woven throughout the book is the story of scientists that proposed the possibility of cross-species hybridization as an adjunct to direct evolution to explain metamorphosis. ISBN 978-1-60358-341-1.
A Nobel prize-winning biologist explains life in terms of cells, genes, evolution by natural selection, chemical reactions, and information storage and utilization. He ends with discussions relating this background to our changing world and finally gives his answer. With only 143 pages, it is a quick read that presents important deep thoughts. ISBN 978-0-393-54115-1.
A comprehensive history of how the theory of Continental Drift evolved from the plausibility arguments of Alfred Wegener in 1915 to the definitive evidence from magnetism in the spreading Atlantic seabed. I found it a more difficult read since I was unfamiliar with much of the geological terminology. ISBN 0-19-511733-6.
The evolution of life is pretty well understood except at the very beginning, the transition between chemicals and life. The significant progress toward filling this gap is covered by this book written by a long-time researcher of that puzzle. This book nicely brings the curious reader closer to understanding how that gap might have been bridged by nature about 3 billion years ago. ISBN 978-0-520-27445-7.
Gives fascinating descriptions of organisms that live in extreme thermal, barometric, and chemical environments together with explanations of their survival strategies. Covers the topic from the viewpoints of cellular and molecular biology as well as evolutionary and extraterrestrial biology. Nice use of side bars for deeper technical discussions and biographical notes. ISBN 0-306-45786-5.
The latest news on digging up evidence of our evolution from ape-like creatures.
Gould's contribution to clarifying the Theory of Evolution. ISBN 0-393-00917-3.
Great example of persistent excellence in an unfashionable topic leading to Nobel Prize-winning work.
Superb, balanced story of the discovery of the impact event that killed off the dinosaurs. Not too long, not too short, not too simple, not too involved, ... just right. ISBN 0-375-70210-5.
Super lesson in the biological science and technology related to Michael Crichton's novels. Very clear explanations written in a friendly, informal style. ISBN 0-06-097735-3.
The beginning has an excess of philosophy and a dearth of science, but eventually, Capra does a nice job of explaining the connection between organization in dissipative systems and our understanding of how life works. Unfortunately, it really needed more examples and descriptions of experiments to support and clarify its many sweeping generalizations. ISBN 0-385-47676-0.
Weil starts out by discussing what science knows about aging and stresses that we should not expect to reverse aging. Instead, he gives ample advice on how we can adjust our life style to increase the chances that we will remain mentally and physically healthy for 90 or so years before everything goes at once. Readers are unlikely to follow all his advice, but nudging their life styles towards his recommendations will likely provide significant benefits. ISBN 0-375-40755-3.
The author is concerned that until now medicine has largely ignored chronic health problems until they become obvious in our later years. He feels that we should be studying hints of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases decades earlier. His discussion of centenarians was particularly interesting. ISBN-13: 978-1-785-04455-7 (2023)
An extremely interesting and well-researched explanation about the current knowledge about allergies. Although, the scientific understanding of allergies is incomplete, the author does an excellent job of discussing all aspects of what is known. Many chapters necessarily had to end with a statement that much is still not known. As a result, the reader is likely to be left without clear guidance about how to handle a problem allergy. (2023) ISBN 987-0-593-22919-4.
This is a survey of what is known about the interaction of oxygen and life, starting with the beginning of life on earth and ending with a discussion of the connection between oxygen radicals, our immune system, and ageing. The author explains that eating antioxidents does not confer the benefits many people think, but rather that our bodies control oxygen radicals quite well except when they are produced by the deterioriation of mitochondria as we enter our final decades of life. Ageing, he states, is basically when our immune systems need to go into overdrive to clean up mitochondrial deterioration. Evolution tunes our immune system to keep us alive during our reproductive years at the expense of causing ageing effects later. Birds, however, age more slowly because they evolved more efficient mitochondria to meet their the demands of flight. ISBN 0-19-860783-0.
500 pages of detailed discussion of mitochondria and how eukaryotic cells formed and are controlled by their mitochondria. He explains the current theory of how mitochondria were merged into eukayrotic cells, and then how they convert food energy to ATP molecules, made sex necessary, and are the key to graceful cell death through apoptosis. ISBN 978-0-19-883190-7
The author argues that nearly all chronic diseases of old age are connected to failings of our mitochondria. He suggests that medicine should focus more on how mitochondria affects health rather than trying to fix specific diseases. ISBN 978-1-60358-767-9
Recent advances in our scientific understanding of nutrition is revealing how damaging our modern diet has been to our health. Our individual bodies are extremely complicated and varied; they are products of thousands of interacting chemical reactions evolved over millions of years of hunting and gathering. Modern food production and availability, however, do not match well with that design. Our modern diet is the reason diseases common in the United States like heart disease and diabetes are often rare in 3rd world countries. Michael Greger's team of nutrition experts continually analyzes thousands of peer-reviewed articles relevant to health with the result clearly explained in this outstanding book.
A modest understanding of biochemistry and an appreciation for correct statistical inference is helpful, but not essential. The basic advice is to minimize meat and dairy products, and to maximize natural whole-grains, fruits, and vegetables. Many "diet" books tell you to do certain things, but this book tells why. With detailed explanations and references to hundreds of scientific articles, this is by far the best book on healthy eating I have seen. ISBN 978-1-250-06611-4.
The premise of this book seems to be that people will not or can not eat a sufficiently healthy diet and need vitamin and mineral supplements to avoid chronic diseases. While the book has lots of interesting information about vitamins and minerals, its conclusions seem to be too often based on possible conclusions extrapolated from inconclusive experiments rather than on solid analysis. This may simply reflect the considerable difficulty of sorting out dietary changes from their effects. There are many references for each chapter, but they are not connected to individual claims by footnote numbers, making it hard to pin down what supporting evidence exists for each claim. A gullible reader might end up spending a great deal of unnecessary time and money on supplements based on literal acceptance of all the claims in this book. I strongly advise reading How Not to Die to get a different viewpoint. ISBN 978-1-58333-274-0
This is about using a massive epidemiological study to answer the questions about the relation between eating habits and chronic Western diseases. Most of the book is about interpreting the results of a massive study of eating habits and disease across China with one chapter dedicated to providing a summary of the study results. This should be read by everyone interested in the connection between diet and long-term health. Whole is a sequel to this book which delves into the political and social problems related to making intelligent decisions about what to eat. The basic message is eat plant-based whole foods. ISBN 978-194163156-0.
This sequel to China Study that discusses the political and social problems with getting good information about how to choose a healthy diet. ISBN 978-193952984-8.
I was talking to a Nutrition Teacher at the Community College where I teach science, and asked what book he might recommend to get good up-to-date information about nutrition. He recommended the textbook he used for his Nutrition course which was, like all textbooks, very expensive. I searched and found a "new" used copy of the 5th edition of this book and read it. It was interesting, but not quite what I was hoping for. It nicely described the "what to eat" of nutrition, but not the enough of the "why" that I am interested in as a scientist. I do not regret reading it. It was just not quite what I was looking for. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-521042-0.
Weil provides thoughtful analyses of well-known diet plans and epidemiological studies along with his suggestions. There is a particularly outstanding, 100-page chapter explaining human nutrition and its connection with the biochemistry of digestion and metabolism. ISBN 0-375-40754-5.
An extremely clear set of health and environmental arguments for switching to a vegan diet. Concisely written with extensive references - lots of facts with very little hype. ISBN 0-684-84516-4.
This book promote the vegan outlook in three parts. The first describes how avoiding meat and dairy products leads to better health. It effectively counters the claims by the meat and dairy industry that their products are essential to good health, and in fact, provides considerable evidence that they lead to increased heart and cancer diseases. The second part provides a detailed discussion of how these produces are produced in modern factory farms. The environmental impact of meat and diary production is discussed in the final part. The evidence cited is supported with abundant references. ISBN 0-935526-35-8.
A comprehensive analysis of the ethical, health, economic, and environmental costs of eating meat, eggs and dairy products. Robbins credibly debunks the brainwashing we receive in elementary school regarding the value of these animal products and points out the numerous advantages of vegetarian diets including how they better satisfy our protein and calcium needs. The connection between fat consumption and cardiovascular disease and various cancers is clearly illustrated. ISBN 0-915811-81-2.
Valuable facts about cholesterol, fat and diet. Convincing discussion of how a reasonable change in diet can reverse atherosclerosis. Not only that, eating right is environmentally friendly and inexpensive.
This is an excellent book, but will be a difficult read for people who are not comfortable with the fuzzy reality of statistical analyses. Its overarching theme is that osteoporosis is the result walking too little and eating a diet that tends to make our blood so acidic we must excrete calcium to balance our blood pH. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is the key to strong bones, not consuming dairy products. They support this conclusion by looking at a vast array of different scientific studies. It is then easy to understand why Scandinavian countries and the US have such high rates of osteoporosis compared with India and Africa. ISBN 978-0-07-160019-1.
A report on the discoveries up to 1998 regarding the biomolecular basis of aging. The author gives a detailed description of various cellular processes connected with aging - biological clocks, DNA repair, apoptosis, idiopathic diseases, and effects of oxidants and antioxidants. The connection between similar aging processes found in nematode worms, fungi, fruit flies, mice, and people is explained. For a great website on this subject check out http://www.senescence.info/. ISBN 0-19-512593-2.
A survey of what science has learned about aging and how it might be slowed down or stopped. Covers telomerase, antioxidants, growth hormones, and regeneration, as well as some of the ethical and philosophical questions brought up by the possibility of immortality. See also "A Means to an End". ISBN 0-380-97518-1
This book describes a fairly extreme low-fat diet, yoga, meditation, and exercise approach to reversing atherosclerosis. If you can ignore Ornish's ego, you are likely to find his reasoning and scientific analysis convincing. The American Heart Association appears to endorse Ornish's approach with the caveat that many people may lack the will power to follow it. ISBN 0-8041-1038-7
Very interesting compendium of historical and scientific information about garlic. It has quite a few references the published literature that give it credence even though it is obviously proselytizing. ISBN-0-7615-0098-7
The author pretends to be scientific, but his presentation is based primarily on anecdotes and plausibility arguments. Nevertheless, his basic contention is probably valid - that we should drink more water (not caffeinated drinks), and that the medical research, education, and treatment establishments (driven by the pharmaceutical industry) have little incentive to seriously study and prescribe water. This topic deserves a very careful scientific study. ISBN 0-9629942-3-5.
This appears to be a "fad diet". Certainly, their proclaimed scientific support is very sloppy at best. The basic idea is that in some cases very overweight people have developed an insulin resistance and are headed for (or have) adult-onset diabetes. The authors argue that such people need to drastically reduce both sugars and complex carbohydrates. They recommend eating a high protein diet, and downplay the dangers of a high fat diet. I suspect that they also greatly exaggerate the frequency of insulin resistance. The American Heart Association does not comment on this book specifically, but derides "fad diets" in general and stresses the benefit of low fat diets. The cynical-minded might wonder if the meat industry is behind this book. ISBN 0-553-57475-2.
Clear, dispassionate presentation of medical information that everyone should have available to study as needed. ISBN 0-911910-87-5.
A fascinating look into Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong's cancer cure and reconditioning. This book provides much to ponder about concerning cancer, physical fitness, and will-power. ISBN 0-425-17961-3.
For years the dairy industry managed to keep hidden the disadvantages of drinking milk - allergies, saturated fat, cholesterol, and quality control difficulties. The basic message here is that cow milk is for calves and human milk is for human babies. Unless your ancestry is northern European, you are likely to be allergic to cow milk and that allergy can produce subtle effects. In a chapter entitled "What to Do Instead," Oski suggests that modern infant formulas, which now approximate the nutrition of human milk, can be used when breast feeding is not possible although the baby will still miss important antibodies. Water and juices are best, and probably yogert is ok. If one insists on milk for humans older than 1 year who have no allergy to cow milk, at least use only skim milk. Calcium is better obtained from other foods. This book cites medical literature to support its claims.
A great introduction to fungi. It is not so much about the microbiology of fungi, but rather how fungi affect our world. The subtitle nicely covers its content. ISBN 978-0-525-51032-1 (2020).
This is a comprehensive analysis that should be an essential reference for all discussions of climate change. It contains over 100 essays by scientific experts and eloquent witnesses of all aspects related to climate changes which are already disrupting our future. ISBN 978-0-593-49230-7 (2022).
This book goes into great detail on the Earth's history of climate change giving the background necessary to put the current changes into context. This is not an easy read even for college students with a strong science background. The first 7 chapters are background material for the final discussion at the end. (2023) ISBN-13: 978-1-5417-0289-9
A powerful autobiography that explains the author's research that elucidated the role of fungal connections within a forest floor. Experiments are described that showed the conventional wisdom about forest regrowth after clear cutting was based on fault assumptions. The reader learns about fungi, but also about forest politics and the application of scientific methods to a complex interactive system. ISBN 978-0-525-56599-4 (2022).
Great exposition and analysis of our global environmental problems. Gore has an amazingly clear understanding of the relevant science and politics. ISBN 0-452-26935-0.
The description of how life on the earth appears to regulate the atmospheric oxygen percentage and ocean salinity.
A survey of what science has learned about the interactions between life and the oceans, atmosphere, and soil. A bit wordy and could have benefitted from more diagrams, but was certainly very worthwhile reading. ISBN 0-387-98270-1.
Very interesting survey of the activities of organizations working on renewable energy projects (Solar thermal, Photovoltaic, Wind, Biomass, energy efficiency, and electric cars) through 1996. While light on technical details, ample notes and references are given to guide the reader to technical source materials. ISBN 0-520-21614-8
Another superb Gonick text providing serious factual material illustrated by humorous drawings. Starts with the story of Easter Island and ends with what we must now do to prevent global disaster.
A powerful classic delineating the trashing of the environment by insecticide use in the 1950's. Published 36 years ago, it remains essential reading for anyone concerned with the environment.
The mysterious discovery of deformed frogs in Minnesota lakes and subsequent investigations are carefully chronicled by a science-wise journalist. It reads like a mystery even though the who-done-it is not fully resolved between ultra-violet damage, parasites, and hormone-mimicking agricultural chemicals. ISBN 0-7868-6360-9.
A very thorough survey of different viewpoints regarding the use of our timber resources. At the end, the author presents a possible way to replace the economic pressures that reward tree cutting by ones that reward tree growth and the protection of the forest environment. ISBN 0-933280-10-6.
A chillingly clear account of the destruction of Pacific Lumber's sound timber management practices. See also The Legacy of Luna. ISBN 0-87-156944-2
Not so entertaining, but has useful material for those interested in the politics of predator restoration in the lower 48 states.
Rifkin interprets modern technology in terms of the entropy law of thermodynamics. His thermodynamics is a bit sloppy and many of his arguments struck me as more propaganda blasts than well-reasoned logic, but his conclusions seem valid. ISBN 0-553-34717-9
Superb ant book, clearly written with lots of great photographs and diagrams. ISBN 0-674-48526-2
This book is expensive (I got a perfectly good copy used), but worth it. It is amazing how much has been learned about the brain, largely through advances in brain imaging. In 250 large-format colored pages, Carter seems to cover everything that has been learned about the brain up to March 2014. An extremely impressive work that I could read and study only a few pages each night. ISBN 978-1-4654-1602-5
This outstanding book focuses primarily on known scientific facts with a minimum of philosophy. Norretranders' use of results from information theory leads to impressive insights into how our consciousness relates to the other activities of our brains. Far superior to Daniel Dennett's book listed below. ISBN 0-670-87579-1.
Explanations of brain anatomy, function, and pathology centered around a fictional inquisitive epileptic patient being examined prior to and while undergoing brain surgery. Although I found the dialog nature of the presentation distracting, the information put forth covered a wide range of interesting brain facts and hypotheses. ISBN 0-201-48337-8.
An explanation of how the brain processes information as revealed by its mistakes and attempts to simulate thinking on computers. Very interesting chapter on emotions. ISBN 0-393-04535-8.
A very interesting discussion of what happens when we sleep and the mental and physical health problems caused by lack of sleep. I am now reading this a second time since the last half of the book provided support for claims made in the first half. Sleep study is difficult, and this book conveys a very important, perhaps life-changing, message for everyone. The TED talk by the author of this book is worth watching. ISBN 978-1-5011-4432-5.
Starting with a discussion of the neuroscience of how the brain processes and stores information, the author proceeds to apply that knowledge to learning and the best strategies for teaching. The last part of the book is directly aimed at helping teachers match their teaching style to what science can tell us about how humans learn. ISBN 978-0-525-55990-0
The advent of magnetic resonance imaging has allowed researchers to explore the working brain in real time. This book tells about the amazing progress these investigations have revealed about consciousness and how the brain processes and prioritizes the megabits per second of data streaming in from our senses to produce our sensation of consciousness. ISBN 978-0-14-312626-3.
The idea that people are born with brains that can be molded by their environment in any direction is effectively countered by Pinker using the latest results from twin and adoption studies. The initial chapters discuss the various ways this "Blank Slate" idea permeates the thinking of our society, and later chapters describe how discarding it affects our understanding of politics, violence, gender, children, and the arts. I found this a difficult, but rewarding read. ISBN 0-14-200334-4.
This book relates how science has switched from considering the brain as having a nearly fixed structure to being an organ of great flexibility. Areas of the brain used for particular purposes are constantly expanding, contracting, or relocating throughout our lifetime in response to education, skill practice, strokes, amputation, and surrounding culture. This "plasticity" is enormously beneficial, but can also lead to obsessive or rigid behavior. Methods are described to help the brain weaken bad wiring or build alternate circuits. Although a couple of chapters pushing Freudian psychotherapy seemed more opinion rather than hard science, most of the book describes solid science. ISBN 978-0-14-311310-2.
The book starts with the first author's clinical experience in helping obsessive-compulsive disorder patients reprogram their brains to overcome their problems. This led him to investigate the extent to which the mind is shaped by how we direct our attention, not just by our sensory inputs. Although some discussions seemed excessively drawn out, he made a strong case for his basic thesis. His attempt to weave quantum mechanical principles into the explanation were less convincing, but interesting. ISBN 978-0-06-098847-0.
Religions, particular those derived from Abraham (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are thoroughly examined in a critical manner rarely seen in print. Few scientists or atheists are willing to take the time to perform such a detailed analysis as Dawkins presents. ISBN 13: 978-0-618-91824-9.
This is an effort to counter those who say there is no scientifically valid evidence that animals can think rather than just react instinctively. People who work closely with animals have no doubts that animals think complex thoughts, but this is a slippery question that the author does his best to grapple with it. ISBN 0-226-30864-2
Extensive use of patient studies and clever experiments allow the neuroscientist author to make considerable headway explaining how the brain's sub-units and their interconnections function and create the mind and self. This is an excellent example of the application of the scientific method to a nearly inscrutable topic. ISBN 0-688-17217-2
Good summary of what is known about memory. It includes lots of descriptions and analysis of interesting experimental results, and discusses the biochemistry of nerve operations. (This book was first published in 1998 under the title Committed to Memory.)ISBN 0-609-80227-5.
A thoughtful analysis of the human capacity for logical deduction and its role in social behavior, ethics, commerce, government, religion, art and science. He argues that reason is a tool created to serve our emotions for better or worse. There are also chapters dealing with the connection between reason and language, and the aspects of the related brain-mind problem. ISBN 0-375-40351-5.
The Marshmellow Test examines the ability of 4-5 year-old children to exert self-control in order to gain a greater reward 5-20 minutes later. This book by the creator of the Marshmellow Test summarizes what has been learned from it and related tests of self-control. He points out that the division between nature and nurture is fuzzy and maleable. Less self-control hinders success in life, but with deliberate effort, we are able to learn self-control and overcome initial tendencies for immediate gratification. Much of the book is about how this research might be applied to behavior problems in schools and in adulthood. ISBN 978-0-316-23087-2.
Although it seems hastily thrown together and not well proof-read, I considered this a good, interesting read with quite a bit of information on the Genius-Madman connection. ISBN 0-688-16894-9
A clear summary of what science currently understands regarding the nature/nurture origins of personality covering thrill-seeking, worry, anger, addiction, sex, thinking, hunger, and aging. Numerous experimental results are described, a great many based on careful studies of twins growing up in shared and separated environments. ISBN 0-385-48584-0.
Nice discussion of various aspects of creative thinking.
Claxton describes several distinct ways of thinking: rapid unconscious trained reaction, conscious deliberation, and slow, unconscious assessment of facts leading to intuition and inspiration. Young children learn very efficiently using unconscious thinking, but as they grow into adults in our modern society, they are coerced into depending on conscious deliberation. The goal of this book is to get adults to pay more attention to their slow, unconscious way of thinking that can often better assess a multitude of disparate and uncertain facts. An excellent read. ISBN 978-0-06-095541-0.
This is an excellent guide book for recognizing ways in which advertisers, politicians, and others try to use language to mislead you. Its authors work at the FactCheck.org web site. Although published in 2007 using examples of that era, its advice remains relevant. Unfortunately, spin has exploded in the Trump Era and a new edition would be useful. ISBN 978-1-4000-6566-0.
An amazing analysis of how arguments can deviate from rationality. Chapters delineate four classes of fallacious argumentative behavior, irrelevant premises, unacceptable premises, insufficient grounds, and failure to provide adequate rebuttal. Each class is further subdivided and illustrated with numerous examples. The final chapter summarizes it all by specifying a code of conduct for finding the closest approximation of the truth through rational discussion. ISBN 0-534-21750-8.
An excellent collection of basic guidelines regarding the interpretation and use of statistics. Chapters cover imprecise definitions, deceptive measures and charts, improper use of averages, variability, switching between percentages and absolute numbers, inappropriate comparisons, faulty deduction, and the difficulty of connecting cause with effect. All are illustrated with abundant examples. ISBN 0-9666171-5-0.
A fascinating discussion of the many ways our brain fills in what we don't sense or remember. For example, our eyes miss many details that our brain fills in from experience or expectation. It also strives to enhance our self-esteme and prejudices. This explains a great deal of apparently irrational human behavior. ISBN 978-0-307-47225-0.
This is about how our choices can be affected by powerful, but barely noticeable influences. Chapters are devoted to reciprocation; commitment and consistency; social proof (join the crowd); liking (clicking on "like" buttons); authority; and scarcity. Each method of influence is discussed with explanations of psychological experiments and anecdotes. He attempts to advise us how we might minimize our susceptibility to harmful influences, but it is very difficult to defend against these influences since we are hard-wired to be susceptible to them. ISBN 978-0-06-124189-5.
The authors lay out the dangers of reducing "cognitive dissonance" by yielding to the natural tendency to conjure up excuses and revise memories so that we can avoid admitting making mistakes. Their discussion provides insights into prejudice, imperfect memory, the "recovered memory" debacle, false convictions, deterioration of marriages, torture, revenge, and wars. Their final chapter encourages owning up to mistakes and letting go of hurts. A must read for everyone. ISBN 978-0-15-603390-9.
A short book describing brain anatomy and the effects of different medications on the brain. The author's specialty is clearly the use of drugs to treat psychological disorders; his discussion of how neurons work is weak. ISBN 0-7868-8190-9.
A reasonable attempt to explain consciousness written by a philosopher. An interesting read, but too much philosophy and too little science for this physicist's taste. I am searching for a book with more examples of brain anatomy and pathology. ISBN 0-316-18066-1
This is the book you want to read if you wish for a scientific, in-depth discussion of savant syndrome where people of low intelligence as measured by IQ tests display amazing memory skills in connection with musical, mathematical, or art talents. The author, who was a key consultant to the movie "Rainman", describes a number of savants in detail and presents the medical evidence for how their brain is wired differently. Mark Twain gave a remarkable account of Blind Tom, a famous savant (scroll down about half-way). Understanding of savant syndrome provides important clues toward our understanding how the brain works.
This autobiography is of a person with a brain that operates very differently from normal. I was astounded that an autistic savant could so eloquently describe his gradual transformation from a child that feared loud sounds, human interaction into a functioning adult who could publicly display his extraordinary mental capabilities. By doing so, he provides his readers with enormous insight into the full range of autistic minds. ISBN 978-1-4165-3507-2.
The author describes a variety of clever experiments comparing people exhibiting savant syndrome and an IQ-matched group. These provide insight into the how the mind of savants works and reveal why an autistic mind set is important. (Treffert's book, however, is better at giving an overall picture of savant syndrome.) ISBN 1-85302-932-7
This interesting historical book is about attempts to fit autism and related personality peculiarities into neat psychological categories to meet the desires of parents, schools, and the government funders. The final conclusion is that there is an inherited spectrum of behavior which can challenge parents and teachers, but which can include remarkable creativity and logical thought. The reader is led through many stories from which conflicting conclusions can be drawn. Included are discussions about infamous theories related to vaccines and claims of toxic parenting. (2015) ISBN 978-1-101-63964-1 (I read the Kindle version, but I would recommend the printed version instead.)
I was looking for a book on the science of hypnotism, but this history was a good start. From Anton Mesmer in France in the 1760's up through its occasional use to supplement modern medicine, there is no doubt the hypnotism works on susceptible subjects. There is also no doubt that many quacks have also falsely claimed hypnotic skills. I am, however, still looking for a good book on the science of hypnotism.
Extensive discussions of the commonalities between human languages, how languages work, and how the brain is designed to facilitate the learning of languages. ISBN 0-06-097651-9
An assortment of evidence that the brain stores language in two ways, one using direct memory to store word roots including irregular forms, and another that uses rules to handle grammar and add inflections to word roots. He makes the case that this is similar to how our brains store associated facts (what) on the one hand and procedural memory (how) on the other. This book provides important knowledge about how the brain processes language, and therefore contributes to our overall understanding of how the brain works. ISBN 0-06-095840-5
An engrossing tale of a schizophrenic American assisting in the creation of the half-million word Oxford English Dictionary while locked up as criminally insane. Part of the fascination of the book is its detailed description of the enormous effort required in creating a "complete" dictionary of English. ISBN 0-06-099486-X.
The story of the 1952 decipherment of an ancient form of Greek writing used around 1500 B.C. An interesting linguistic puzzle-solving story written by one of the participants. ISBN 0-521-39830-4
The story of how the United States Military incorporated Navajo Indians using variations of their native tongue for secure communications during the Pacific theater of World War II. ISBN 0-8027-8182-9
A look into the animal precursors of good and bad human characteristics, and the emergence of these characteristics in humans over the past 100,000 years. Discusses life cycle issues, language, creativity, self-destructive behavior, genocides, and environmental destruction. Lots of interesting facts and thoughts! ISBN 0-06-098403-1.
A logical and intriguing history of human civilization as seen by a scientist incorporating knowledge gained from genetics, epidemiology, linguistics, archaeology, and ecology. Key events in the spread of humanity over the earth are seen as being predominantly guided by the availability of domesticable plants and animals and by geographic circumstances, not by differences in human nature. ISBN 0-393-31755-2.
An examination of a number of societies that have failed or succeeded to come to grips with the destruction of their environment, particularly forests and fisheries. Diamond's writing is far more than just a presentation of facts; it is a synthesis of key facts to enable a coherent understanding of perhaps the most serious problem our children will face in future decades. ISBN 0-14-303655-6
A Historian with a solid science understanding writes a history starting from the big bang 13 billion years ago, proceeds through the formation of the first generation of stars, then the formation of our Sun and the Earth, geological changes in the earth, the formation of life on the earth, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the spread of mammals, the separation of humanoids from chimps, change of human society from nomadic hunter-gatherers to villiages, then towns, cities, states, and ultimately modern society. All this is handled in a manner that flows gracefully. This is not an easy read, but is truly mind-expanding. ISBN 0-520-24476-1.
Meticulous and authoritative exposition of the scientific results of the analysis of a remarkably preserved stone-age man found in a high Alpine gully. Speculations are carefully delineated from the science, and both are abundantly supported by numerous maps, illustrations, color photographs, and explanations of relevant results from other archeological finds. ISBN 0-517-79969-3.
Aimed at the layman, this book gives some basic background information in science and mathematics, and then masterfully explains the scientific thinking behind major public issues - environmental degradation, war, nuclear disarmament, abortion, and religion/science interaction. His discussion of J. Maynard Smith's game theory is, however, not nearly as clear as that of Richard Dawkins in the "Selfish Gene" (see above). ISBN 0-345-37918-7.
This excellent book discusses game theoretic (with very little math) discussions of the Prisoner's Dilemma, Chicken Dilemma, Stag Hunt, and Dollar auction problems in the context of the life of John von Neumann, the cold war (nuclear arms race, Cuban missile crisis, RAND Corp., etc.), and biological evolution. ISBN 0-385-41580-X.
How the society suffers when people fail to think critically about social issues. Outstanding discussion of alien abduction claims, witch hunts, hallucinations, antiscience, false memories, and related topics together with an explanation of the methods of science and how they can be used to detect fraud and establish reality. ISBN 0-345-40946-9
The early part of the life of the brilliant comedian Trevor Noah describing his growing up in South Africa as it gradually emerged from apartheid. He was born of a deeply religious black mother and a Swiss father, and then a domineering step father. The reader learns about the challenges of growing up poor in a racist society. In telling his story, he conveys that how survival was a continuous matter of using wit and people skills. Reading this book provides insight into a life few white Americans can imagine. 2019 ISBN 978-0-399-58819-8
A fascinating autobiographical account of living 180 feet above the ground in a redwood tree slated for destruction. Butterfly endured freezing El Nino storms, lightning storms, and harassment from Pacific Lumber/Maxxam Corp.'s monster-sized helicopters and logging crews during her 738 continuous days in the tree. Related books are Tree Talk and The Last Stand. ISBN 0-06-251658-2.
Hilarious account of a Canadian government official assigned to prove that arctic wolves are the reason for a decline in the number of caribou. Don't just settle for the movie. Read the original.
The story of the training of a search-and-rescue dog from puppyhood to official certification. This book is filled with vivid descriptions of how search-and-rescue dogs are trained and how they operate. If you are looking for a compendium of amazing rescue stories, this is not it. If on the other hand you want to better understand how dogs can track scents and communicate with their handlers, this is excellent. ISBN 978-0-547-15244-8.
Thoughtful, authentic accounts of grizzly encounters. ISBN 0-88240-392-3
An excellent account of a lifetime of experience with grizzly bears, primarily near British Columbia's Waterton Lakes National Park. The author was a hunting guide in his younger years and ended up a wildlife photographer who no longer carried a firearm when photographing grizzlies. The history of the grizzly in North America, their interaction with man, and their social behavior, feeding habits, and intelligence are all covered in detail. Unfortunately, this 1966 book may be hard to find. It was published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., with a Library of Congress Catalog Number of 66-19397.
The author, a historian, uses numerous written documents from the 19th and early 20th centuries to chronical the demise of the California Grizzly. Much of the text relates accounts of hunting, live capture, and bull-bear fights. The life and actions of the real Grizzly Adams form the central chapters of the book. As a by-product of the Grizzly story, the reader gains a considerable feel for life in California from the Gold Rush days until the early 1900's. ISBN 1-884995-53-5.
The story of a young couple that thought it would be fun to hike 10154-foot high Picacho del Diablo in a remote desert area of Baja, California (Mexico). Their adventure stretched into a month-long struggle for survival with rescue teams missing opportunities and giving them up for dead. One searcher stayed after all others had left and located Eleanor just in time. The rescue teams then rejoined him and found her boyfriend stuck on a ledge with frost-bitten feet.
What is so remarkable about this book is that it is composed of diaries written by Eleanor and her father written without knowing the final outcome. It is a gripping read — somewhat reminiscent of Krakauer's Into the Wild. I had a special interest in this story because I knew Eleanor, and had once hiked with her a year before reading about the search in the news. ISBN 0-943173-20-5.
True story of Mt. Everest expeditions in the Spring of 1996 that ended in tragedy. Not only a gripping story of adventure, but full of useful facts about climbing tall mountains.
Similar to the others in the series but with the Arctic and Antarctic as the locale. ISBN 1-56025-218-9. (See Epic, below.)
ISBN 1-56025-200-6. (See Epic, below.)
An extremely well-written true story about a man the wanted to avoid people and managed to live in the Maine woods for 27 years, selectively stealing from cabins and a summer camp without being caught. He never built a fire, but managed to survive extreme sub-freezing weather. An absolutely amazing, detailed true story. ISBN 978-1-101-91153-2.
These anthologies provide intense first-hand accounts of the most dramatic encounters between climbers and the treacherous high mountains they challenge. They are filled with numerous descriptions of things gone awry and determined efforts at survival. ISBN 1-56025-154-9.
True story of a young man who bums around the West and ends up dying while trying to live off the land in Alaska.
A description of events during the convergence of three storms in the North Atlantic that led to a number of deaths in 1991. ISBN 0-06-101351-X.
Although I skipped the theological discussions and struggled with some of the philosophical discussions, the rest was pretty fascinating. I must read his "On the Edge of the Primeval Forest".
Fascinating stories of Schweitzer's second stay at his hospital in French Equatorial Africa.
The powerful story of the life of Father Damien de Veuster and his humanization of the Hawaiian Leper Colony on Molokai.
Phil Jackson, the zen master of basketball coaching, describes how he motivates and guides multi-million dollar egos. Jackson is a really interesting person and his views are well worth the read. ISBN 0-7868-8200-X.
This wide-ranging book discusses the history of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Its initial chapters cover huge collecting expeditions to the far corners of the world at a time when modern civilization was rapidly destroying natural habitats and remote human tribes. It then gives a verbal tour of the many sections of the museum with anecdotes about some of the most interesting artifacts. This is simply an amazing adventure for the reader's mind. ISBN-13 978-0-312-10456-1.
This thin book does indeed provide an enormous amount of detailed information about lightning - its causes, how to minimize its dangers, ball lightning, and much more. ISBN 0-486-25237-X
An old, but comprehensive book describing ways of using passive solar energy in house design.
A thorough how-to book for building solar voltaic power into your home.
Don't laugh! This is very interesting. The R-57 insulation of straw bales can be used in practical houses that are not going to be blown down by the big bad wolf (or earthquakes).
A detailed how-to book for implementing wind power at suitable home sites. ISBN 0-930031-64-4
A nation-wide survey of wind energy potential presented in numerous detailed maps.
This book should be read by persons thinking of underground houses because it discusses numerous things that can go wrong with seemingly sound ideas. If still interested, follow this with a book on expensive underground homes. (Keep in mind that bears like ready-made underground accommodations!)
Many beautiful pictures of amazing tree houses. A great book for stretching one's imagination.
Detailed descriptions of high-efficiency fireplaces for burning wood at temperatures so high the smoke has very little soot.
The title says it all.
How to safely utilize bath, sink and laundry water for gardening.
Full of interesting items from composting toilets to wind and solar energy devices. Abundant background information is included.
Great catalog with carefully selected items for environmentally gentle living. The catalog radiates honesty with descriptions that help make sure ordered items are appropriate to the customer's individual needs.
A full description of the legal hassles and other problems associated with buying a country home.
Magnificently illustrated guide to the design and construction of timber-frame homes. It describes in detail how to build beautiful, well-insulated homes that can last for centuries.
An easy-reading, mind-expanding chronicle describing the authors' transition from Hollywood script writing to running the family orchard in rural Virginia. This book is not only filled with enlightening personal anecdotes about simple life and Quaker values, but contains numerous descriptions of variations on the simple living theme embraced by their acquaintances. ISBN 0-14-012339-3
How to merge human living and the natural environment in a renewable manner. Describes how to identify microenvironments and to manipulate wind, water, and local temperatures through planting windbreaks, judicious arrangement of orchards and forests, and building multi-purpose ponds and suntraps. Also, how to control insect pests and diseases through hedgerow intercropping and the use of chickens, ducks, and geese. ISBN 0-86417-514-0.
Nice introduction to home hydroponic gardening written by the author of detailed text on industrial hydroponics. ISBN 0-88007-178-8.
The author follows the construction of a quality custom house in New England detailing the personalities and interactions of the buyer, architect, and builders. He also includes a number of historical notes and construction details. Useful for anyone buying, building or remodeling a house. ISBN 0-380-71114-1.
Superb how-to-do-it book on ceramic tile setting. Very clearly written, fully-illustrated sections showing floor, bathtub splash, and kitchen counter projects. ISBN 0-8306-2572-0.
Basically, this is a history of microcomputers up to about 1980. Read how Bill Gates was one of the few hackers interested in making money rather than freely spreading programs and source code to the masses. The book Rebel Code nicely continues this story up through the 1990's. ISBN 0-440-13405-6.
An enjoyable history of computers with a focus on the role of the command line interface - life before graphic user interfaces. The relationship between GUI and command line processing is explained. ISBN 0-380-81593-1
An insiders view of how huge software projects should be handled. New edition adds chapters recognizing the advances of object-oriented programming.
A collection of remarkable essays about how open source software is created and how it is revolutionizing the software industry. This book is directed toward CEO/CIO/CTO level folks, but is good reading for the technical folks as well. ISBN-1-56592-724-9.
The author is the person who created the world-wide web. Any history about it by him is worth reading although I did not find this book as interesting as I expected. ISBN 0-06-251587-X.
A description of how gratis contributions from bright programmers (a.k.a. hackers) have become more significant than the proprietary programming projects of corporations. I didn't feel that this book was as good as Rebel Code. ISBN 0-375-50566-0.
An excellent history of Linux and open source software that continues where Steven Levey's Hackers left off. ISBN 0-7382-0333-5.
A delightful autobiographical look into the motivations and personality of the creator of the Linux operating system and the inside view of how Linux grew from a hobby to a serious competitor to Microsoft's systems. ISBN 0-06-662072-4.
A rather negative description of the Japanese "5th Generation" computer project.
Good description of a period in the history of Data General Corporation.
Levy, a long-time Mac user, describes the Macintosh heritage (Vannevar Bush, Doug Engelbart, Alan Kay, Xerox PARC) through its roller-coaster 1980s up to the PowerPC. ISBN 0-14-023237-0.
A tremendous collection of essays by 14 key people in the free software/open source software movement. A must-read by anyone interested in recent computer history and the future of the software industry. ISBN 1-56592-582-3,
A history of the people and technologies associated with the development of computer programs and robots that exhibit life-like behavior. The book is a must for people who are curious about what might define life and whether new life can be created by humans. Much has probably happened in this field since this book was published in 1992. It would be nice to have a sequel. ISBN 0-679-74389-8
This book pretends to forecast the coming hundred years of computer technology, but may turn out to be more science fiction than science fact. I suspect that his dream technologies of quantum computing and microscopic robot swarms will be far more difficult to realize in practice than in the imagination. Still, the book is worth reading for the discussions regarding the gradual replacement of human body parts (including regions of the brain) with silicon enhancements. Just don't take his time scale seriously. ISBN 0-670-88217-8.
This book was clearly written by authors who wished to convey their love of the details of how computers work from software down to the hardware level. It was obviously not written for profit, but to support the education goals of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Each chapter starts out gently with a historical narrative about how that chapter's topic evolved from the early days of computing and proceeds right up to the very sophisticated techniques used in modern computers. The details of processor pipelining, memory caching strategies, graphic acceleration, video compression, how Ethernet and wifi networking challenges are resolved, methods of digital storage, and much more. All this explained with great care providing an emphasis on details that are often ignored in other computer books. ISBN 978-1-119-18393-8.
This is a comprehensive how-to book on connecting a wide variety of hardware to the Raspberry Pi. It includes circuit details, basic electronics background and programming techniques including an explanation of how to add code modules to the Linux kernel. A considerable amount of attention is given to the reaction speed of different approaches. The author's web site is frequently referenced with supplementary materials and programming code for longer programming examples. It is strongly recommended for anyone interfacing electronics to the Pi. ISBN 978-1-119-18868-1.
This really is the only comprehensive computer hardware book I have seen that contains electronics details, pinouts, and timing information blended together with chip-level programming details. 1384 pages full of spec sheet level information on the 80x86 family of processors (including those made by Cyrix, IBM, and AMD), as well as support chips and bus standards. Tremendous! Current edition is 1997 - need a new edition now. ISBN-0-201-40399-4.
A thorough guide to the acronym-riddled information standards business.
Detailed description of JPEG, MPEG,etc.
An excellent survey of all forms of wireless communications including new methods currently being implemented. The specialization to transport systems is only a minor diversion from their general description of wireless systems.
The official detailed description of the replacement for ASCII. The Unicode, Version 2.0, encompasses 38,885 characters of the world's language, mathematical, and symbol scripts. ISBN 0-201-48345-9.
All you ever might need to know about the ways that Japanese characters are encoded in computers. This book is so good that it has been translated into Japanese.
Explains the ISDN standard and its implementation with references to hardware suppliers. ISBN 0-471-13326-4.
This is mostly a collection of New York Times' articles written by Paul Krugman during the years of the George W. Bush Presidency. Although trained as an economist, he has become extremely perceptive about political issues, pointing how lies and deception became normalized. These essays clearly explain many of the peculiar happenings during that time. We have difficulty seeing the larger picture when we are few news daily, but Krugman is able to fit the news into a larger pictures. ISBN 0-393-32605-5.
Tremendously entertaining, first-hand factual account of the tracking down of a group of German hackers who were breaking into US computers. ISBN 0-385-24946-2.
Great factual description of the activities of master telephone hackers. ISBN 0-671-77879-X.
The story of Kevin Mitnick's activities and capture. This version is considered the better by most computer folks and paints a very realistic picture of what happened and why. Skip the other book and its movie. ISBN 0-440-22205-2.
What the NSA would like to prevent the world from knowing. A great reference for modern cryptography. ISBN 0-471-59756-2
An excellent, easy-to-read book, that describes the history of cryptic communication from ancient times up through modern public key encryption. This book has the clearest account of how public key encryption works that I have ever seen. ISBN 0-385-49532-3.
Another great Steven Levy book on computer history. This time he tells the story of how the US National Security Agency and FBI worked to try to prevent citizens from being able to have private communication secure Internet commerce. ISBN 0-14-024432-8.
A fictional story that ties together tales of encryption during World War II with a modern mystery. The constant switching between three (or was it four) locales/eras without overt identification was irritating, but the story was quite good. ISBN 0-380-78862-4.
Everything you need to know about the public domain PGP encryption program.
An outstanding, highly-detailed description of how to break into internet server sites and therefore how to secure them. This book covers Windows 95/98, Windows NT, Novell & Unix systems as well as general Internet hacking methods. ISBN 0-07-212127-0.
Like Hacking Exposed but specialized entirely to Linux. This is a truly amazing book that every person with a Linux web server should read and understand. Linux may be more secure than Microsoft servers, but it is not invulnerable and must be properly secured. ISBN 0-07-212773-2.
Massive reference tome.
The mathematical foundations of video processing techniques.
A classic text describing basic image compression techniques with lots of illustrations.
A nice primer on neural network computing.
A partisan history of fuzzy logic - its pioneers, adoption in Japan and then Europe, and finally its gaining respect in the United States. This is an interesting overview, but not a how-to book. ISBN 0-671-87353-3.
Genetic Algorithms are clearly explained with simple examples and discussions of more advanced applications and theory. A very practical guide for those interested in the solution of computer optimization problems or the workings of biological evolution. ISBN 0-262-63185-7.
Introduction to parallel processing and the software/hardware used to implement it, including a particularly illuminating discussion of memory caching and its effect on performance. It also provides lots of good WWW and book references. ISBN 1-56592-312-X.
Certainly the best book around for helping people understand the workings of their Linux system. This book tells you what you need to know when things are NOT set up correctly. Other user-oriented Linux books only tell you how to use Linux when everything is set up perfectly. ISBN 1-56592-469-X.
Nice summary of the most useful general-purpose Linux commands, bash commands, vi and emacs editor usage, programming tool invocations, and system administration tool use. Sure beats thrashing through man pages! ISBN 1-56592-167-4.
A thoughtfully-written introduction to Unix/Linux starting with man pages, files, process control, pipes, networking basics, and configuration files. The author then gives an excellent description of key aspects of regular expressions, shells and shell scripts, and the X Window System. Complex features such as mail handling, quoting in shell scripts, and cross-system X Window operation are explained with unusual clarity. ISBN 0-7897-2376-X.
Excellent text explaining how to write applications for Linux that require system calls - the next step beyond ordinary C library routine calls. Very well written with abundant examples and references to still more advanced operating system texts. ISBN 0-201-30821-5.
Absolutely super book on the most challenging aspect of Linux programming. Rubini gives a clear, well-organized explanation of how to write device driver modules and illustrates it with a wide-ranging set of examples. This book is a must for anyone interested in the hardware interface of Linux. ISBN 1-56592-292-1.
40,000 lines of source code for the heart of the Linux kernel together with 150 well-written pages of annotations. This book is very useful for those interested in how the Linux kernel works. ISBN-1-57610-469-9.
There is much valuable information buried in this attempt to explain the workings of the Linux kernel. Unfortunately, the translation and editing of this book remain terrible even in this 2nd edition. There are hundreds of typos, incorrect words, and sloppy or ambiguous explanations. ISBN 0-201-33143-8.
This is a good, well-written introduction to Linux aimed at UNIX novices. It deals with the Red Hat, Slackware, & Caldera distributions. In November, 1997, the Software on CD was two web years (8 months) old, but still ok for a start.
Much has changed since I first started using Linux in 1997, and this book has been helpful in catching up with changes to how the Linux system boots up and executes programs. Unfortunately, the transition to the new systemd is still a work in progress, and aims at a much more robust system than I need. Still, this book was quite helpful at clearing up many puzzling aspects about the current (2022) state of the systemd architecture. ISBN 978-1-80181-164-4
Getting dated, but still full of useful information on the evolution of 80x86 operating system design from DOS to OS/2.
A peek into the structure of the JavaOS Operating System and its object-oriented design. Although it is interesting to see how OO design and Java might still be used where efficiency is at a premium, the details are sketchy, and no performance data is given. It is not clear that the advantages of OO design really overcome the efficiency cost, but it was certainly interesting to understand the design of an OS dedicated to running only the Java Virtual Machine. ISBN 0-201-18393-5
A full description of C from its creators. This book includes many examples and enlightening commentary. It should also be studied by those who intend to program only in C++ or Java because the computer programming concepts taught here form the core knowledge assumed by all advanced programming books. ISBN 0-13-110362-8.
This is clearly the book to read after K & R. With the insight of a compiler writer and abundant humor and historical background, the author explains declarations, linking, object code structure, libraries, pointer-array confusion, and memory usage. He even explains WHY various things are misunderstood. ISBN 0-13-177429-8
A book to humble those who claim to know C. ISBN 0-13-116602-4.
The why of C++ from its creator.
An extensive analysis of programming technique and how to write better programs. Interesting examples are given in C, C++, and Java, and introductions are given to various standard UNIX tools and algorithms. This lucid collection of programming wisdom comes from two of computing's top programmers. ISBN 0-201-61586-X
Highlights common problems and pitfalls that new C++ programmers run into. Also explains the pros and cons of the alternative programming techniques allowed by C++. An absolute must for C++ programmers!
More valuable C++ advice. Special emphasis is given to recent additions to the standard such as exceptions and the Standard Template Library.
Essential for anyone using the IBM User Interface Class Library. A great example of how a message-driven GUI interface can be packaged in a C++ class library.
962 pages of small print providing a complete reference to the packages, classes, and interfaces available in version 1.2 (beta 3) of Java. This inexpensive book is a must for Java programmers. Addison Wesley Press, ISBN 0-201-37967-8
An excruciatingly detailed (and therefore useful) description of the syntax of the Java language and the java.lang, java.util, and java.io packages. Addison Wesley Press, ISBN 0-201-62451-1.
Quite a few typos and minor mistakes, but otherwise extremely well written guide to Java 1.1 that includes lots of examples and a CD disk. Sybex, ISBN 0-7821-1919-0
Introduction to programming with the Java Swing GUI classes with a cd containing the examples. The authors do a good job straightening out the often-confusing usage of the swing components. ISBN 0-471-24731-6.
This book helped me catch up on what has been discovered during the past few decades about stellar evolution. All but the last few chapters were helpful. The last couple of chapters, however, had more speculation than I like. (2022) ISBN-13: 978-1529086744.
A dated (1987), but well done book describing the SETI idea and its history. ISBN 0-471-84683-X
Speculation about what might happen when we first receive a message from an extraterrestrial civilization. Sagan presents a great story with a maximum of good science and a minimum of unavoidable magic. ISBN 0-671-00410-7.
An interesting collection of incidents of computer-related problems. One comes away from this book with a much better appreciation for the need to check programs and program changes more carefully before relying on them, to backup regularly, and to have comprehensive contingency plans. ISBN 0-9663993-0-7
Descriptions of a number of engineering failures and why they happened. ISBN 0-679-73416-3.
Serious book full of detailed explanations of how things can go wrong when designing buildings. ISBN 0-393-31152-X
This biography is outstanding. It not only covers Einstein's science, but puts it in context with world history, US history, and his personal life. The author extensively utilized a vast wealth of Einstein correspondence (some of which was just made available in 2006), FBI files, numerous speechs, lectures and newspaper articles. Einstein corresponded widely and frequently so the reader is able to gain his thoughts directly from his own words. Furthermore, the science was presented in an accurate manner that I feel is still comprehensible to the non-scientific reader. ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-6473-0/ISBN-10: 0-7432-6473-8
Spectacular, non-math discussion of the fundamental laws of physics. ISBN 0-262-56003-8.
Only Feynman could dare to explain quantum electrodyanmics without math. A must for all physicists and probably even enlightening to its intended non-physics audience. ISBN 0-691-02417-0.
A great instructive account of the development of fractals and modern chaos theory with special emphasis on the interesting people that made it happen.
I had to force my way through this book; its explanations and flow were not well matched to my modes of thought. Perhaps its me or perhaps the book was thrown together in haste. A much better book on complexity is Frontiers of Complexity by Coveney and Highfield. ISBN 0-06-092587-6.
This is the book to read for an introduction to the many facets of complexity. Afterwards one should, however, read specific books on nonlinear dynamics, fractals, genetic algorithms, neural networks, artificial life, the brain, etc., to obtain a more complete feel for this broad topic. ISBN 0-449-91081-4.
A tremendously entertaining autobiographical account by one of the most admired physicists of the late 20th century. Feynman describes how his inquisitive and wild mind wandered through live while working on the Manhattan project, and performing Nobel-prize winning work in theoretical physics. An easy, enjoyable read. ISBN 0-449-91081-4.
The first half of the book is more Feynman autobiography, but the last half is notable because it is the most detailed discussion available of the Challenger disaster investigation.
Devastating critique of advocates of perpetual motion machines, homeopathic medicine, spacelab, strategic defense initiative (Reagan's Star Wars plan), power-line cancer alarmists, and x-ray lasers. ISBN 0-19-513515-6.
A classic debunking book dealing with ESP, psychokinesis, psychic healing, Stalinist genetics, etc.. The last half critically examines a variety of books that deal with pseudoscience. ISBN 0-380-61754-4.
A powerful, wide-ranging book about prediction that uses examples with virtually no mathematics. Chapters cover: the 2009 recession, political punditry, baseball player evaluation, weather forecasting, earthquake prediction, forecasting the economy, disease outbreaks, importance of continually updating predictions with new data (Baye's Theorem), computer vs human contests (chess), poker playing, stock market prediction, climate forecasting, and terrorist attack prediction. Even though each of these topics is covered in considerable depth and clearly explained, this is a tough read; there is a great deal of information in this outstanding book. ISBN 978-0-14-312508-2.
The author analyzes the state of physics by describing the progression from Newton's laws, Maxwell's equations, relativity, quantum mechanics, and quantum electrodynamics, which can all be checked against experiment in exquisite detail, to the theories of supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstrings, which generate new predictions that can barely be touched by even enormously expensive experiment efforts. A powerful and clear analysis of the current state of fundamental physics. ISBN 0-465-01976-5.
This is an attempt to give an overview of all of science from the ancients up to the present using 40 chapters of about 6 pages each. Considering the enormity of that task, it does a satisfactory job. I am a physicist, however, and I frequently found the discussions of physics inadequate or wrong. Minor edits could clarify or fix those errors without adding much to its length. The subjects that I know less about seemed good, but I wonder if that would seem true to their specialists. Still, I'm glad I read it, but a 2nd edition with additional specialist authors could greatly improve it. 1st Edition (2012) ISBN 978-0-300-19713-6.
A fairly clear explanation of several remarkable aspects of the universe including its origin and the nature of black holes. A few of the topics in its later chapters, however, are more speculative and only weakly supported by experimental observations. I have not yet read his sequel entitled "A Briefer History of Time" that might fill in the gaps. ISBN 0-553-05340-X.
An effort to explain the main themes of modern physics, astronomy, geology, biology, and technology in a single book. This former editor of Scientific American does a pretty nice job, although some places of the geology discussion, the text seemed to be muddled. ISBN 0-679-72156.
Fascinating history of the methods used for calculating pi. ISBN 0-312-38185-9
A tour through mathematics history focusing on e, the base of natural logarithms. Its connections with pi, geometry, calculus, series, limits, and types of numbers are explained. This is a great companion to Beckmann's book on pi. ISBN 0-691-05854-7.
As soon as we are taught about square roots, we are told that the square root of minus 1 does not exist. We later learn that it does, but have difficulty becoming comfortable with it. This book does an outstanding job of explaining why it is needed and how it is used. The reader, however, will need a background in elementary calculus and advanced algebra to follow the discussion. Its numerous historical notes are interesting and go quickly, but the math takes effort. ISBN 978-0-691-14600-3
Clearly written tour of some of the key concepts and problems of mathematics covering Fibonacci numbers, hailstone numbers, statistics, pluperfect square, Euclid's 5th postulate, cryptography, four-color problem, NP complete problems, fractional dimensions, chaos and symmetry. ISBN 0-85274-183-9
Paulos describes how individuals and society are harmed by the lack of basic mathmetical thinking skills. This is not just about arithmetic skills, but more about quantitative thinking. Chapters deal with probablility and coincidences; pseudoscience; why innumeracy is so common; and understanding statistics and trade-offs. A good read for anyone concerned with the level of critical thinking in the general population.
Very interesting autobiography.
Obvious things that someone had to explicitly say to US industry.
A very interesting history of Honda from the ashes of WWII to the establishment of manufacturing facilities in Ohio.
A view of corporate decision making.
A classic description of the Japanese business practices during the rise of industrial Japan after WWII.
Iacocca's opinions about how US industry can meet the challenge from Japan.
More US vs Japanese business style discussions.
This outstanding book has 7 chapters which detail 7 of the biggest lies of Donald Trump and how they have become the accepted dogma of the Republican political party in the United States. They are: that there was "no Russian interference in the 2016 election", that there is evidence of significant corruption in our elections, that the attack on the Capitol was peaceful, that Trump was not using congressionally-approved military support for Ukraine to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden, that he completed his wall between the US and Mexico, that the COVID pandemic was handled perfectly, that his 4 years as President produced "greatest economy in the history of the world", and that the clearing of peaceful demonstrators for a photo-op with a bible at St. John's Episcopal church was justified. The text is supported by 36 pages of references. ISBN 978-0-06-339367-7 (2024).
This analysis of the governmental, academic, and industrial response to the COVID-19 outbreak was prepared by a group of 35 authors. It is not about virology, but rather about the attempt to control the pandemic, and is aimed at those interested in understanding ways that efforts to control the pandemic worked or failed. ISBN-13 978-1-5417-0380-3 (2023).
The indictment of Donald Trump for "Conspiracy to Defraud the United States", "Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding", "Obstruction of and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding", and "Conspiracy Against Rights". This is a very readable, historical document related to the attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election. It is available at https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000189-b2ee-dee7-a7ab-faffe6790000 and many other sites.
The author is a developer of affordable vaccines for use in poor countries. He was, however, the object of attacks from anti-vaccine activists during the COVID-19 crisis. Anti-science is widespread among the US population and is part of an anti-intellectual movement. This book warns of the seriousness of the problem. ISBN-13: 978-1-4214-4722-3 (2023)
Similar in style to his Great Unraveling book, but this time about the Trump administration. Once more, Krugman provides clarity about a very confusing time where lying and deception reached new heights. ISBN 978-1-324-00501-8.
I only have read Volume 1 about the Russian interference in the 1916 U.S. presidential election. Volume 2 about the obstruction of that investigation has been widely discussed, but Volume 1 needs more scrutiny. Unfortunately, much is redacted and the obstruction seems to have been effective so the story is still quite incomplete. This edition helpfully includes a summary, list of characters, and timeline provided by the Post editors. I look forward to the unredacted and complete history of this crime. ISBN 978-1-9821-2973-6.
Warren explains how the middle class in the United States went from sharing in the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth to being left out. Voodoo economics of the Reagan, Bush II, and Trump administrations have made the top 10% wealthier while increasing a national debt that must be paid by all. She also highlights the corrosive effect of removing the fair-play rules governing business; how Citizen's United ruling has further poisoned political funding; and how programs that help maintain the middle class like public education, health research, and basic scientific research have been progressively weakened during the past 38 years. This is clearly explained and illustrated with anecdotes and historical facts. ISBN 978-1-250-15503-0.
An excellent discussion of why many middle-class families end up in bankruptcy court - it is rarely over-consumption or immoral debtors, but mostly a result of job loss, unexpected health problems, and divorce. When both parents work and move into an expensive, safe neighborhood with good schools, they become over committed to their mortgage and have little flexibility. The numerous facts in the book are supported by 55 pages of footnotes. ISBN-13: 978-0-465-09770-8.
Barack Obama gives account of his mixed heritage with a Kansas mother, an African father, an Indonesian step-father and his experiences in Hawaii, Indonesia, and Chicago's South Side, and ends with a fascinating description of his first visit to Kenya. This book illustrates how his brilliant mind deeply understands cultures, people, and their interaction. ISBN 1-4000-8277-3.
Written just after becoming a US Senator, this book takes on even greater importance with his becoming a serious Presidential candidate. He discusses politics, values, the Constitution, race relations, and US foreign policy with a remarkable clarity. ISBN 978-0-307-23770-5.
This book describes the how some African-American women growing up in the segregated South gained the education to become mathematicians and engineers working on the most difficult problems in aeronautics and astronautics. American history from WWII through the Cold War, segregation, McCarthyism, and the Apollo landings on the Moon form the backdrop for this well-written and thoroughly-researched true story. ISBN 978-0-06-236360-2.
Wow, did this president ever tell it like it was. No bull! ISBN 0-425-09499-5
An enlightening survey of how other nations deal with the delivery of health care. The author draws on years of living overseas and experiencing health services in several of the countries he covers. Everyone interested in improving our health care system should read this to understand how other countries distribute health care. ISBN 978-1-59420-234-6.
An in-depth tour of privacy issues covering identification, activity monitoring, credit records, varieties of surveillance, wiretapping, telemarketing, medical record security, and more. It provides solid information with extensive references and some suggestions for remedies. ISBN 1-56592-653-6.
Great history of the NSA. One must wonder how he ever got to print it all. ISBN 0-14-006748-5.
Very different and interesting account of how US-Japan relations might evolve.
Heavy stuff, but provides background needed to understand arguments regarding global trade.
The remarkable inside story of the Lockheed Skunk Works, its people, and its planes. The story behind the U-2, Stealth, its other amazing creations. ISBN 0-316-74330-5.
A great read that ties together many pieces of cold war history. ISBN 1-891620-08-8
Written with an engaging style, this detailed history of water projects in the United States is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the governmental machinations that created the current system and what problems await us in the coming decades. ISBN 0-14-017824-4.
This book is not so much about how unhealthy fast food usually is, but rather about the industry. It discusses how the wholesale conglomerates squeeze both the farmer and the distributor. The meat packing industry in particular is described in detail.
An excellent survey of the deceptive methods used by the US political right wing to get people to support George Bush and his crew. Franken is a comedian which makes the book easier to read than most political tomes, but he is still precisely on target. Chapters deal with Ann Coulter, Fox News, Bill O'Reilly, Jerry Falwell, and many others. ISBN 0-525-94764-7
It has always been a joy to read the whitty intelligence of Molly Ivins in her newspaper columns. Having watched Bush in Texas before he became President, she is in a particularly good position to relate his bait and switch actions as President to his history in Texas. Among other topics, there are chapters dealing with "No Child Left Behind", energy policy, Enron, religion, and judicial appointments.
My daughter, a Quaker hospital Chaplain, recommended this book for its explanation of Quakerism and its history. It is heavy reading, but generally regarded as the authoritative book on Quaker philosophy and history.
A retired judge writes about the difficulty of dealing with low probability events that might wipe out all human life. He considers bioterrorism, abrupt global warming, a major astroid collision, and a possible atomic particle accelerator disastor called the "stranglet disastor". The discussion provides a great deal of useful material to contemplate regarding risk assessment and avoidance. Unfortunately, its frequent strong criticisms of "greens" and "civil libertarians" detracted from his important messages. Definitely a worthwhile, but heavy, read. ISBN 0-19-530647-3.
This is a geology book about subduction zone earthquakes told as a detective story through interviews with the geologists that figured out the danger of a massive earthquake that regularly occurs every 300-500 years at the coasts of northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia. It last occured in January 26, 1700. The fault was hidden by silt so that until the 1980's geologists did not expect it to be a serious earthquake risk. Subduction zone earthquakes that hit Mexico, Alaska, Chile, Sumatra, and Japan are discussed and compared with what was considered different about the undersea ridge located 30-100 km off the northwest coast of North America. The detailed research that uncovered the real nature and danger of that fault is described together with the expected outcome when it next releases. ISBN 978-1-58243-643-2.
This is a science fiction story about space travel and meeting extraterrestrial intelligent creatures. Heinlein adds imaginative activities with solid scientific discussion in telling this story. A student gave me this book explaining that it was her favorite. With that recommendation, I read and enjoyed it even though I normally do not read fiction. Heinlein writes his fiction while explaining a great deal of solid scientific fact. ISBN 1-4165-0549-0.
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Last updated: September 7, 2024