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Looking for book recommendations

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  • 06-02-2011 4:51am
    #1
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭


    Usual authors for me are: Richard Dalkins, Stephen Pinker, Matt Ridley, Jared Diamond, John Griben and a couple more whose names I forget. I was wondering if anyone had any different authors along similar lines (i.e. Physics, Biology, Genetics, Economy, Mind/Brain/Psychology and so on) that they could recommend to me?


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    #2
    Macha
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 6,376 Mod ✭✭✭✭Macha


    I would recommend:

    An Ocean of Air by Gabrielle Walker. Tells the stories behind the scientists who made the great atmospheric discoveries. A surprising amount of Irish scientists involved. She has another called Snowball Earth that I haven't read yet.

    Leviathan or The Whale by Philip Hare. The history of whaling, following humanity's fascination with whales and how little we really know about them.

    Nudge by Sunstein & Thaler. Behavioural economics.

    Some I haven't read but intend to:

    Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. More behavioural economics.
    Life Ascending by Nick Lane
    The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz
    The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli and others on Planet Money's 'Must Read' list.


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    #3
    Reesy
    Registered Users Posts: 716 ✭✭✭Reesy


    I've really enjoyed 2 popular science books recently:

    Connected, by Christakis & Fowler. All about how we influence each other in ways that you never imagined.

    Parasite Rex, by Carl Zimmer. http://carlzimmer.com/books/parasiterex/index.html. Stomach-turning but a brilliant insight into how parasites are inimical to our very existance.

    ...and I think that this just about falls into the category: http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/0688128165. It's about the techniques that salespeople & others use to get you to do what they want, and how to deal with such threats. A practical guide unlike the other two, hence my reticence about the category. Well worth a read, and will save you money!

    All 3 are IMHO scholarly & well written. Next I'm hoping to try something by Robin Dunbar.


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    #4
    Thomas_S_Hunterson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,151 ✭✭✭Thomas_S_Hunterson


    Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R Hofstadter is an excellent book and broadly covers quite a few of the subjects you've listed.

    Overwhelmingly recommendable.

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Godel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-anniversary/dp/0140289208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296984179&sr=8-1


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    #5
    bobk
    Registered Users Posts: 370 ✭✭bobk


    You should check out the bookshop in the Science Gallery, they seem to have a great selection of quirky science titles


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    #6
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    bobk wrote: »
    You should check out the bookshop in the Science Gallery, they seem to have a great selection of quirky science titles

    Not a Dub so unfortunately don't have access to the better bookshops in the country. :(


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    #7
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    Should mention that I've an academic background in Economics (and Physics/Applied Maths) and that makes me quite picky about Economics books! Have not been impressed by Dan Ariely at all!


    Two of the best economics books I've read that I'd heartedly recommend to all:

    Reinventing the Bazaar: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reinventing-Bazaar-Natural-History-Markets/dp/0393323714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297034128&sr=1-1 (Hugely recommended)

    The Wisdom of Crowds: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisdom-Crowds-Many-Smarter-Than/dp/0349116059/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297034162&sr=1-1 (Very interesting but worth reading sceptically)


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    #8
    Macha
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 6,376 Mod ✭✭✭✭Macha


    nesf wrote: »
    Should mention that I've an academic background in Economics (and Physics/Applied Maths) and that makes me quite picky about Economics books! Have not been impressed by Dan Ariely at all!
    Yikes - really?

    Thanks for those recommendations.

    One I would recommend on environmental economics is Natural Capitalism by Amory Lovins et al. It's kind of the origins of the TEEB project, if you're familiar with that.

    Another few that are on my list (but that I haven't read yet):
    The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande and
    The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes it Hard to be Happy by Michael Foley
    Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman


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    #9
    doopa
    Registered Users Posts: 435 ✭✭doopa


    nesf wrote: »
    Usual authors for me are: Richard Dalkins, Stephen Pinker, Matt Ridley, Jared Diamond, John Griben and a couple more whose names I forget. I was wondering if anyone had any different authors along similar lines (i.e. Physics, Biology, Genetics, Economy, Mind/Brain/Psychology and so on) that they could recommend to me?

    Its edited by Dawkins but thankfully he resisted the urge to fill it with his own essays...

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Book-Modern-Science-Writing/dp/0199216800

    It is a good place to find other authors - think of it as a sampler. One other one like that was called - What's your dangerous idea, though the ideas were all one page so it was a lot more miss than hit. But again is a good place to find authors that you may be interested in.

    Steven Jay Gould, Steven Rose for Biology. Whatever you call the guy that
    wrote Sociobiology for contrast to those two.

    General Society stuff - I enjoyed this one recently - though your mileage may vary: http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/resources/transcripts/1030.html

    I'd also consider reading some philosophy of science writers if you've exhausted the list of popular scientists, Karl Popper (that falsifiablity one), Thomas Kuhn (scientific revolutions), C.P. Snow (the two cultures). They are all pretty readable - with the possible exception of Popper, but you can safely skip chapters.


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    #10
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    Yeah I have that Oxford anthology, it's very good. Would recommend it as an excellent starting point in popular science actually. Gave it to my brother-in-law who was starting to study biology at the time and he thought it was the best book he'd ever read (I've since piled 20 odd books on him on various topics... :D).


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    #11
    ger vallely
    Registered Users Posts: 766 ✭✭✭ger vallely


    The Age Of Wonder by Richard Holmes. I've just finished this. It was a fantastic history of the romantic era and the main players at the time. William and John Herschel, Farraday, Joseph Banks and the Montgolfiers are just some of those explored in the book. it's a joy to read and so informative. I requested it in my local library and they happily obliged.


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    #12
    Ellunia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭Ellunia


    Bill Bryson, 'The short history of nearly everything' - the book is NOT short, I warn you :) Bryson is not a scientist so the book has been criticised for some minor inaccuracies, but generally it's a very good, reliable, interesting read. And written in an absolutely brilliant style - you swallow it like a fascinating novel. This book is a story of humans discovering the world, its history and functioning. Full of anecdotes and picturesque details.

    Books by Robin Dunbar - Dunbar is famous for his, that is Dunbar's, number: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number
    The books I know ('Grooming, gossip and the evolution of language' and 'How many friends does a person need?') are devoted to the earliest stages of our evolution and how our society turned to have features unique to our species. A very good read, too, not easy to put away.


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    #13
    KittyeeTrix
    Registered Users Posts: 7,239 ✭✭✭KittyeeTrix


    Prof. Wallace Arthur
    Evolution: A developmental approach

    I had Wallace for zoology last year and just happened today to hear him on Rte Radio this afternoon discussing his new book. Sounded very interesting and if his writing is anything like his lecturing style then this book should make an interesting, informative and enjoyable read.

    Here is a link with a bit more information about the book:)

    http://www.nuigalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/news.php?p_id=1521


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    #14
    Aaron_Ragmaan
    Registered Users Posts: 41 ✭Aaron_Ragmaan


    Bad Science by Ben Goldacre

    **13 Things That Dont Make Sense By Micheal Brooks ** Amazing book


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    #15
    DailyBlaa
    Registered Users Posts: 104 ✭✭DailyBlaa


    Simon Singh: Big Bang, The Code Book

    Brian Cathcart: The Fly in the Catheral (great book about Cockcroft and Walton)

    Frank Close: The Cosmic Onion

    Brian Greene: The Elegant Universe

    Len Fisher: Rock, Paper, Scissors (Game Theory book) , The Perfect Swarm

    Brian Clegg: The God Effect (Quantum Entanglement)

    Bruce Bueno De Mesquita: Prediction (Game Theory)

    Peter Miller: Smart Swarm (group intelligence and swarm logic)

    There are lots more but these are ll well worth a read


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    #16
    Improbable
    Registered Users Posts: 1,576 ✭✭✭Improbable


    Since you like Matt Ridley, I'm assuming you've already read The Red Queen.

    Can't recommend Life Ascending by Nick Lane highly enough. Others include:

    Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Gilbert
    The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene
    Any books by Steven Pinker


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    #17
    Beeker
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,645 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beeker


    Anything / Everything by Carl Sagan.


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    #18
    Ellunia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭Ellunia


    I am currently lookig for some popular science literature regarding dreams and laughter - the physiology, evolutionary issues, psychology, how they develop from an early age etc. I'd like to be able to enjoy the book and to understand it, so I'd love it (them) to be a nice and understandable read, nothing strictly academic. Can you think of anything like that?


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