Best Science Books - Non-Fiction Only (1837 books)

Popular or even technical science books that you thought were really well done.

Note: Please keep it to actual science - no politics or nutrition, unless the focus is very definitely on science. No science fiction, politics, history, religion, or self-help. Any book that doesn't meet the criteria will be removed.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 4.22 avg rating — 420,237 ratings score: 73,808, and 746 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking 4.21 avg rating — 476,465 ratings score: 57,721, and 587 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Cosmos by Carl Sagan 4.40 avg rating — 158,204 ratings score: 51,411, and 525 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 191,937 ratings score: 44,589, and 455 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 4.04 avg rating — 454,536 ratings score: 39,434, and 404 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan 4.29 avg rating — 79,948 ratings score: 29,189, and 301 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard P. Feynman (Contibutor) 4.26 avg rating — 216,847 ratings score: 27,875, and 288 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin 4.01 avg rating — 121,602 ratings score: 24,103, and 250 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 800,449 ratings score: 20,029, and 207 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt 4.01 avg rating — 894,485 ratings score: 19,354, and 202 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene 4.10 avg rating — 102,034 ratings score: 18,186, and 189 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter 4.29 avg rating — 52,361 ratings score: 17,707, and 184 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 4.34 avg rating — 1,246,582 ratings score: 15,802, and 163 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman 4.17 avg rating — 582,692 ratings score: 15,394, and 162 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks 4.05 avg rating — 244,878 ratings score: 14,755, and 155 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 56,006 ratings score: 14,244, and 152 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston 4.16 avg rating — 121,069 ratings score: 13,298, and 139 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Richard P. Feynman 4.61 avg rating — 8,072 ratings score: 12,665, and 132 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen W. Hawking 4.19 avg rating — 45,206 ratings score: 11,905, and 127 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 41,639 ratings score: 11,557, and 123 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan 4.34 avg rating — 39,329 ratings score: 11,476, and 122 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick (Goodreads Author) 4.03 avg rating — 40,854 ratings score: 10,795, and 115 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 28,664 ratings score: 10,575, and 112 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell 4.19 avg rating — 861,030 ratings score: 10,467, and 110 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 55,994 ratings score: 10,395, and 108 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee 4.34 avg rating — 113,642 ratings score: 10,136, and 107 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach 4.06 avg rating — 238,967 ratings score: 9,777, and 102 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh 4.30 avg rating — 33,306 ratings score: 9,729, and 103 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond 3.94 avg rating — 74,518 ratings score: 9,709, and 105 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 194,747 ratings score: 9,430, and 101 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel 3.99 avg rating — 76,092 ratings score: 9,210, and 99 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality by Brian Greene 4.13 avg rating — 40,501 ratings score: 9,120, and 97 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley 4.06 avg rating — 27,966 ratings score: 8,981, and 95 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Your Inner Fish: a Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 28,709 ratings score: 8,402, and 89 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell 3.96 avg rating — 620,376 ratings score: 8,185, and 88 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes 4.40 avg rating — 24,311 ratings score: 7,859, and 83 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh 4.30 avg rating — 28,860 ratings score: 7,825, and 85 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher by Richard P. Feynman 4.21 avg rating — 30,753 ratings score: 7,491, and 80 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn 4.03 avg rating — 29,772 ratings score: 7,342, and 79 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Silent Spring by Rachel Carson 4.06 avg rating — 54,608 ratings score: 7,298, and 79 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams 4.32 avg rating — 26,037 ratings score: 7,025, and 74 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Grand Design by Stephen W. Hawking 4.06 avg rating — 77,232 ratings score: 6,423, and 72 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The World Without Us by Alan Weisman 3.81 avg rating — 43,290 ratings score: 6,413, and 68 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence by Carl Sagan 4.19 avg rating — 21,433 ratings score: 6,394, and 70 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Stephen Jay Gould 4.14 avg rating — 10,246 ratings score: 6,159, and 66 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language by Steven Pinker (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 22,470 ratings score: 6,024, and 65 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker (Goodreads Author) 3.99 avg rating — 21,037 ratings score: 5,912, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	Bad Science by Ben Goldacre 4.06 avg rating — 44,760 ratings score: 5,635, and 60 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension by Michio Kaku 4.15 avg rating — 24,176 ratings score: 5,475, and 59 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 25,266 ratings score: 5,458, and 59 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell 4.01 avg rating — 852,235 ratings score: 5,429, and 61 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Double Helix by James D. Watson 3.84 avg rating — 19,975 ratings score: 5,327, and 59 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance by Laurie Garrett 4.22 avg rating — 10,734 ratings score: 5,284, and 55 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Goodreads Author) 4.10 avg rating — 32,188 ratings score: 5,244, and 57 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing by Lawrence M. Krauss 3.94 avg rating — 30,699 ratings score: 4,850, and 54 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku 4.10 avg rating — 41,406 ratings score: 4,788, and 52 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 472,889 ratings score: 4,738, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry 3.98 avg rating — 42,465 ratings score: 4,624, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 56,036 ratings score: 4,618, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Jared Diamond 4.08 avg rating — 28,593 ratings score: 4,571, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher by Lewis Thomas 4.14 avg rating — 10,398 ratings score: 4,497, and 47 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Relativity: The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein 4.20 avg rating — 22,975 ratings score: 4,459, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow 3.95 avg rating — 24,350 ratings score: 4,390, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	"What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard P. Feynman 4.19 avg rating — 30,615 ratings score: 4,230, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Why Evolution Is True by Jerry A. Coyne 4.19 avg rating — 26,004 ratings score: 4,197, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter by Richard P. Feynman 4.27 avg rating — 19,422 ratings score: 4,088, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 59,277 ratings score: 4,077, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism by Fritjof Capra 3.97 avg rating — 19,462 ratings score: 3,723, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely 4.12 avg rating — 130,770 ratings score: 3,609, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe by Simon Singh 4.21 avg rating — 18,821 ratings score: 3,523, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife 3.97 avg rating — 11,734 ratings score: 3,416, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	The Illustrated A Brief History of Time/The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen W. Hawking 4.31 avg rating — 10,109 ratings score: 3,362, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Man and His Symbols by C.G. Jung 4.19 avg rating — 33,501 ratings score: 3,355, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee 4.35 avg rating — 55,393 ratings score: 3,353, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum 4.01 avg rating — 37,038 ratings score: 3,278, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 10,825 ratings score: 3,270, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	Parallel Worlds: A Journey through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku 4.21 avg rating — 22,642 ratings score: 3,200, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff 3.84 avg rating — 17,939 ratings score: 3,181, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski 4.21 avg rating — 6,326 ratings score: 3,178, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner 4.17 avg rating — 9,910 ratings score: 3,136, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach 3.95 avg rating — 60,156 ratings score: 3,123, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by Al Gore 3.78 avg rating — 6,989 ratings score: 3,108, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene 4.11 avg rating — 20,883 ratings score: 3,097, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 205,388 ratings score: 3,020, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love by Dava Sobel 3.75 avg rating — 30,312 ratings score: 3,016, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science by Carl Sagan 4.05 avg rating — 10,864 ratings score: 3,007, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould 4.06 avg rating — 9,296 ratings score: 2,948, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Woman: An Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier 4.13 avg rating — 4,480 ratings score: 2,843, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Principia : Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy by Isaac Newton 4.24 avg rating — 4,813 ratings score: 2,807, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 78,938 ratings score: 2,785, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman 4.15 avg rating — 47,339 ratings score: 2,775, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 7,184 ratings score: 2,734, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	Black Holes & Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy by Kip S. Thorne 4.23 avg rating — 13,544 ratings score: 2,636, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human by V.S. Ramachandran 4.15 avg rating — 10,894 ratings score: 2,616, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	How to Hack Back Your Mind: Reclaim Control Over Your Life by Ramzi Najjar (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 74 ratings score: 2,600, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould 4.13 avg rating — 6,909 ratings score: 2,572, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould 4.13 avg rating — 3,609 ratings score: 2,569, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes And Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 134,194 ratings score: 2,517, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology by Simon Winchester 3.82 avg rating — 14,097 ratings score: 2,467, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris 3.93 avg rating — 12,059 ratings score: 2,417, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

← Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 18 19 Next →

1,837 books · 3,600 voters · list created August 22nd, 2008 by Cindy (votes) .

Tags: best, non-fiction, popular, science

2962 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (3600)

Cindy 10697 books
158 friends

Eli 4 books
2 friends

Alice 409 books
7 friends

Matthew 69 books
12 friends

Tara 861 books
283 friends

Aaron 15 books
2 friends

Jill 1716 books
98 friends

Greg 403 books
9 friends

More voters…

Post a comment »
Comments Showing 1-50 of 76 (76 new)

date

newest »

message 1: by Keely (new)

Mar 15, 2009 10:33PM

I adore Sophie's World, but it's a philosophy book rather than a science book.

reply | flag

message 2: by Cindy (new)

Jul 09, 2010 08:15PM

Brave New Woprld is science fiction, not science.

reply | flag

message 3: by Phoenixfalls (new)

Aug 20, 2010 09:49AM

There are four Isaac Asimov novels on this list: The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, Robots and Dawn, and Robots and Empire; please, can they be removed?

reply | flag

message 4: by Xenophon (new)

Sep 04, 2010 09:41AM

Phoenixfalls wrote: "There are four Isaac Asimov novels on this list: The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, Robots and Dawn, and Robots and Empire; please, can they be removed?"

Done.

reply | flag

message 5: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (last edited Feb 15, 2011 09:57AM) (new)

Feb 15, 2011 09:56AM

"Longitude"? "Sophie's World" (again)? "Galileo's Daughter"?

reply | flag

message 6: by Lesli (new)

Feb 24, 2012 12:38PM

Disappearing Spoon is in position 43 and 203.

reply | flag

message 7: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Feb 24, 2012 01:06PM

Fixed -- there were several duplicates, in fact. I've combined them.

reply | flag

message 8: by Cindy (new)

Feb 24, 2012 05:40PM

Thanks!

reply | flag

message 9: by Dreeanna (new)

Mar 15, 2012 06:45PM

Cindy wrote: "Brave New Woprld is science fiction, not science."

Agreed. Although, soma is now an actual drug and we do embrace an American society based on alphas and betas so it may have crossed the line into reality.

reply | flag

message 10: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Mar 16, 2012 02:22AM

I assume someone already removed Brave New World? I just went through the list and I could no longer find it.

reply | flag

message 11: by [deleted user] (last edited Mar 16, 2012 04:13AM) (new)

Mar 16, 2012 04:09AM

What about Sophie's World (Re-again, or again again... or something.) It's philosophy really, which I suppose is a science, but...

and I voted for Levi's The Periodic Table, but that's not really science either (despite the title), although there are some scientific elements.

reply | flag

message 12: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Mar 16, 2012 04:25AM

Well -- Sophie's World has a chapter about Aristotle, who wrote about (natural) science as well, and who believed that reality, or the natural world, is actually just a mirror of our conceptions of it (or something along those lines, I'm sure I'm badly misstating it). But that's really more a six degrees of separation thing for purposes of this list, as far as I'm concerned ...

Cindy?

reply | flag

message 13: by Cindy (new)

Mar 16, 2012 10:16AM

If the main concern is science, a biography of a scientist, or the history and development of a science, then it fits. If those are briefly mentioned, but the main thrust of the book is something else, then it doesn't fit. I haven't read Sophie's World or The Periodic Table, so I can't really decide on that.

reply | flag

message 14: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (last edited Aug 02, 2012 03:01AM) (new)

Mar 16, 2012 02:16PM

Oh, there's no doubt that the main concern of Sophie's Choice is philosophy. Like I said: more of a six degrees of separation kind of thing as far as science is concerned, insofar as it deals with philosophers who also wrote about science (like Aristotle for example) and had a world view generated from both disciplines!

ETA: Removed.

reply | flag

message 15: by Grace (new)

Aug 01, 2012 05:43PM

Did anyone else here notice that almost ALL of the authors here are men? This is an important trend to note. Males are much more likely to practice science and to publish popular books about science. So one may say science is a male-dominated field. This is a useful thing to notice, so that we can work to make the field of science less male-dominated and more equal for everyone :)

reply | flag

message 16: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Aug 02, 2012 03:00AM

Grace wrote: "Did anyone else here notice that almost ALL of the authors here are men? This is an important trend to note. Males are much more likely to practice science and to publish popular books about science..."

That was an issue when I went to school already (several decades ago) -- and even then people were saying it's not a new issue; in fact, anything but. Seems we're not making a lot of progress there, are we? (And no, I'm not a scientist, either, alas ...)

reply | flag

message 17: by Oni (new)

Sep 13, 2012 09:23PM

This is the best list I have ever found on goodreads. The other list on goodreads are mostly just jumble of books who people like or dislike, and some are even misclassified.
Thank you for bringing up this list.

reply | flag

message 18: by Ravi (new)

Oct 07, 2012 12:09PM

Why Freakonomics? Is the Definition of Science broad to include applied economics.Same applies to the Sequel and Dan Ariely's works.

reply | flag

message 19: by Celeste (new)

Jan 05, 2013 02:03AM

This is a great list! Thanks for creating this :)

reply | flag

message 20: by Ankita (new)

Jan 09, 2013 12:25PM

every day on earth..................a fact of 24 hours

reply | flag

message 21: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Jan 14, 2013 10:41AM) (new)

Jan 14, 2013 10:27AM

Why is The Secret Magdalene on here? It appears to be historical fiction.

ETA: Or, for that matter, The Zombie Room, which would appear to be a thriller about zombies.

Or Squire, by Tamora Pierce, a YA fantasy novel?

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho?

Mickey Mouses Picnic?!?!?!

Eternal Darkness, Blood King, a vampire novel?

Leaving Paradise, a YA romance?

Evil Star, a YA fantasy thriller?

Goodbye to All That, by Robert Graves, which is a memoir, mostly about the First World War.

The Mists of Avalon, a King Arthur novel???

reply | flag

message 22: by Rebecca (new)

Jan 14, 2013 02:19PM

There are quite a few novels here:

The Mists of Avalon
Tigana
A Conspiracy of Paper
The Road
The Egyptian

reply | flag

message 23: by Cindy (new)

Jan 14, 2013 02:42PM

Looks like we have a bunch of new voters who totally don't get it. I can remove the books, but can't remove the votes.

(naming names, there's Joyce, Denver, who else?)

reply | flag

message 24: by Rebecca (new)

Jan 14, 2013 02:50PM

Anne McCaffrey, JK Rowling, Ray Bradbury, Cassandra Clare, John Steinbeck.

reply | flag

message 25: by Cindy (new)

Jan 14, 2013 03:47PM

OK, I just spent over an hour getting all those fiction books off of the list. Also, no politics, no religion. The Constitution is a great document, but it is NOT science. There are other lists for things like that. No popular nutrition books.

reply | flag

message 26: by Cindy (new)

Jan 14, 2013 03:48PM

I'll be back tomorrow to clean up the rest.

reply | flag

message 27: by Cindy (new)

Jan 15, 2013 12:01PM

There, I think I got it all. I'm not 100% sure that architecture counts as a science, but I left those in for now. Also not sure about the mathematics books. Math is closely related to science, but not the same thing. Plus there are other lists for math books. Again, I left them in for now.

reply | flag

message 28: by Ali (new)

Jul 23, 2013 05:02AM

what a great list!

reply | flag

message 29: by Bill (new)

Aug 20, 2013 09:02AM

Is this list being maintained anymore? There are a good number of celebrity biographies and buddhist meditation guides on here; it seems that from entry #600 on, the list degenerates completely.

reply | flag

message 30: by Oni (new)

Aug 20, 2013 09:16AM

ups, you are right, Bill. needs lots of cleaning from #600 on.

reply | flag

message 31: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Aug 20, 2013 09:43AM

Cindy (who created this list) is usually pretty active about maintaining her own lists and removing what she doesn't want to see on them, so for the moment I'd defer to her.

That said, Cindy, if you want other librarians to lend a hand, do let us know!

reply | flag

message 32: by Cindy (new)

Aug 20, 2013 11:56PM

Sure, I'd welcome the help. I haven't checked the list in a little while. I wish people would read the directions!

reply | flag

message 33: by Bill (new)

Aug 21, 2013 05:06AM

Hi Cindy, Oni, and Themis-Athena,
Thanks for your replies and work on this list. I know a lot of effort goes into maintaining this, and I appreciate it.

reply | flag

message 34: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (last edited Aug 21, 2013 11:34AM) (new)

Aug 21, 2013 10:14AM

Bill wrote: "Hi Cindy, Oni, and Themis-Athena,
Thanks for your replies and work on this list. I know a lot of effort goes into maintaining this, and I appreciate it."

No problem. :)

Deleted, as either manifestly not science-focused nonfiction, or even fiction (as in "novels," not "pseudo-science"):
The Art of Happiness
For Laci: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss, and Justice
Sunflower Forest (fiction)
Murphy's Boy
In the Sanctuary of the Soul: A Guide to Effective Prayer
The Yoga of Jesus: Understanding the Hidden Teachings of the Gospels
The Last Undercover: The True Story of an FBI Agent's Dangerous Dance with Evil
Talk, Trust, and Feel
True Compass: A Memoir
The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam
Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations
Infidel
Forever Young: My Friendship with John F. Kennedy, Jr.
The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family
Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case
Killing Time: The First Full Investigation into the Unsolved Murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman
Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home
Not So Big House
A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central North America
Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear
Inside the Mind of Scott Peterson
Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment
Noble Heart: A Self-Guided Retreat on Befriending Your Obstacles
Awakening Loving-Kindness
The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology
The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self
Faith, Hope and Healing: Inspiring Lessons Learned from People Living with Cancer
Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing
Under Fire: An American Story
Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living
A Deadly Game: The Untold Story of the Scott Peterson Investigation
Emotional Healing through Mindfulness Meditation: Stories and Meditations for Women Seeking Wholeness
Calming Your Anxious Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Anxiety, Fear, and Panic
At Home in the Muddy Water: A Guide to Finding Peace Within Everyday Chaos
The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul
No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva
Being Well (Even When You're Sick): Mindfulness Practices for People with Cancer and Other Serious Illnesses
Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery
Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
I'll Be Short: Essentials for a Decent Working Society
The Red Tent (fiction)
A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race (listopia spam, in case anybody is wondering)
Control Switch On: The Untold Story Of The Most Powerful Man In The World-Ryan Moran-Who Shaped The Planet For Peace (ditto)
Your Meaning
Emotional Awareness: Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance and Compassion
Ruling Your World: Ancient Strategies For Modern Life
Meditation for Beginners
Life Code: The New Rules For Winning in the Real World
The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
Still Alice (fiction)

reply | flag

message 35: by Cindy (new)

Aug 21, 2013 12:47PM

Sounds much better. For clarification, books on forensic science where the emphasis is on SCIENCE are welcome. Books on true crime, where the story is about one particular case, are not.

reply | flag

message 36: by Cindy (new)

Aug 21, 2013 12:50PM

Also books on living with a disease where it's mostly about lifestyle, diet, personal experiences, don't belong on this list. Books about how the disease works, its history or epidemiology, its discovery or the science behind the treatment, those are welcome here. An example of a book that fits here is The Emperor of All Maladies about cancer.

reply | flag

message 37: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Aug 21, 2013 01:22PM

Yes, those were the lines I tried to stick to when going through the list as well -- I also didn't delete psychology books other than forensics-related or dealing with life with an illness if and where there was a clear emphasis on psychology as a branch of medical practice/science/research.

And FWIW, in keeping with your earlier comments, I also didn't touch any of the math books. In my long-gone school days I was taught to consider math a science, though not itself a "natural" science like biology, chemistry and physics, albeit closely related particularly to the latter. I'd find it hard to abandon that way of thinking.

reply | flag

message 38: by Cindy (new)

Aug 22, 2013 04:22PM

The line is such a close one, I can see your reasoning. I'm fine to leave the math books, I'm just not completely convinved.

reply | flag

message 39: by Babette (new)

Mar 12, 2014 02:44PM

Hi Cindy, new here, but I can think of a couple of solidly grounded books by women: Prodigal year and High Tide in Tuscon by Barbara Kingsolver, and Debt, by Margaret Atwood.

reply | flag

message 40: by Kamal (new)

Apr 15, 2014 02:16AM

Fab list - absolutely luved it.

reply | flag

message 41: by Lobstergirl (new)

Sep 22, 2014 06:56PM

I question whether these belong on here:

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Isn't that just pop social science? (I have not read it.)

God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

Isn't this more an anti-religious screed than a book about science?

reply | flag

message 42: by Paul (new)

Dec 11, 2014 06:58AM

Checked for duplicates: 5 books removed.

reply | flag

message 43: by Aglaea (new)

Dec 27, 2014 06:11PM

Humble thanks for keeping the list nice and cleaned up. Great resource.

reply | flag

message 44: by Lobstergirl (new)

Feb 14, 2015 03:31PM

Deleted

reply | flag

message 45: by Lloyd Burris (new)

Mar 18, 2015 12:35AM

Burris Numerical System - Expressing Numbers as a Function of Space and Time

This book shows how it is possible to have a Numerical System with numbers that stay the same number of digits but can represent as much information as you want. He has programs written in Microsoft basic that help explain the system. The first program in the book is the most interesting one. This is truly a undiscovered gem.

reply | flag

message 46: by Lobstergirl (new)

Jun 04, 2015 11:52PM

Arrowlush wrote: "Checked for duplicates: 5 books removed."

I don't think so. You're not a librarian.

reply | flag

message 47: by Giovanni (new)

Aug 06, 2015 08:41PM

good list

reply | flag

message 48: by Kefi (new)

Aug 14, 2015 02:03PM

I like this list! The description confused me though, because it says 'science', but excludes some social sciences (history and politics), but includes some sociology and philosophy books. Maybe it should have been confined to natural sciences.

So many books, so little time.

reply | flag

message 49: by Brit (new)

May 11, 2016 05:42AM