Amazon has come out with their Editor's Picks for 2009. There are three categories that have books that are relevant to us here.
Science
- The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes
- Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species by Sean B. Carroll
- Complexity: A Guided Tour by Melanie Mitchell
- Fixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey Into Seeing in Three Dimensions by Susan R. Barry
- The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom by Graham Farmelo
- Every Patient Tells a Story by Lisa Sanders
- The Mathematical Mechanic: Using Physical Reasoning to Solve Problems by Mark Levi
- Truth, Lies, and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster by Allan J McDonald
- Dissection: Photographs of a Rite of Passage in American Medicine 1880-1930 by John Harley Warner
- The Monty Hall Problem: The Remarkable Story of Math's Most Contentious Brain Teaser by Jason Rosenhouse
Outdoors & Nature
- The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley
- Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability by David Owen
- Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places by Bill Streever
- Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager by Langdon Cook
- Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto by Stewart Brand
Business & Investing
- Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan
- SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good by Rosabeth Moss Kanter
- Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh MacLeod
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A big list of 35 titles in various categories: Astronomy, Biography, Biology, Climatology, Environmental Science, Evolution, Geology, Health Sciences, History of Science, Mathematics, Natural History, Neurology, Oceanography, Paleontology, Physics, Psychology, Science, Technology, Zoology.
This…
For the last little while I've been compiling lists from various media sources giving their choices for the best books of 2009. Some of the lists have been from general media sources, in which case I've just extracted the science-related books. From science publications, I've included most or all…
A pretty good list from the Times, who've been a bit spotty with their lists the last few years.
The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics Was Reborn by Louisa Gilder
The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes
Cold: Adventures…
The New York Times list of "Notable Books for 2009" has been released, which means it's time for my annual rant about how they've slighted science books. So, how did they do this year? Here are the science books on this year's list:
The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics Was Reborn By…
I'm curious as to your opinion. I've checked out these ten best lists and frankly, I'd be interested in reading about the Monte Hall problem. I didn't get it, til I tested it and re-phrased it...but a very cool use of mathematics...but, anyway...
I read Nick Lane's, "The ten greatest Inventions of Evolution," and was so impressed I went out and read his other works. I find what the guy has to say and discuss to be utterly fascinating. But, given I'm not seeing his book on the list, I wonder about his credibility or writing style. Does Lane provide a good source of information?
Mike, unfortunately I haven't actually read any of the books on the Amazon lists although many of them do look interesting and I'll probably get around to reading a couple of them, probably including the Monty Hall book. Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities by Jeffrey S. Rosenthal is a book I did read a few years ago and it has a good explanation of the Monty Hall problem.
The Lane book did get some good reviews, but I guess just didn't make the cut for Amazon. There are probably lots of good books out there not on the list.
Thanks!