What single book is the best introduction to your field (or specialization within your field) for laypeople?

September 8, 2007 5:40 PM

What single book is the best introduction to your field (or specialization within your field) for laypeople?

I'm particularly interested in introductions for non-experts to subjects like biology, physics and astronomy, but I thought that opening up the question as broadly as possible would make it most interesting to me and other readers, especially as a future reference-point. I am thinking of books like "Mathematics for the Million", which made math accessible to a great deal of people.

posted by limon to education (234 comments total)

The Oxford Guide to Library Research by Thomas Mann is one of the most essential books for learning how to formulate a research question and then go about answering it.
posted by jessamyn at 5:51 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

The Art of Electronics and The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs are widely considered to fit the bill in electrical engineering and computer science, respectively.
posted by phrontist at 5:57 PM on September 8, 2007 [3 favorites]

Slightly more advanced, but still very much intended for the layman is What is Mathematics? (which I haven't got around to reading personally, but have heard nothing but good things about).

Bertrand Russel's The Problem's of Philosophy is well regarded in that field.
posted by phrontist at 5:59 PM on September 8, 2007

Oh, oh! This summer I read the extremely good "Very Short Introduction to the Philosophy of Science" which is part of a series by the Oxford University Press - all of which are intended to fill your exact need.
posted by phrontist at 6:02 PM on September 8, 2007 [2 favorites]

For electrical engineering: The Art of Electronics, for showing that developing an intuition in your field is at least as important as understanding the science of your field.

My mate, an ER nurse, says that for nursing it is a tie between any Anatomy & Physiology book and Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightingale.
posted by foobario at 6:08 PM on September 8, 2007

hey whipple, squeeze this by luke sullivan is the authority for advertising creatives.
posted by krautland at 6:10 PM on September 8, 2007 [3 favorites]

I'm a theoretical astrophysicist. I always recommend Our Cosmic Habitat by Martin Rees for astrophysics and Maths: A Very Short Introduction by Timothy Gowers for maths. Timothy Gowers's book in particular is amazingly clear and really gives an idea of what real pure maths research is like today, which is a very difficult thing to get across.
posted by caek at 6:30 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Carlson's Physiology of Behavior and Dowling's Neurons and Networks are two wonderful college-level texts that sparked my own interest in neuroscience. For introducing lay people to the practice of medical neurology, Oliver Sacks' works will probably not be surpassed for a long time.

I recently read Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe and I wouldn't mind caek's take on whether it was any good; I certainly enjoyed it a lot.
posted by ikkyu2 at 6:51 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Hearing Beyond the Words: How to Become a Listening Pastor, by Emma Justes is pretty much the standard in Chicago seminaries for introductory pastoral care classes.

And The Complete Modern Blacksmith is where you should begin if you want to start... blacksmithing.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:06 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Coming of Age in the Milky Way is one of my favorite non-technical books about astronomy, and specifically the history of the subject. This is the book I would recommend for the "interested layperson" (I think that layperson is a depressingly condescending term. Perhaps "non-specialist" is better).
posted by kiltedtaco at 7:09 PM on September 8, 2007

The Elements of User Experience, by Jesse James Garrett: web design and development.
posted by macinchik at 7:09 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

For the field of Historic Preservation, I'd be hard pressed to choose between The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs and How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand.

Great question, BTW.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:24 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

For radio, at least public radio, it's undoubtedly Radio: An Illustrated Guide by Ira Glass and Jessica Abel.
posted by YoungAmerican at 7:29 PM on September 8, 2007

All You Need To Know About The Music Business by Donald Passman. So many books about the music industry are complete nonsense. This is not one of those. Covers a wide range of complex topics thoroughly and clearly. A great primer for anyone interested in the recording industry or music publishing.
posted by quarterframer at 7:30 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

As far as I know, there isn't much in the way of technical literature for labor/community/political organizers, but Rules for Radicals seems to be required reading.
posted by univac at 7:40 PM on September 8, 2007

I've had a hard time thinking of one for law, but here's a shot:

Introduction to Legal Reasoning by Edward Levi. This was the first book I was assigned to read in law school.
posted by jayder at 7:40 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

I work in children's books editorial.

The sort of (kind of) joke answer is that anyone who is thinking of getting an entry level editorial job, (especially at a major media corporation, such as my workplace), should first read The Devil Wears Prada.

But the real answer, more specifically for children's books, is Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom, who is widely considered the greatest children's book editor of all time (so far! Look out world!)
posted by lampoil at 8:30 PM on September 8, 2007 [2 favorites]

The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy by John DeFrancis, maybe, or Chinese by Jerry Norman.
posted by bokane at 9:06 PM on September 8, 2007

Seconding the VSI series - I picked up 9 for the summer in a 3-for-2 deal, and they've been great.

For law (at least in the UK), the Introduction to... series by Clarendon tend to be the most used, although I always find that they skim everything rather quickly, rather than concentrating on a few things of a part of the law, thus leaving you both informed and intrigued.

I always find that reading the journals is actually more rewarding - greater scope for argument and analysis, without a need to set down what the law is. Rather, interest you in what the law could/should be.

I hear great things about Law, Liberty and Morality though, and have a copy on my shelf waiting to be read.
posted by djgh at 9:38 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Reminisences Of a Stock Operator. This book is the bible for self directed independent trading and speculation. I read it my first week in the business and keep a copy on my desk to this day 20+ years later. If you are disciplined, patient and can follow the lessons in this book, you can be successful at trading.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:23 PM on September 8, 2007 [2 favorites]

I read Genes at VII, but I bet it's still good at IX. It's a nice introduction to molecular biology. For methods, I recommend Molecular Cloning. Again, I haven't read the latest edition. But assuming there hasn't been drastic changes, it is a very informative and entertaining manual.
posted by Jorus at 10:52 PM on September 8, 2007

DNS & Bind - Cricket & Liu (O'Reilly)
posted by rhizome at 11:15 PM on September 8, 2007

Code Complete, by Steve McConnell, is well-recommended as an introduction to the practice of software construction, i.e. actually writing code.
posted by onalark at 11:23 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

For play directing, I've never found something I liked more than William Ball's A Sense of Direction. Totally inspiring every time I read it again.
posted by lauranesson at 11:50 PM on September 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

For making films, you need to read two books:
Directing the Film: Film Directors on Their Art and The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook.
posted by slimepuppy at 2:22 AM on September 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

For chemistry, this is a good read:

Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks

Not a textbook, but captures the sense of wonder that the discovery of science can inspire.
posted by kjs4 at 3:49 AM on September 9, 2007

Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business, by Paul Gipe.
posted by scruss at 5:24 AM on September 9, 2007 [2 favorites]

Books in the Digital Age: The Transformation of Academic and Higher Education Publishing in Britain and the United States by John Thompson. While it does focus a bit more on publishing in the UK rather than the US, the trends he describes are relevant to both markets.
posted by Toekneesan at 5:49 AM on September 9, 2007

Made to Measure: New Materials for the 21st Century is a fantastic introduction for lay people to the field of Materials Science. It is well written, very clear, scientifically pretty good, and quite non-mathematical.

It is a bit older (~10 years), and so some of the information may be out of date, but it's still a good read and I would recommend it highly.
posted by JMOZ at 6:10 AM on September 9, 2007

For aspects of microfabrication, MEMS, and nanotechnology: Marc Madou's Fundamentals of Microfabrication.
posted by Mapes at 7:00 AM on September 9, 2007

Beginning Glassblowing by Edward T. Schmid.
posted by ursus_comiter at 7:11 AM on September 9, 2007

Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease. Basic pathology for non-pathology doctors. I think that a layperson with a good foundation in biology would get quite a bit out of this.

Fantastic question btw
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 7:20 AM on September 9, 2007

Real World Color Management by Bruce Fraser. There many other books on Photoshop but this one takes on one of least understood and thorniest portions of the program and makes it understandable.
posted by doctor_negative at 7:51 AM on September 9, 2007 [3 favorites]

For psychometrics and educational measurement, it's Anastasi and Urbina's Psychological Testing. It gives a brief but insightful overview of nearly every testing topic I've ever wanted to look up.
posted by parkerjackson at 7:54 AM on September 9, 2007

I'm a web product manager, but my background is instructional design & technology. I can't think of anything more useful than Anglin's Instructional Technology: Past, Present, and Furture. For a fabulous look at the history of the field, Saettler's Evolution of American Educational Technology.

I was introduced to both of these books in my graduate program and I continue to pick them up seven years later.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 8:23 AM on September 9, 2007 [4 favorites]

so far there's no good popular science book that covers my general field, cognitive science, or my subfield, developmental cognitive science (alas). But there's a pretty good one for one of my areas of specailization - Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct lays out the basics of language acquisition and development in a very accessible and engaging way.
posted by dropkick queen at 8:47 AM on September 9, 2007 [3 favorites]

the fire inside by steve delsohn is a really good read about firefighters and EMS. he interviews 200+ people from the field, anonymously, about the job and all aspects of it. some amazing stories, funny as hell and just as sad. gives a really good insight into the subculture of the field as well.
posted by andywolf at 10:51 AM on September 9, 2007

The Money Machine by Phillip Coggan is a great guide to understanding the complexities of financial markets and breaks it down into simple, easily understood concepts. Highly recommended.
posted by ClanvidHorse at 1:50 PM on September 9, 2007 [13 favorites]

Robert Pinsky's "The Sounds of Poetry" is a concise, accessible introduction to poetry/poetics.
posted by brooklynexperiment at 2:34 PM on September 9, 2007 [2 favorites]

Robert Bringhurst's The Elements of Typographic Style will fascinate anyone who's been curious about why things they read look the way they do.
posted by zadcat at 7:55 PM on September 9, 2007 [7 favorites]

Dave Allan's Stream Ecology: Structure and Function of Running Waters is a very well-written paperback aimed at the undergraduate level that does a great job of talking about the biological, chemical, geomorphological, and hydrologic aspects of streams and rivers.
posted by hydropsyche at 5:45 AM on September 10, 2007 [1 favorite]

The Mud Pie Delimma is a must-read for anyone who wants to become a working artist, and not just in ceramics.

There's a good review of it here.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 7:50 AM on September 10, 2007 [2 favorites]

TCP/IP Illustrated. It's a little more specialized then most books I am seeing others answer with, but if you need to learn the inner workings of TCP/IP communications, this is your bible.
posted by ShootTheMoon at 9:37 AM on September 10, 2007

I particularly like the book Art and Physics that discusses the history of art in parallel with the history of physics. You get to see very quickly in this book how artists sometimes discovered things about the laws of physics before the physists of the time did. It's a great read!
posted by kathk at 3:39 PM on September 10, 2007 [2 favorites]

Don't Make Me Think is a great introduction to web usability.
posted by belladonna at 7:25 PM on September 10, 2007 [8 favorites]

I asked an economist this question a few years ago and he recommended The Age of Diminished Expectations, by Paul Krugman.
posted by russilwvong at 12:07 AM on September 11, 2007

For the film industry in general, I recommend The Movie Business Book by Jason Squire; it features essays by everybody involved in making a movie talking about what they do, from the director to the line producer to the guy who provides the completion guarantee bonds.
posted by yankeefog at 2:11 AM on September 11, 2007

For DJing:

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life.
posted by empath at 9:22 AM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

For urban planning, I'd point to a few essays in The City Reader.

And, of course, the above mentioned Death and Life of Great American Cities.
posted by gordie at 9:37 AM on September 11, 2007

Literary Theory, An Introduction, by Terry Eagleton.
posted by jokeefe at 9:46 AM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

For Crime Scene Investigation and Processing:

Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation

For Forensic Entomology:

A Fly for the Prosecution
posted by fallenposters at 9:50 AM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

For playwriting:

In Their Own Words, by David Savran. Contemporary playwrights talk about their lives and plays. Not a how-to; more of a "how come?"
posted by BClady at 9:54 AM on September 11, 2007

Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet is a fantastic book that gives a great overview of the sociology of religion on the internet.
posted by arcticwoman at 9:55 AM on September 11, 2007

Spiders and Their Kin (Golden Guide) for identifying spiders.
posted by Tehanu at 10:04 AM on September 11, 2007

Don't Make Me Think is a great introduction to web usability.

Second that. I'd even say it's the best introduction for web design.

I haven't found a book yet that effectively lays out the case for web accessibility to the lay person. Most of them are some combination of esoteric and technical.
posted by dw at 10:05 AM on September 11, 2007

For history, I'm fond of Richard Southern's The Making of the Middle Ages, though it's outside my field chronologically, and Gordon Wood's The Radicalism of the American Revolution, which is just stunning.
The book that first turned me into a historian was Lynn Montross' War Through The Ages, a well-written, but out of print, military history of Europe.

For philosophy, a good basic introduction, at least on the history-of-ideas level, is Durant's The Story of Philosophy.
posted by nasreddin at 10:42 AM on September 11, 2007

For film editing, the best book is In the Blink of an Eye. Walter Murch is the best.
posted by MythMaker at 10:49 AM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

For physics, The Cartoon Guide To Physics is great. It's cartoonish and fun, but accurate and not watered down. Feynman also gave a series of lectures at the college freshman level, available in print here, and they are absolutely wonderful, but large and expensive. See if a library has them.
posted by rossmik at 10:57 AM on September 11, 2007 [5 favorites]

Sub (copy) editing: Essential English for Journalists, Writers and Editors. Get it, and never use "on a daily basis" again.
posted by bonaldi at 10:59 AM on September 11, 2007 [5 favorites]

(history and nerd-centric)

Radicalism is a fantastic read, but not what I'd call approachable to the masses nor broad in scope. If you really wanted to get the Omnibus American Revolution text, I'd suggest his Creation of the American Republic. If you wanted something approachable and generally overview-y, I'd suggest Lies My Teacher Told Me instead.

If you're interested in the history of the internet and software development, I always point people toward Where Wizards Stay Up Late and Hackers, both well written and easy to read.

If you are a fencer, you must track down a copy of Aldo Nadi's On Fencing

If you are interested in the formation of the Christian canon, you really need to read Erhman's Misquoting Jesus.
posted by absalom at 11:04 AM on September 11, 2007

These aren't my 'fields' per se, but they are the books I've found most illuminating about subjects I have an interest in.

Finance/Investing: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (imho better than "security analysis" for the layperson)

Engineering: To Engineer Is Human by Henry Petroski - more than any other book I've read, including the art of electronics, this book describes the engineering mindset and though process, how engineers solve problems. (Art of Electronics is a great book, but it is a bit heavy on the math). Perfect for the non-engineer.
posted by Pastabagel at 11:05 AM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

If you wanted something approachable and generally overview-y, I'd suggest Lies My Teacher Told Me instead.


The problem is, to the modern reader that book sounds like it's picking a fight with an opponent that hasn't existed for 40 years.
posted by nasreddin at 11:24 AM on September 11, 2007

Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms - Paul Stamets.

Let's Grow Mushrooms - 2 DVD Set, featured on Cool Tools, condenses a lot of the highly technical information and practices from Stamets workflow into an easily digestible video format.
posted by prostyle at 11:24 AM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

Nthing 'Don't Make Me Think'. Not only is it an excellent layman's introduction to the topics of usability and web design, it will also provide sufficient instruction on how to effectively conduct usability tests and integrate them into web design and development process at a professional level. A remarkable feat.
posted by ardgedee at 11:46 AM on September 11, 2007

An alternative suggestion for learning about a common law system: Glanville Williams' Learning the Law.
posted by tiny crocodile at 12:16 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

CMOS Circuit Design, Layout, and Simulation by R. Jacob Baker is about the best introductory integrated circuit design text I've seen. IC design is my specialization within the field of Electrical Engineering. The previously Art of Electronics seems like the best introduction to the field as a whole.
posted by substrate at 12:20 PM on September 11, 2007

Monsters and Magical Sticks: There's no Such Thing as Hypnosis? by Heller & Steele. It'll give you an idea of what (some people think) is going on but you'd be hard-pressed to apply much of what you'd get out of it. (Hypnotherapy by Elman is much more practical but is a harder read for the layman.)
posted by Nomen Nescio at 12:21 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

As a consistent source of inspiration & information about all kinds of creative/communications endeavors, I return to the following all the time:

Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics (not just about comics!);
Edward Tufte's The Visual Display of Quantitative Information; and
the aforementioned The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst.

And for graphic design, you could do far worse than to start with this book.
posted by Haruspex at 12:28 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

For a slightly different approach to poetry than Pinsky's, Terry Eagleton's How to Read a Poem is good.

Or for a couple of fairly traditional approaches to meter and rhetoric in poetry (more from a writer's perspective than a critic's), Mary Kinzie's A Poet's Guide to Poetry and John Hollander's Rhyme's Reason are both solid.
posted by Hypocrite_Lecteur at 12:36 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

How to Brew by John Palmer is the best introduction to Homebrewing Beer. It's available online and free, at that link, and in print.

In that same vein, Ray Daniels' Designing Great Beers is a most awesome handbook to the history and crafting of many particular styles.
posted by Lafe at 12:57 PM on September 11, 2007 [5 favorites]

After much thought, Natenberg's Option Volatility & Pricing. Ignore the boring title, it is the most accessible book for an area in which even the basic principals are disputed (that is whether option pricing is supply/demand based on if, as Merton put it, we are spiraling towards "dynamic completeness" ... basically options can be manufactured endlessly). No need of advanced mathematics or a garduate degree in probability and statistics. So accessible I hear banks give their trainees this book on their first day. Keep in mind that while trainees are on a whole smart, not all are business majors.
posted by geoff. at 1:05 PM on September 11, 2007

The Investigative Reporter's Handbook is more than just an introduction, but it's pretty great, and has tools that anyone interested in gathering information about the world can use.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 1:08 PM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

For statistics, How to Lie with Statistics is a perennial favorite. It's mostly a cautionary tale aimed at understanding manipulation. If you really want to know about random variables, well, you probably aren't a layman.

For abstract math, I loved Chapter Zero, but it is more aimed at learning. By it's nature, it assumes almost no knowledge.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 1:09 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

While ubiquitous computation only really exists as a research domain, and a fledgling one at that, Adam Greenfield's Everyware is a very accessible introduction to what ubicomp systems look like today and what they will look like in the future.
posted by Nelsormensch at 1:38 PM on September 11, 2007

Ok, while I an't in any specialist field, my other half is heading into the area of Forensic Egyptology.

Osteology: Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual
Egyptian History: The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt
Egyptian Hieroglyphs: How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs
Archaeology: the self titled, Archaeology
posted by Nik_Doof at 1:40 PM on September 11, 2007

As someone who studies entrepreneurship, organizations, and innovation, two angles:

For practical use, Crossing the Chasm is a great introduction to high-technology sales, Influence is a really fun (and short) applied psychology book, and the Innovator's Dilemma is a great guide to technological change.

For the more academic, Eric Von Hippel's Democratizing Innovation (free online) is a great discussion of distributed innovation and open source, Aldrich's Organizations Evolving is a good work on the state of entrepreneurship, and the Social Construction of Technological Innovation is a readable introduction to why technology evolves the way it does.
posted by blahblahblah at 1:42 PM on September 11, 2007 [3 favorites]

For history, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts.
posted by beelerspace at 1:43 PM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

Fundamental Immunology as a reference text, and Immunobiology as a textbook.

On the path front, i_am_a_Jedi nails it.
posted by NucleophilicAttack at 1:47 PM on September 11, 2007

Geology: John McPhee's Annals of the Former World is a nice (though dated in some parts) nontechnical tour of North American geologic history.

Philosophy: Yes, Russell's Problems of Philosophy and Durants The Story of Philosophy are perennial favorites. A lot of the major works you can just start in on by yourself - eg Plato's The Republic. Free online, if you like that, and about a million commentaries on it are available. Ditto Descartes' The Meditations and many others.
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:52 PM on September 11, 2007

And again philosophy, Roger Scruton's A Short History of Modern Philosophy is a readable but serious introduction to major figures of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:54 PM on September 11, 2007

As for more basic biology, Jorus has it with Genes (I also used VII, but Genes IX is out now).

For cell biology, MBOC is canonical. However, it's rather outdated, given the recent advances in basic science with microRNAs.

For a good overview on general signal transduction pathways in cells, there's Krauss' Biochemistry of Signal Transduction and Regulation.

There's many biochemistry texts that are considered canon, but many people (not me) learned from Stryer.
posted by NucleophilicAttack at 1:56 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

And for formal logic see here.

list of recommended books for topics in physics and math

and of course, search Ask archives for topics of interest, since there have been a lot of good threads (eg "what's the best book on Chinese history?") with suggestions not mentioned here.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:03 PM on September 11, 2007

For architecture, particularly the technical side of how various buildings go together, I highly reccommend Ching's Building Construction Illustrated.

Almost all architectural theory started at Vitruvius' Ten Books on Architecture. The basic principles are all there and still apply in a general sense.

Recommending a good architectural theory book is impossible, since there are literally thousands of schools of thought. Architects = Ego. Go figure.
posted by Benway at 2:13 PM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

Mechanics of Flight by A.C Kermode is the best book to read if you ever wondered how aeroplanes fly and why they're shaped that way.
posted by racingjs at 2:19 PM on September 11, 2007

The best general introduction to linguistics I've encountered is David Crystal's Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. It's not organised as an encyclopedia, but as a series of one- or two-page summaries on major topics in linguistics. Highly readable, informative, and written with the intelligent layperson in mind.
posted by Paragon at 2:27 PM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

(Radiology)

Squire's Fundamentals of Radiology by Robert Novelline
posted by aswihart at 4:06 PM on September 11, 2007

The Family Cow by Dirk Van Loon.

So it's not precisely what I do. There don't seem to be any digestible books on that subject.
posted by zennie at 4:16 PM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

Graphic Design:

Design, Form, and Chaos by Paul Rand.

Typography:

Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works by Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger.

And I third The Elements of Typographic Style.
posted by muscat at 4:43 PM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

I have to link back to reddit's thread on this thread, since it contains some good suggestions (whiskey, drawing animals, poker...) as well , and because they bitch about askme 's 'presentation'.
posted by of strange foe at 4:47 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

As for the Christian canon and the origins of the Bible, I have personally found The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible by Paul D. Wegner to be not only comprehensive but easily read and understood.
posted by mumeishi at 4:59 PM on September 11, 2007

Aspiring high school English teacher:

The Literature Workshop, by Sheridan Blau

Written in an almost narrative form with lots of simulated classroom discussion so you can see how a highly effective student-centered class operates.
posted by themadjuggler at 4:59 PM on September 11, 2007 [5 favorites]

Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir was published in 1921. I think it's still the best introduction to what linguistics is all about. It was written in an unassuming style, and manages to explain complex ideas like the phoneme memorably and intelligibly.
posted by snifty at 5:40 PM on September 11, 2007 [4 favorites]

Aspiring high school English teacher into lefty politics:

Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks. She frames the book as a response to Paolo Friere's famous Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and her language is much more accessible than Friere's.
posted by HeroZero at 5:41 PM on September 11, 2007 [4 favorites]

For anyone who is interested in children, education and schools or certainly anyone interested in teaching, I would highly recommend (among others) How Children Learn, by John Holt. It's not technical at all.
posted by jaronson at 5:45 PM on September 11, 2007 [3 favorites]

Fiction:
On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner
The Lie that tells a Truth by John Dufresne

My mate is a lighting designer, among other things:
Stage Lighting Design: The Art, The Craft, The Life by Richard Pilbrow
posted by Bookhouse at 6:00 PM on September 11, 2007 [6 favorites]

Moving the Earth
posted by jfuller at 6:14 PM on September 11, 2007

For a layman's understand of biology- ranging from the broad animal kingdom to plant life to a decent introduction into molecular biology- Biology is a wonderful resource and doesn't require any previous biology.
posted by jmd82 at 7:15 PM on September 11, 2007

I'm Just Here for the Food
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:23 PM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

If you want to learn how to repair metal bodywork, The Key to Metal Bumping by Frank T. Sargent is still the definitive introduction more than 50 years after it was written.
posted by maxwelton at 8:47 PM on September 11, 2007

Thinking in Java was the first book I picked up when learning Java and I still use it to this day.
posted by toomuch at 8:49 PM on September 11, 2007

For authors, no matter what your genre, The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner and Putting Your Passion Into Print, by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, will tell you almost everything you need to know about the business of publishing.
posted by annabellee at 8:51 PM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]

Game designer:

I highly recommend Rules of Play. To my mind, it's the first really substantive and truly educational book on the topic, and though it can be pretty academic at times it should be generally readable to anyone with an interest in the topic.
posted by Inkslinger at 9:15 PM on September 11, 2007

The last few years of my life, my "field" has been parenting. So I'm going to go with Taking Charge of Your Fertility, and Becoming The Parent You Want To Be.

That said, a good book on mixing drinks has come in mighty handy many times over the last little while.
posted by padraigin at 9:22 PM on September 11, 2007 [3 favorites]

Law:

Law 101: Everything you Need to Know About the American Legal System.

Great concise book, walking you through the highlights of what you would learn in a first-year law school curriculum.
posted by falconred at 10:39 PM on September 11, 2007

It doesn't go into history at all, but as I see philosophy as a skill, my favorite introduction to the field is Del Kiernan-Lewis's Learning to Philosophize: A Primer.
posted by ontic at 11:05 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

For screenwriting, the bible is Lajos Egri's The Art of Dramatic Writing.
posted by DudeAsInCool at 11:23 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'm a math grad student, and I think Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz is a really nice book that covers a lot of the more interesting math principles that affect everyday life, as well as some surprisingly abstract concepts that I didn't actually learn in a class till the upper level of undergraduate studies. This should be accessible to almost anyone. It's not a particularly technical introduction to math, but it is a great introduction to some of the concepts and mathematical gems that are normally not known to people outside of the field.
posted by Earl the Polliwog at 11:39 PM on September 11, 2007

A very informative book on the singing of opera and classical music is Jerome Hines's Great Singers on Great Singing, a series of interviews with high-profile opera singers about the mechanics of their craft.

It can't teach you to sing-- no book can-- but it provides a lot of insight into how others sing.
posted by Pallas Athena at 11:45 PM on September 11, 2007

Seconding Pastabagel's recommendation, and adding Steven Casey's "Set Phasers on Stun" and Kim Vicente's "The Human Factor" for all those more engineering/technical minded folks that care about the people that use their creations.
posted by anthill at 1:22 AM on September 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

For Mariners: International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea is the bible - albeit not exactly a delightful read.
posted by rongorongo at 1:41 AM on September 12, 2007

Field: Gynaecology by Ten Teachers is by far my favourite undergrad gynaecology textbook, and I should imagine is just about approachable for a layperson if armed with a medical dictionary.
Sub-specialisation: Female Urinary Incontinence in Practice which is suitable for anyone with any basic healthcare training.
posted by roofus at 3:28 AM on September 12, 2007

unexpected side-bonus of this great thread: finding out what other MeFites are experts in. Forensic Entomology? Opera Singing? We need to have a MeFite talent show sometime.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:29 AM on September 12, 2007

For morticians, clergy, or anyone who may ever die (or know anyone who might die one day) The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade
posted by ColdChef at 4:34 AM on September 12, 2007 [2 favorites]

For the feel and practice of psychotherapy: On Kissing, Tickling, and Being Bored by Adam Phillips.

On the science of how and why psychotherapy works: The Great Psychotherapy Debate by Bruce Wampold.
posted by OmieWise at 6:14 AM on September 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

The main things I do: directing classic plays, programming, teaching, writing and being a husband.

-- PLAYMAKING: (1) "A Practical Handbook for the Actor." This is the Strunk and White of acting books (it's short and to-the-point), and it's also a great book for fiction writers. A century's worth of acting theory is distilled into a useful recipe.

(2) "Thinking Shakespeare." This book contain literally EVERYTHING you need to know in order to rehearse and perform Shakespeare plays. It's really useful for actors/directors who want direct non-Shakespeare plays, too. And it's fun for the non-thespian Shakespeare enthusiast.

-- PROGRAMMING: "The Little Lisper" (a.k.a. "The Litter Schemer"). This book won't get you a job as a code monkey, but it will help you understand how programmers think (or should think) and why programming is beautiful. The book itself is the only programming book I've ever read that I'd consider a work of art.

-- TEACHING: "How Children Fail." It should really be called "How Teachers Fail."

-- WRITING: "Politics and The English Language" (I'm not interested in Politics, but this essay pretty much taught me how to write) and "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses." (Who better to teach you writing than George Orwell and Mark Twain?)

-- HUSBANDING: "You Just Don't Understand" is written by a linguist who treats men and women as if they're from two different cultures. This book is really good for teachers and writers, too.
posted by grumblebee at 7:30 AM on September 12, 2007 [9 favorites]

My field: Dictionaries, the Art and Craft of Lexicography by Sidney Landau.

My specialization, both hard to find:

History/narrative: Looking Up: an account of the COBUILD project in lexical computing

Future: Lexicography and Natural Language Processing: A festschrift in honor of B.T.S. Atkins
posted by xueexueg at 8:10 AM on September 12, 2007

For software programmers or for people who need to think about security theory, Bruce Schneier's Applied Cryptography is the shiznit.
posted by cmiller at 8:33 AM on September 12, 2007 [2 favorites]

As someone who does a lot of presentations, I find Cliff Atkinson's Beyond Bullet Points to be invaluable.

As is Edward Tufte's Visual Display of Quantative Information.
posted by mooders at 8:53 AM on September 12, 2007 [2 favorites]

Thinking further, given that I tend to write a lot Fowler's Modern English Usage is also pretty useful.
posted by mooders at 8:58 AM on September 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

Seconding Biology by Campbell & Reece.

Foelix's Biology of Spiders is a more comprehensive introduction to spider biology than the Golden Guide I mentioned before.
posted by Tehanu at 9:25 AM on September 12, 2007

Parachuting: The Skydiver's Handbook by Dan Poynter.
posted by Tubes at 10:34 AM on September 12, 2007

I forgot to mention that as a day job, I paint scenery for theatres, and the newest edition of Scenic Art for the Theatre has a bunch of great interviews with other scenic artists, as well as tips on how to make anything look like expensive wood.
posted by lauranesson at 12:01 PM on September 12, 2007

Korfhage's Information Storage and Retrieval was the key that unlocked most of the math behind major IR theories for me. Most everything else I might offer comes in the form of journal articles which don't really qualify here.
posted by Fezboy! at 12:24 PM on September 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

[Good thread.] I would just like to thank Tehanu, for reminding me to look up the name of the local arachnid population. Spined Micrathena mostly, and some Argiopes. That's handy!
posted by steef at 1:02 PM on September 12, 2007

I have yet to find the right primary care medicine book for the lay person (and who would read such a book?), but The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down describes many of the day to day challenges I deal with.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 1:30 PM on September 12, 2007

from my time as a pastry chef:
The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry
by Bo Friedman
posted by culberjo at 5:24 PM on September 12, 2007

William Zinsser, On Writing Well
posted by gottabefunky at 5:29 PM on September 12, 2007 [2 favorites]

You guys are way cooler than me.

DVD Demystified, 3rd Edition.
posted by infinitewindow at 5:29 PM on September 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

Needless to say, your responses have been great. Thanks so much. I hope they keep coming. I won't mark a best answer, due to the nature of the thread.
posted by limon at 9:01 PM on September 12, 2007

The Trouble with Physics by Lee Smolin has one of the more accessible history of physics sections I have run across
posted by doppleradar at 9:09 PM on September 12, 2007

For writers: Grumblebee mentioned Strunk and White in passing, but oddly enough, nobody's actually listed their Elements of Style. Read it, if only to know what rules you're breaking.

For budding urbanists: After you've finished the Jane Jacobs, consider James Howard Kunstler's The Geography of Nowhere, a succinct and entertaining introduction to the orthodoxies of anti-suburbanism.

For journalists, and foreign correspondents especially: Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh is most highly recommended. A 60-year old satire of Fleet Street that couldn't be a better introduction to the cynicism of journalists, the weariness of their bosses, or the absurdity of the places they're sent to.
posted by bicyclefish at 9:53 PM on September 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

From what I've heard from animator friends, Disney's Illusion of Life has still got it. Sure, it's a bit rah-rah Disney but it's by some of the biggest names in the history of the field and there's treasure on every page.

I still haven't read a book about programming that really conveyed to me what my daily life is like. They tend to be either too romantic ("making the bits dance"...uh huh) or absolutely dull.
posted by crinklebat at 10:22 PM on September 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

Computer programming: Gerald Weinberg, The Psychology of Computer Programming.
posted by russilwvong at 10:42 PM on September 12, 2007

Maldoror, by the Comte de Lautramont (Isidore Ducasse) - I'm a surrealist.
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:35 AM on September 13, 2007 [3 favorites]

Lautreamont. (Perec moment)
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:35 AM on September 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

Another about poetry: How Does A Poem Mean, by John Ciardi.
posted by box at 5:14 AM on September 13, 2007

for photography Langford's Basic Photography and , inevitably, Photoshop for Photographers
posted by brilliantmistake at 5:51 AM on September 13, 2007 [2 favorites]

An update, since this thread is going so well. Here's my suggestions for all the budding artists out there.

If you're interested in ceramics (or specifically pottery) you need the following: Clay and Glazes for the Potter by Rhodes and Hopper for all the basics, Val Cushing's Handbook (only available from the man himself) for everything technical, The Kiln Book by Olsen for everything on kilns and firing, and Turners and Burners by Zug for the history of it all.

For photography: The Camera, The Negative and The Print, all by Ansel Adams, got me thinking in the right way, and I still refer to them even in this digital age.

For painting: Formulas for Painters by Massey and The Painter's Handook by Gottsegen. And The Art of Encaustic Painting by Marttera for encaustic work, specifically.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 8:38 AM on September 13, 2007 [3 favorites]

For knitting, particularly sweater knitting: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears!
posted by bitter-girl.com at 9:09 AM on September 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you want to learn how to write clear, concise English then George Orwell's Politics and the English Language is the essay to read. Don't be put off by the title - it's relevant for anyone who wants to avoid jargon and cliche in their writing.
posted by little apollo at 9:55 AM on September 13, 2007 [4 favorites]

Up At The Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell.
posted by Football Bat at 11:49 AM on September 13, 2007

A: The Flying Circus of Physics. Q: How do you get young people hooked on the wonders of physics?

A: Making Music for the Joy of It. Q: I want to learn a musical instrument as an adult, where do I start?

A: Your Money or Your Life . Q: How do I become financially independent?

A: The Four Pillars of Investing. Q: How do I invest successfully?

A: Don't Believe Everything You Think. . Q: Why my brain not work so well?

A: Juggling for the Complete Klutz. Q: I'm clumsy but I like to throw things around, where can i get some help?
posted by storybored at 12:29 PM on September 13, 2007 [4 favorites]

Phrontist is my hero.

Introduction to Financial Accounting: A User Perspective

The Guide to Understanding Financial Statements
posted by IndpMed at 2:08 PM on September 13, 2007

The late great Steve Allen's tome "How To Be Funny" is indispensible for the disgruntled stand up comedian wannabe. It is chock full of examples of what is funny, distilled by a professional in such a way as to remove any humor from said examples by process of dissection, and then adroitly fails to show how to actually be funny. Essentially, "How To Be Funny" explains one either is funny or is not, and one can work at it all their life and one will still be unfunny, unless other people of course determine that one actually is funny, at which point one should be prepared to give speeches at fancy suit and tie dinners just in case. Steve Allen also applauds the use of index cards, but doesn't quite get around to saying why.

The book then eventually descends into the madness of a happily married couple editing one another's notes on the subject and discussing them over the breakfast table for several months at at time. At least, I hope that was a breakfast table, because I don't want to imagine Allen and his wife in bed together, although it'd probably be like an episode of I Love Lucy come to think of it. Y'know, separate beds... Oh great now I've thought of it. Now I gotta wash my mind out with soap. Great. That's just great.
posted by ZachsMind at 2:49 PM on September 13, 2007

Trail Solutions, from the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA). While it draws heavily on an existing base of trail building books and known procedures, its the best in terms of layout, diagrams and pictures. The techniques presented are applicable to hiking and equestrian trails, as well as mountain bike trails.

For trail crew leaders, the best manual is from Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado.
posted by F Mackenzie at 3:15 PM on September 13, 2007

...As for my actual profession, Richard Belzer once wrote a book which was his attempt at humor, and in his introduction he suggested anyone who wants to do comedy but isn't actually funny should look into telemarketing.

I don't recommend Belzer's book, or any book about telemarketing.
posted by ZachsMind at 3:50 PM on September 13, 2007

The Anatomy of Melancholy
Partial Contents: Definition of Melancholy; Causes of Melancholy; Bad Diet; Passions and Perturbations of the Mind; Symptoms or Signs of Melancholy in the body; Prognosticks of Melancholy; Unlawful Cures Rejected; Lawful Cures; Diet Rectified; Deformity of Body, Sickness, Baseness of Birth; Against Poverty and Want and other Adversities; Against: Servitude, Loss of Liberty, Imprisonment, Sorrow for death of Friends, Vain Fear, Envy, Emulation, Hatred, Ambition, Self-love, and all other Affections; Against: Repulse, Abuses, Injuries, Disgraces, Slanders; Cure of Melancholy all over the Body; Love-Melancholy; Symptoms or Signs of Love-Melancholy; Symptoms of Jealously, fear, sorrow, suspicion; Cure of Jealously; Religious Melancholy. An outstanding analysis of what melancholy is, its kinds, causes, symptoms, prognosticks, and several cures for it; Philosophically, Medicinally, and Historically.
posted by vronsky at 10:30 PM on September 13, 2007 [