Which books can a physicist and a liberal arts type trade to gain a deeper appreciation of literature and science, respectively? Ideally, these would be books we could both read and enjoy. [more inside]
posted by Diagonalize on Nov 2, 2009 - 40 answers

Looking for book recs about sci-fi, specifically about gender issues and jetpack-related physics. [more inside]
posted by mumble on Aug 23, 2009 - 27 answers

What's the best literary equivalent of Alien/Aliens? [more inside]
posted by fearfulsymmetry on Aug 9, 2009 - 21 answers

What's the best reading available for a summary of "Junk Science"? [more inside]
posted by Neale on Jul 1, 2009 - 21 answers

Do you know of any old books which predicted (correctly or incorrectly) 'future' advances and applications of emergent technology? [more inside]
posted by Pennyblack on Jun 25, 2009 - 19 answers

What are your favorite layman's natural history books? [more inside]
posted by ajarbaday on Mar 27, 2009 - 20 answers

I’m trying to remember the name of a set of themed encyclopedias for children from my childhood. [more inside]
posted by studentbaker on Mar 9, 2009 - 11 answers

What small, easy-to-carry-around books provide a satisfying introduction to mathematic and scientific fields, topics and/or concepts? [more inside]
posted by shaun uh on Feb 28, 2009 - 15 answers

Recommend non-fiction books about animals -- books that will blow my mind. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Feb 10, 2009 - 43 answers

What are some easy, relatively quick ways to learn to write better, think clearer, and express myself better? [more inside]
posted by Bageena on Jan 28, 2009 - 24 answers

I'm looking for recommendations on some must-read/classic literature from the social and environmental fields of science. [more inside]
posted by jofuu on Jan 20, 2009 - 9 answers

I'm trying to remember a children's science fiction book (or series of books) that I read about 35 years ago. One had a giant tentacled creature that held the good guys in its tentacles--drawn either on the cover or within the book. The other book I think was called "The Boy With the Power". The boy of the title I think was eventually revealed to have telekinisis or something, but as the book starts, he has amnesia and wakes up on a planet of Alpha Centuri, where he walks by a barbecue, smells hot dogs and hamburgers, and finds the hambergers tastier. Odd collection of things I remember--can anyone find links to the actual books?
posted by Schmucko on Nov 14, 2008 - 1 answer

Recommend some works similar to The Long Tail, Predictably Irrational, and Freakonomics. [more inside]
posted by joshrholloway on Aug 20, 2008 - 25 answers

Looking for an engaging, well-written book that explains scientific thinking [more inside]
posted by ManInSuit on Aug 5, 2008 - 30 answers

I need to know the table of contents for the 2nd edition of Eysenck and Keane's Cognitive Psychology: A Student's Handbook, published in 1990, ISBN# 0863771548 [more inside]
posted by Squid Voltaire on Jul 18, 2008 - 4 answers

I'm looking for an old science fiction novel about an evil, blue giant titled "The Blue Man" - the Google and Amazon search is poisoned by both The Blue Man Group, and a young-adult science fiction novel "The Blue Man" which isn't it at all. [more inside]
posted by Slap*Happy on Jun 27, 2008 - 3 answers

I'm going to college soon. (Age 24; been working a desk job in health care since I was 18.) I've got an inkling I want to study biology. Recommend me some books to help me get the lay of the land and get fired up about this. [more inside]
posted by Attackpanda on Apr 4, 2008 - 23 answers

What books or online courses will best help me learn science and engineering? I'm especially interested in physics, astronomy, general electronics, and computer science. [more inside]
posted by dylan20 on Mar 24, 2008 - 8 answers

How can I find the original source image from an anatomy poster? [more inside]
posted by andreux on Feb 22, 2008 - 4 answers

My cousin's four year old son is obsessed with things like quarks and infinity. He insists to his mother that infinity is the last number. She isn't so sure, and wants to know more about things like strangeness. I don't want to determine this kid's future, but it seems fun to feed his curiosity. And since my wife's babysitter was Murray Gell-Mann, the responsibility has fallen partially on my shoulders to help answer his questions. What kinds of information can you recommend that I give to his mother so that she, an attorney and not a mathematician, and her son can learn more about this information. In particular, what kinds of books, games, and projects would introduce him to other neat ideas in mathematics and physics?
posted by billtron on Feb 16, 2008 - 27 answers

Please help me find a specific sci-fi book [more inside]
posted by passtehbrainz on Feb 5, 2008 - 6 answers

I'm looking for recommendations for fake science books, or humoristic books in the style of a science book. Examples: the Haggis-on-Whey books, or J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". [more inside]
posted by easternblot on Jan 21, 2008 - 35 answers

I'm looking for a series of hardback science fiction anthologies I dimly remember from childhood (sometime in the mid 80s). I think it had a one word title with a number, and the series went up to at least number five. I remember two stories in particular... [more inside]
posted by Artw on Jan 13, 2008 - 11 answers

In the spirit of this post, what have you read or seen lately (or not so lately) that has changed your mind? [more inside]
posted by Alison on Jan 2, 2008 - 10 answers

What are the best history of science books for the intelligent layperson? Some examples along these lines include Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", David Bodanis' "E=mc2" and Dava Sobel's "Longitude"; books which mix equally well the explanation of scientific concepts with historical/biographical storytelling, and are not intended for practitioners of the field. In addition to general suggestions, specific recommendations about the history of probability & statistics and the history of science in the ancient/medieval world would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
posted by lorenzism on Sep 22, 2007 - 37 answers

How do you explain God, death, and infinity to a 5-year old? Please recommend a book or online resource for explaining philosophy, existentialism, and other abstract concepts to a young child not yet capable of abstract cognitions. [more inside]
posted by jujube on Sep 13, 2007 - 45 answers

My mom's a research scientist; I've convinced her to get an Edward Tufte book (partly because she uses Powerpoint a lot). Which one should she get?
posted by Tlogmer on Jul 6, 2007 - 19 answers

I've read a few really good works on quantum physics and other cutting-edge sciences, and I'd like to know more. However, I'm coming at this topic from a decidedly non-scientific education. Can someone suggest a few titles?
posted by jackypaper on Dec 28, 2006 - 15 answers

When I was a kid, I read a science fiction book. I'd like now to find out what its name was, but, since I didn't read it in English, and it was about 20 years ago, I would have not a clue where to look. [more inside]
posted by bokononito on Sep 22, 2006 - 8 answers

Next year I'm teaching a course on science and literature after 1945. What should I put on the syllabus? [more inside]
posted by josh on Jul 5, 2006 - 28 answers

The Protagonist: What can you tell me? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Jun 8, 2006 - 17 answers

Can you recommend science or math books (non-fiction) that are interesting but accessible to someone with a limited math/science background? [more inside]
posted by Caz721 on Dec 13, 2005 - 45 answers

Where on the internet are the best places to get information about new web exhibitions from the repositories of the world? [more inside]
posted by peacay on Nov 16, 2005 - 0 answers

Please ID this SI-FI novel [more inside]
posted by jeffr062 on Oct 31, 2005 - 6 answers

I just got done reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn for class. Now, I have to find a book that also deals with nature in the same regard to read (ie, we're destroying it- go fix it! Though it could be how nature is ours to control and we should actually exploit it more). Preferable, though not necessary, for my own pleasure would be something that intertwines religion and science with nature (from a negative or positive standpoint) into the book.
posted by jmd82 on Sep 8, 2004 - 15 answers