The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science

  • Richard Holmes
(Harper Press, £9.99)

This award-winning book explores links between science and Romanticism around the start of the 1800s. “To guide readers through the science and culture of this period, Holmes masterfully dips in and out of the life of Joseph Banks,” wrote David Bodanis in his review of the hardback edition (Nature 457, 31–32; 2009).

Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason

  • Russell Shorto
(Vintage Books USA)

Russell Shorto interweaves the fate of philosopher René Descartes' bones with a narrative of Cartesian philosophy and beliefs, also exploring “the history of the uncomfortable relationship between Catholicism and Cartesianism”, wrote Lisa Jardine (Nature 455, 863–864; 2008).

Atomic: The First War of Physics and the Secret History of the Atom Bomb, 1939–49

  • Jim Baggot
(Icon Books, £9.99)

Vividly written and impressively researched, Atomic covers the efforts of scientists and spies in the United States, Britain, the USSR and Nazi Germany to develop their own atomic weapon. Drawing on material including declassified British secret-service transcripts and documents from Soviet archives, this is a thorough but engaging account of the race to build the atomic bomb.

The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics

  • Leonard Susskind
(Little, Brown, £12.99)

Leonard Susskind charts his long conflict with Stephen Hawking over the fate of information in a black hole. Paul Davies's review noted it “skilfully explains the subtleties of the physics that underlie the issue, and includes anecdotes to enliven the technical details.” (Nature 454, 579–580; 2008.)

Simply Complexity: A Clear Guide to Complexity Theory

  • Neil Johnson
(Oneworld, £9.99)

The science of complexity is still a fledgling field, but one that is on the rise. In this book, Neil Johnson introduces complexity, explaining what it is and how it affects us, before describing how complexity science can be used in a number of ways, from fighting disease to relationships. He also shows how, in the future, it may shed light on our understanding of quantum physics and more.

Lewis Carroll in Numberland: His Fantastical Mathematical Logical Life

  • Robin Wilson
(Penguin, £9.99)

Although better known for his fiction, Lewis Carroll's achievements as a mathematician should not be overlooked. Robin Wilson's book “conjures the spirit of a man who delighted in paradox yet insisted on precision ... and who wanted most of all to stump everyone he knew”, wrote reviewer Jascha Hoffman (Nature 454, 580–581; 2008).

Leviathan: Or, the Whale

  • Philip Hoare
(Fourth Estate, £8.99)

Philip Hoare explores the whale and its significance to humans. Meandering through biology, economics, cultural history and his own obsession with the creatures, he describes everything from the possibility of us surviving in their bellies to gritty details about the nineteenth-century whale trade, concluding that much about the whale remains mysterious.

Witness to Extinction: How We Failed to Save the Yangtze River Dolphin

  • Samuel Turvey
(Oxford Univ. Press, £8.99)

Naturalist Samuel Turvey gives a personal account of the 2006 survey that determined the baiji dolphin was extinct. Describing it as a “godawful, soul-destroying experience”, he touches on the significance of the baiji's extinction, local myths of its origin, the failed preservation project and other cetaceans such as the endangered vaquita.

Creation: The True Story of Charles Darwin

  • Randal Keynes
(John Murray, £7.99)

Originally titled Annie's Box, Randal Keynes's renamed and re-released book Creation focuses on Charles Darwin's relationship with his daughter Annie and how her death subsequently affected his research. “Keynes weaves a rich tapestry that gives the reader a sense of the attitudes and assumptions of the Darwin family and their class,” explained Bruce Weber in a review of the hardback edition of Annie's Box (Nature 411, 739–740; 2001).

Strange Fruit: Why Both Sides Are Wrong in the Race Debate

  • Kenan Malik
(Oneworld, £10.99)

The subject of race is often controversial but, Kenan Malik argues, we shouldn't avoid thinking about it. He attempts to describe what race is and is not, from a biological and cultural perspective, covering modern disputes such as the US approval of a drug for African Americans with heart disease. He also looks at historical views on race and its treatment today.

The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave in the Rocks?

  • Jan Zalasiewicz
(Oxford Univ. Press, £8.99)

Using the imagined concept of extraterrestrial beings examining Earth for evidence that humanity ever existed, geologist Jan Zalasiewicz looks at what we might leave behind in the geological record. Describing the evidence we have for Earth's past, he explores our effects on the world and puts them in perspective over the vast timescale of the planet's history.

Deep Economy: Economics as if the World Mattered

  • Bill McKibben
(Oneworld, £9.99)

Bill McKibben calls for a new focus on developing local, rather than global, economies — advocating that cities and regions should produce more of their own food, energy and culture. Such small, local economies, he argues, offer a greater sense of community and satisfaction, and better protection against an increasingly uncertain future.

Blessed Days of Anaesthesia: How Anaesthetics Changed The World

  • Stephanie J. Snow
(Oxford Univ. Press, £9.99)

Stephanie Snow explores how early advances in anaesthetics changed society. “[This] is not a real medical history, nor is it seriously concerned with medicine or society beyond England and Scotland. But it seeks to link developments in anaesthesia with changing social, philosophical, scientific and religious attitudes in those countries,” wrote John Carmody (Nature 456, 38; 2008).

The New Plagues: Pandemics and Poverty in a Globalized World

  • Stefan Kaufmann
(Haus Publishing, £9.99)

An accessible and up-to-date look at diseases that are on the rise thanks to increased globalization. Describing the various strategies that agents such as microorganisms or prions might adopt, Stefan Kaufmann delves into the conflict between rich and poor in combating outbreaks, and looks at methods for containment.

Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World's First Computer

  • Jo Marchant
(Windmill Books, £8.99)

The 2,000-year-old Antikythera Mechanism was found in 1901, but its significance was only recently revealed. “[This] gripping and varied account will propel the mechanism to greater fame, although it may never achieve the celebrity of the Rosetta Stone that it probably deserves,” argued Andrew Robinson in his review of the hardback edition (Nature 455, 867–868; 2008).

The Philosophical Baby: What Children's Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life

  • Alison Gopnik
(Bodley Head, £14.99)

Alison Gopnik's well-written book is an unusual look at the conscious mind. Drawing on research and her own pioneering studies, she reveals that processes in a baby's mind can be as complicated as those in the minds of adults, and asks what brain development can teach us about humanity.

Useless Arithmetic: Why Environmental Scientists Can't Predict the Future

  • Orrin H. Pilkey &
  • Linda Pilkey-Jarvis
(Columbia Univ. Press, £15.50)

Reviewer Roger Pielke Jr wrote: “The authors have identified a critical challenge confronting the modern scientific enterprise: our ability to produce model-based predictions seems to have outpaced our ability to use such tools wisely in decision-making.” (Nature 447, 35–37; 2007.)

Eating The Sun

  • Oliver Morton
(Fourth Estate, £9.99)

There are few books on photosynthesis for the non-specialist. Eating the Sun fills that gap, covering the history of its discovery and its processes. “Morton's account of the ubiquitous importance of photosynthesis is an original viewpoint for looking at the world. It is written with verve and an eye for detail. His breadth of scholarship could leave other science writers green — with envy,” wrote reviewer Richard Fortey (Nature 449, 284–285; 2007).