GREAT Science Books You Should Read

[@jrwestimate6953]

Another brilliant example of why I love your channel.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Excellent video. Thank you for all the recommendations.

[@rdilley1]

Ed, any insight on Orion and Meade Instruments shutting down ?

[@georgemorley1029]

"The man who mistook his wife for a hat" and "Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman!" were two of my dad's favourites, they sat in his study bookshelf alongside Olaf Stapledon, Isaac Asimov, Philip K Dick and Arthur C Clarke.

[@barbaraharris6102]

Some of my favorites: Carl Sagan’s The Demon-Haunted World, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars, Heart: A History of

[@brentjablonski3730]

Thanks for the recommendations! I have read several of the books on your list and am now interested in the others. In this vein I can recommend two other books: Longitude by Dava Sobel - which tells the story of John Harrison and his solution to the problem of determining longitude; Chaos: The Making of a New Science by Jame Gleick - which talks about the revolution in the study of non-linear dynamics, e.g. how complex behaviour can arise from simple interactions. Longitude is the more approachable, but Chaos is a great read as well. Gleick also wrote a good biography of Feynman entitled Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman.

[@beeleo]

Hi Ed, this was wonderful. I'm always on the lookout for book suggestions and I would value your suggestions on books just as much as I would on astronomy. With our amazing digital age, I checked my local public library and most of these books were still available and I've now checked out "Midnight in Chernobyl" and a different book by Oliver Sacks called "Hallucinations" because "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat" wasn't available. The books by Ann Rule sound interesting... but I want to be able to sleep at night, so they're on my wish list. Thanks again and this deserves a part 2 in a few months.

[@guyyanez6949]

I have been involved in amateur astronomy since the nineties. Hence, your vintage equipment reviews have been very inspirational for me. That said, this has been one of my favorite videos you have launched so far. I thank you so much for recommending such great books. I am also a very enthusiastic cyclist, so I would be honored to ride with you anytime. And yes, the one on "From Lance to Landis" has caught my attention. Cheers, and keep these great videos coming. This is such a brilliant community.

[@KevinMurphy0403]

Great review Ed. Thank you.

[@Kaienhere]

Hey Ed unrelated but apparently Orion (the telescope company) completely disappeared from internet they stopped making telescopes too you should look into it, Orion was the budget telescope brand you recommended last year

[@maethore.8843]

That's because they're a subset of Meade and Meade filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. They shut down their California store front. And I haven't heard if anyone has bought them out

[@EdwardRLyons]

Yes, Orion, Meade, Coronado. All gone in one fell swoop.

[@robertsonsid]

I suspect Ed will do a video on this eventually. Especially with his recommendations coming for Orion.

[@stewartgibson5802]

He knows, this is not new news

[@Helljumper7200]

@@stewartgibson5802has he said anything?

[@ChristopherSisk]

Great list.. and I highly recommend all of Mary Roach's books. Bonk, Grunt, Spook.. all of them are wonderfully written and full of fascinating facts in a variety of disciplines. Surprised to not see any Sagan on this list despite the astronomy link. Broca's Brain and Dragons of Eden are both brilliant.. and Demon-Haunted World, of course.

[@pjanway6544]

Ed, enjoyed your reviews very much; winter is my season for reading books and I look forward to picking up some that you recommended soon. One of my favorites is "Electric Universe" by David Bodanis. I found it fascinating and have read it more than once.

[@Buzzygirl63]

Some excellent choices there Ed. I own and recommend "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat," "Stiff," "Into Thin Air," "The Emperor of All Maladies," and all of your Feynman suggestions. "Into Thin Air" was one of the most gripping true adventure books I've ever read, I can't even think of how many people I've recommended that book to. Thanks!

[@mariospenard5125]

Into Thin Air I bought in Kathmandu in 2007... I just forgot I had it on my shelves... will read it again. Thank you.

[@patrickkee2679]

Excellent recommendations. I read "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" while serving in the Air Force working the nuclear test monitoring mission. It was very helpful at getting me up to speed on essential concepts. I also recommend "The Lady Tasting Tea" by David Salsburg about the development of statistical sciences.

[@KingLoopie1]

Thank you for the list, Ed! 👍👍

[@RealEel-m5e]

Interesting list! It was nice seeing a wide range of topics covered, there were several books mentioned that I'll have to checkout. I actually started The Emperor of All Maladies recently, so it it was cool seeing it mentioned.

[@Sköldpadda-77]

I’d add Oliver Sacks’ book “Gratitude” as an end of life complement to “Being Mortal” and “When Breath Becomes Air.” Actually, I’d recommend everything Sacks wrote, and I’d add everything by his partner, Bill Hayes, but especially “The Anatomist; A True Story of Gray’s Anatomy”. Great list. Thank you for sharing.

[@nickroden]

Thinking about these recommendations has made me realize how little time I actually spend reading for pleasure now. This is my failure, but I can't help notice how hijacked my attention has become by tech that didn't exist 10-15 years ago. I'm glad the YT algorithm has pointed me towards your channel though. So great that you take the time to share your knowledge and passion for such a diverse range of interests (without trying to sell us something). Think I'll check out The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Thanks again.

[@KristofDedene]

interesting selection, thank you for this list! Its always nice to get to know new science books

[@ceejay0137]

That’s a very interesting selection, Ed, and thank you for sharing it. I have copies of several of Feynman’s books and I agree he was an exceptional man and scientist. I shall definitely try a few of the others you mentioned. Here are three books I would recommend to you and your other viewers. First: Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R Hofstadter. Ultimately this deals with the ideas behind Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem, which turned the world of mathematics on its head in the 1930s. However, it includes sections on many aspects of mathematics, computing, genetics, art and music, and alternates normal chapters with Dialogues between characters including Achilles, a Tortoise and several others that bring out relevant points in an amusing and clever way. Second: The Earth - An Intimate History by Richard Fortey. This is a book about our knowledge of the Earth and its geology, and in particular the way discovery of plate tectonics has informed our understanding of how the world as we see it today came into being. It is beautifully written and lives up to the promise of its title. Third: The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins. Some of Dawkins’ books get a hostile reception because of his anti-religious stance, but those ideas are completely absent from this book. The subtitle is The Evidence for Evolution, and it is a very accessible and lively account of that evidence from fossils, embryology, genetics and many other areas of science. Some of the arguments he makes were unknown to me before I read it, and of these three it would be the one I would start reading again as soon as I finished it.

[@Gustavo_Perez_]

Great choices, sir.

[@paulcontursi5982]

Great lineup! Here are a few of my recent favorites: Command and Control by Eric Schlosser (terrifying look at safety issues surrounding nuclear weapons), The Body Builders: Inside the Science of the Engineered Human by Adam Piore (fascinating look at new advancements in prosthetics) and Adventures in the Anthropocene by Gaia Vince (a collection of accounts about how different communities around the world are dealing with climate change). PS: The sequel to The Making of the Atomic bomb (Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb) is no slouch either!

[@astralscooter]

Great stuff, Ed! Often when I see books recommended, I often grab one or two off of the Kindle store to check out, and this time it was Stiff that caught my attention. Very well written and just hilarious at times. More often than not, it is a pretty difficult read while eating, though :D

[@howardnielsen3869]

"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 is one of my favorites along with "Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World" by Mark Miodownik. Very entertaining.

[@johndunn9602]

not to change the subject but I'm hoping you do a video on this Orion/Meade fiasco. You seem to have a liking for Orion and I've watched your Meade videos too. I'm very disappointed, I've always liked Orion and own several pieces to include an Atlas and just purchased my first Meade 8" SCT the week before they closed their doors. Nobody is putting out much information if they will ever be back or not but seem like you might have some inside information. I sure hope somebody tells us something soon.

[@patco8181]

Thank for the recommendations. After watching Oppenheimer I became very interested in that time period and the aftermath. I read the book the movie was based on and as usual that only made the movie more meaningful. I'm currently reading "The Atomic Spy" the story of Klaus Fuchs. The Making of the Atomic Bomb will be next. One of my favorites is What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe. It's a really fun read that touches almost all branches of science. Thanks again.

[@kaboom4679]

Feyan , The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is also highly recommended . Feynman was simply an astounding individual . Ignition ! by the late Dr John D Clark , is an absolute gem . Yet another is The Planet in a Pebble by J. A. Zalasiewicz .

[@FionnDaly-j2p]

Another great video Ed. Love your recomendations. I highly recommend Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flynn. Each chapter deals with a place in the world that has become uninhabited for various reasons. Examples include Chernobyl, an island now inhabited by cows off the coast of Scotland and a shipping yard in the US where chemical waste prevents any efforts to clear the rusting ships and toxic water. Fionn (from Ireland)

[@edting]

Hey thanks for that. I just ordered a copy!

[@FionnDaly-j2p]

Good stuff! Let me know what you think. I have started The Stranger Beside Me ..gripping! ​@@edting

[@ftumschk]

The composer, Michael Nyman, wrote a short chamber opera about "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat", which was recorded on CBS Masterworks. I'm not sure it's still in print, but fans of modern opera might like to seek it out. Edit: I just remembered that another version was released fairly recently on the Naxos label, and IS still available. Not as good as the original (with Nyman himself directing and playing the piano), but worth a punt at bargain price.

[@MichaelEdelman1954]

I’ve read all but four of those, and I think I’ll check those out. I’ll add that everything Richard Rhodes has written is worth reading. (BTW, “Saved by the bell” is from boxing.)

[@tomkirby3281]

One of my favorites is "Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics" by Martinus Veltman.

[@kaboom4679]

Feynman , The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is also highly recommended . Feynman was simply an astounding individual . Ignition ! by the late Dr John D Clark , is an absolute gem . Yet another is The Planet in a Pebble by J. A. Zalasiewicz .

[@dusanmal]

Thanks, interesting list Here are my two cents to try: K.Mendelssohn The Quest for Absolute Zero (1977) on how the Physics research of extremely low temperatures went; M.Pupin From Immigrant to Inventor (1922) autobiography of famous Mihailo/Michael Pupin, Physicist and engineer most famous for his telephony contributions [Original Serbian title for me speaks more, direct translation would have been From a shepherd boy to a Scientist] ; R.Sheldrake Morphic Resonance (1981) about novel biological theory, so far "fringe science" but that is how real science should work Happy reading!

[@GregCrivello]

“To Engineer Is Human” by Henry Petroski; “Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety” by Eric Schlosser; and “Krakatoa: The Day The World Exploded” by Simon Winchester

[@AudriusPauliukonis]

"Command and Control" is a great read, I have it on audio and have listened to it a few times.

[@RimantasLiubertas]

I cannot recommend "What's Gotten Into You: The Story of Your Body's Atoms, from the Big Bang Through Last Night's Dinner" by Dan Levitt enough. It covers so much of scientific history.

[@mgmcd1]

I enjoyed The Disappearing Spoon, if you’ve ever read that.

[@tomkirby3281]

Mike Webster played in an era when the head slap by defensive linemen was still allowed.

[@BuzPowers]

Here are 3 computer books I would recommend Hackers - By Steven Levy The Soul of a New Machine - By Tracy Kidder The Cuckoos Egg - By Cliff Stoll

[@videotrexx]

I've read both "Midnight in Chernobyl" and "The Making of the Atomic Bomb"; both very good reads.

[@ayaye1918]

looking at the selection here, I would highly recommend "do no harm" by Henry marsh

[@bobbymckenzie3202]

Brilliant

[@ultrametric9317]

On the bomb, I think the best book is "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" by Robert Jungk. Definitely not a textbook.

[@IndigoSkies]

“The Soul of an Octopus” by Sy Montgomery. You might never eat a cephalapod again. Thanks for the nice list Ed. Just in time for winter in New England!

[@edting]

I'll get that. I remember My Octopus Teacher from a couple of years ago.

[@IndigoSkies]

@@edting that was fantastic too!

[@chamithathukorala1985]

Thank You Ed How you keep clean your house , I mean somuch narrow places in your house and its hard to mop, How frequently you mob your house, Please sir do you have any tips, shear with us . Thank You ❤❤❤

[@alexandraentner7196]

Just a heads up, some of your Amazon affiliate links are broken so anyone clicking it gets an error page.

[@AmatureAstronomer]

"Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica", by Isaac Newton.

[@joeparham2889]

Do you think science is the end all of everything or do you think there is a spiritual side of life? Thanks!

[@ObservaDome]

✝️🙏"@joeparham2889" There Most Definitely Is A "spiritual side of life". God is the answer you are searching for. Truly Believe In Jesus Christ & Follow The Bible and you Will come to know this Truth. 🙏✝️

[@marcgravel2382]

If only more people would take the time to educate and enrich themselves, we would have a much nicer news cycle than the daily dreck we must now endure.

[@DavidHaile_profile]

I appreciate this list. I’ve read about a third of them. I’ll add the others to my ever growing list! Chernobyl is first in the list. I keep that anniversary plus the Exxon Valdez on my calendar as reminders of what can happen. I’m not a Luddite but there is a reality.

[@DavidHaile_profile]

Bought the Chernobyl book. 30 minutes with it and I'm 1/3 through the book. I skip lots and lots of pages of over-technical and background details. I just want to know the aftermath. I fear that I'll keep skipping all the way to the end and I'll donate it to the library. This book has a lot of words in it. Next book is.....

[@martinlandservices2461]

Thank you for these recommendations. I'll offer An Immense World by Ed Yong. It is a fascinating report on the sensory mechanisms animals have developed to navigate the world.

[@ArtlyStudios]

Most of them are a bit too morbid for my taste...

[@TiBiAstro]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOKS!

[@OMaMaRMY]

OH MY GOD I LOVE BOOKZ 🤩

[@Astronurd]

Animal fats are good for you and full of nutrients. You have bought into the big fat lie Ed.

[@PetraKann]

The fat lie was brought in by the sugar industry to distract the population from the real health issues associated with high sugar content in processed foods and soft drinks. Fats are a critical component of a healthy diet

[@maethore.8843]

It's not just animal fat, but salt is also extremely necessary for our diet. Studies have shown that the government is severely understating how much salt we need. The issue is processed food, not salt. If you are on a low carb diet, you absolutely need salt and a lot of it to make your body operate at efficiency. Our bodies use salt and magnesium and other elements as electrolytes. And when we sweat, we lose them and they have to be replaced. Humans have eaten salt for thousands of years without issue. Salt isn't the problem.

[@alecfoster4413]

@@maethore.8843 Indeed. You are both absolutely correct. Of those three, too much sugar really is bad for you. It causes an inflammatory response in our body and triggers weight gain, amongst other issues. But if you don't have high BP, eat as much salt as you wish. Animal fat is fine as long as you count the calories and don't overdo it. It is metabolized in the body normally, unlike seed oils, etc.

[@DrRonH]

A wonderful set of recommendations, and it's nice to see the sensitive, very human side of Ed Ting.

[@Helljumper7200]

Our society has become too comfortable and obese. Animals fats are good for us but people eat it in excess without doing anything to burn it off.