Popular Science books

[myron21]

Is there anyone out there like me, who likes popular science books?  And if so what are your favourites?  I have read books by Paul Davies, Marcus Chown, Karl Sagan, John Allen Paulos etc.  Absolutely astonishing stuff, whats the point in reading fiction when reality is much more strange and intense e.g.  experiments that can make photons jump into parallel dimensions!  Amazing stuff.  Maybe I should have put this in the science section, but I want to catch as many people as I can.

[spudqueen]

My favourite science fiction author is Philip Jose Farmer, The World of Tiers series is fantastic.

[Loosehead]

The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene

[Romaz]

A short History of Nearly Everything 

by Bill Bryson - fabulous read!

[myron21]

A brief history of nearly everything, I forgot about that one, yep thats a great read, a real tour de force from Bryson

[WaldoMcFroog]

Although I enjoy reading popular science books from time to time, I don't personally understand your point about 'why bother reading fiction'.

Good fiction, irrespective of genre, can change your life. I've learned as much factual information from fiction as from non, and frequently enjoyed reading it much more than much non-fiction.

Moreover, many scientists, Sagan included, use fiction as an effective means of communicating scientific ideas to the wider world. Asimov was another and Arthur C Clarke yet another. These books are not intended as replacements for straight non-fiction, but they can allow us to understand science within readily understandable contexts and allow the scientists to give more room for philosophical and ethical debate.