Reading Suggestions
The following books are among the best at conveying a sense of grandeur and appreciation of science and the universe around us. Written by experts in the field, they not only strive to be accurate, but to portray the scientists as flesh-and-blood people and science as a process that is interwoven with the very fabric of society and history.
Although none of the books are required reading, any of them would serve well as a companion to our textbook. I'm also sure any local book store such as Prairie Lights would be happy to obtain a copy for you if you'd like to support one of our local businesses. The Iowa City Public Library also has an extensive astronomy section with many books worth exploring. It is a valuable resources when researching the topic of your term paper.
You'll notice a number of books by Timothy Ferris on this list. There's good reason for that—Timothy Ferris is the best science writer alive today. Period. Not only has he been called the greatest science writer of his generation by The Christian Science Monitor and The Washington Post, his books Coming of Age in the Milky Way and The Whole Shebang were included by The New York Times on the list of most significant books of the twentieth century.
The List
Seeing in the Dark, Timothy Ferris
This book may do more to turn average citizens on to the pleasures of
amateur astronomy than any other book ever written. Filled with Ferris’ lyrical
prose, he does an excellent job of conveying the joys and frustrations
of astronomy as experienced by those devoted to it as a hobby. Much
of the story is told through recollections of his own childhood and
his life-long love affair with the sky.
Coming of Age in the Milky Way, Timothy Ferris
An epic retelling of the history of the scientific endeavor from the
Babylonians to Stephen Hawking. Ferris deftly weaves 3,000 years of the
history of science, philosophy, and religion into a compelling portrait
of the men and women who have shaped what has been called our civilization's
most priceless treasure—its conception of the universe at large
and our place in it. On reserve in the Iowa City Credit Center library.
The Whole Shebang, Timothy Ferris
A progress report on cosmologists' understanding of the Universe as the twentieth
century drew to a close. This book truly does address everything in the universe
from the quantum weirdness of the sub-atomic world to the existence of a supreme
creator. A more challenging book than the other three selections by the author
although it is still rewarding to read. The last chapter—a logical treatise
examining why it is impossible to prove the existance of a Supreme Being—is
especially thought-provoking.
The Mind’s Sky, Timothy Ferris
Subtitled "Human Intelligence in a Cosmic Perspective," this collection
of essays attempts to synthesize outer space and the inner space of the
human mind by examining the nature of the Universe and the human brain
that perceives it. Many topics in addition to astronomy are explored
and may be of interest to students pursuing study in human biology.
Archives
of the Universe, Marcia Bartusiak
Written by one of today's foremost science writers, this unique book
contains excerpts from 100 seminal works of astronomy and gives the reader
the opportunity to follow the course of scientific discovery through the
words of some of history's greatest scientists. From the Dresden codex to
Copernicus to Hubble, the history of astronomy is illuminated through the
original writings and Bartusiak's insightful accompanying text.
The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene
A wonderfully lucid account of the most recent developments in string
theory and how it may finally mend the century-old rift between the two
pillars of modern physics—the quantum theory of the subatomic realm
and the general relativisic theory of the macroscopic world—and
lead to an even grander synthesis called M-Theory. The chapters explaining
special and general relativity are among the best I have ever read and
it is worth checking the book out just to read the first 100 pages.
Beyond the Blue Horizon, E.C. Krupp
An introduction to the lore and mythology of astronomy in many different
cultures by the author of Sky & Telescope magazine’s “Rambling
Through the Skies” column and a frequent visitor to the Tonight
Show when Johnny Carson reigned as the king of late night television
(Johnny was an avid amateur astronomer who also frequently invited
Carl Sagan to visit his show). In addition to this book, his earlier Echoes
of Ancient Skies is
worth investigating.
The Demon-Haunted World, Carl Sagan
Essentially an open love-letter about science, this insightful exposition
delves into the decline of scientific understanding and the rise of pseudoscience
and superstition among the majority of people in today's society. Through
discussions of channeling, alien abductions, witch hunts, and other incidents
of paranoia and uncritical thinking, the book serves as a cautionary tale
warning of a time when the world may be controlled by a technically-minded
elite while the majority remain ignorant and subservient. On reserve in
the Iowa City Credit Center library.
Cosmos, Carl Sagan
The classic book based on the award-winning public television series
about how science and civilization have truly grown up together and
together make up the history of humankind. While a great many new
scientific discoveries have been made in the two decades since it was
written, the book is still an enoyable read because of what was unique
for its time, a historical perspective on the development of science.
The entire PBS series is also available on VHS tape and DVD.
The God Particle, Leon Lederman
Probably the funniest book ever written on the subject of sub-atomic
physics and the efforts to understand the universe. The title refers
to the search for the Higgs boson—a particle whose existence had
been hypothesized by current quantum mechanical models to explain the
why matter has mass and interia. The scope of this enjoyable book is
much broader, however, and is an entertaining romp through the
world of physics as envisioned by the iconoclastic Nobel laureate.
If Groucho Marx had a Nobel prize in physics, he might have written
a book like this.
Just Six Numbers, Sir Martin Rees
Written by Britain's Astronomer Royal, the six numbers described here
are fundamentally related to some of the most basic constants in nature.
After the creation of the universe, these numbers imprinted themselves
on the evolving universe in such a way that its future development
seemed almost predestined. In fact, even a small difference in any of
these numbers might have resulted in a lifeless universe or one that never
had a chance to develop. Why do these numbers have the values they do
or could there be other universes where these numbers are different?
The Future of Spacetime, Richard Price
An interesting collection of essays written on the occasion of physicist
Kip Thorne's 60th birthday. To mark the milestone, Stephen Hawking, Thorne,
Timothy Ferris, and several others addressed the possiblity of time travel
and the importance of popularizing science. With the exception of Hawking's
typically dense prose, the other essays are both unlightening and much
easier to understand.
Einstein's Clocks, Poincaré's Maps, Peter Galison
A fascinating, but challenging history of the problems facing two of
the leading thinkers of the early twentieth century as they tried to solve
the technically difficult puzzle of synchronizing clocks seprated by great
distances. From this seemingly mundane task—as well as the creation
of accurate maps, the reader is taken on a journey that ends with the
development of the theory of Special Relativity: a theory properly credited
to Einstein, but nearly discovered by Poincaré.
Black Holes & Time Warps, Kip Thorne
One of the world's leading relativistic theorists, Thorne takes readers
on a tour beyond the basic concepts of General Relativy as formulated
by Einstein to some of the most bizarre consequences of the theory.
Along the way, readers will encounter hyperspace, wormholes, naked
singularities, and quantum foam. Carl Sagan asked Thorne to review
the possibility of wormhole space travel for the plot
of Contact and the investigation eventually lead to the publication
of several scientific papers on time travel written by Professor Thorne.
Quantum, A Guide for the Perplexed, Jim al-Khalili
If you've ever wanted to understand (within reason!) what quantum mechanics
is all about, al-Khalili is an excellent tour guide and his glossy
book is a terrific overview. The author strives to be historically
accurate as he describes the development of quantum theory and the
quantum mechanincs, but realizes that a subject is best learned through
clear hindsight that avoids the often chaotic way that science progresses
towards understanding. Al-Khalili also takes great pains to explain
our current understanding of quantum mechanics while avoiding many
of the still-taught, but outdated interpretations.
924 Elementary Problems and Answers in Solar System
Astronomy, James Van
Allen
An enormous collection of problems written by a pioneering space physicist
and one of the few individuals to create an entirely new area of science.
I remember trying to solve many of these problems when I was a student
in Professor Van Allen's introductory astronomy class at The University
of Iowa. Although many of these problems are harder than those we will
explore in class, simply studying these problems and undestanding their
solutions would provide valuable insight into the process of problem
solving. Almost every problem involves a back of the envelope
calculation
that is a marvel of simplicity.
And if your interests run more toward the unusual...
Driving Mr. Albert, Michael Paterniti
Written by Esquire magazine's editor-at-large, this small volume is a
lyrical account of a surreal road trip across the United States with the
pathologist in charge of Albert Einstein's autopsy. The story is made
all the more bizarre by the fact that the good doctor had kept the great
scientist's brain since his death in 1955 and it had been stored in several
tupperware containers. As this unlikely duo set out to visit Einstein's
granddaughter, the brain was stored in a duffle bag in the car's trunk.
Populated by the off-beat characters the pair meet along the way (including
Beat poet William Burroughs, who used to live next door to the good doctor),
it's an adventure through time and space as well as an interesting examination
of the human psyche.
Highly Recommended Authors
Many books by the following scientists and science writers have been around for years, but they would still serve as excellent examples of the art of science writing. The list of authors is by no means exhaustive, but specifically focuses on those who have written numerous books for the general public or have recently written critcally acclaimed volumes. Any would be a good stepping stone for further discovery. As more books are written (or remembered), additional authors will be added to the list.
Marcia Bartusiak
Paul Davies
Timothy Ferris
Richard Feyman
Brian Greene
John Gribben
Edward Harrison
Lawrence Krauss
Alan Lightman
Lisa Randall
Chet Raymo
Sir Martin Rees
Michael Shermer
Simon Singh
Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Steven Weinberg
If you have questions about a specific book or author, just ask.