Recommendations from our site
“It essentially covers all of science. It is 900 pages long, and it was as complete a guide to the sciences as one could buy in 1984, which is when it came out….Even though I have access to forty ensuing years of science popularisations, I come back to this book a lot, because he really was something special when it came to explaining things to people. I was struck by this fact – that despite the fact that I have access to all kinds of resources to write a book about science, Asimov was still the best explainer when it came to this material.” Read more...
Alec Nevala-Lee, Biographer
“Asimov was one of the first real prolific science popularisers…It’s very much written for the layman. You have to bear in mind that it’s outdated. It was first published back in 1972. I know, however, that it’s been republished. I’ve seen it recently on bookshelves in bookstores. For me, it’s still well worth having a look at. If you just want a broad introduction—on the understanding that the world of science has moved on quite a bit since those days—then it’s a really good place to start.” Read more...
Jim Baggott on Writing about Physics
Jim Baggott, Science Writer
Our most recommended books
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Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth
by Andrew H Knoll -
On the Origin of Species
by Charles Darwin & James Costa -
The Blind Watchmaker
by Richard Dawkins -
The First Three Minutes
by Steven Weinberg -
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
by Richard Rhodes -
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