Support Us
 
Search
MENUMENU
  • Nonfiction
        • Art
          • Architecture
          • Art History
          • Design & Illustration
          • Fashion & Style
          • Modern and Contemporary Art
          • Photography
        • Business
          • How to Invest
          • Leadership
          • Marketing
        • Economics
          • Behavioural Economics
          • Development Economics
          • Economic History
          • Finance
          • Financial Crisis
          • Globalisation & Inequality
          • World Economies
        • Environment
          • Climate Change
          • Environmental Ethics
        • Food & Cooking
          • The Best Cookbooks
          • Food & History of Food
          • Wine & Drinks
        • Health & Lifestyle
          • Death & Dying
          • Education
          • Family & Relationships
          • Happiness
          • Sex & Sexuality
        • History
          • Ancient History (up to 500)
          • History by Country
          • Historical Figures
          • Military History
          • Medieval History (500-1400)
          • Modern History (1800-1945)
        • Language
          • Grammar & Punctuation
          • Learning Languages
          • Linguistics
        • Law
        • Literary Nonfiction
          • Biography
          • Essays
          • Memoir
          • Artists' Biographies
          • Travel
          • True Crime
        • Music & Drama
          • Classical Music & Opera
          • Film & Cinema
          • Music
          • Theatre
        • Nature
          • Dinosaurs & the Prehistoric World
          • The Earth
          • Plants, Trees & Flowers
        • Philosophy
          • Ancient Philosophy
          • Ethics & Moral Philosophy
          • Great Philosophers
          • Social & Political Philosophy
        • Politics & Society
          • Conflict & War
          • Feminism
          • Foreign Policy & International Relations
          • Human Rights
          • Terrorism
        • Psychology
          • Mental Health
          • Neuroscience
          • Psychoanalysis
          • Psychology Research
          • Self Help
        • Religion
          • Best Atheist Books
          • Buddhism
          • Christian
          • Islamic
          • Jewish
          • Religious History
        • Science
          • Astronomy
          • Biology
          • Geoscience
          • Maths & Statistics
          • Moon Landing
          • Popular Science
          • Physics
        • Sports, Games & Hobbies
          • Football (Soccer)
          • Gardening
          • Hobbies
          • Sport & Sporting Culture
        • Technology
          • Artificial Intelligence
          • Computing
          • Digital Age
          • History of Technology
          • Internet
  • Fiction & Literature
        • Classic English Literature
        • Contemporary Fiction
          • NEW Fiction
        • Literary Criticism
        • Literary Figures
        • Classical Studies
        • Romance
        • Comics & Graphic Novels
        • Fairy Tales & Mythology
        • Crime Novels
        • Mystery
        • Historical Fiction
        • Horror
        • Humour
        • Memoir
        • Poetry
        • Science Fiction
        • Short Stories
        • Thrillers
        • Fantasy
  • World
        • Africa
          • Egypt
          • Ghana
          • Nigeria
          • Rwanda
          • South Africa
          • Zimbabwe
        • Americas
          • Latin America
            • Argentina
            • Brazil
            • Chile
            • Cuba
            • Mexico
          • United States
          • Canada
        • Arctic & Antarctica
        • Asia
          • Afghanistan
          • Burma
          • China
          • India
          • Japan
          • Korea
          • Pakistan
          • Bangladesh
          • Sri Lanka
          • Singapore
          • Vietnam
        • Australia
        • Europe
          • Belgium
          • Britain
          • France
          • Germany
          • Greece
          • Ireland
          • Italy
          • Netherlands
          • Norway
        • Middle East
          • Iran
          • Iraq
          • Israel
          • Syria
          • Turkey
          • Yemen
        • Russia & FSU
          • Azerbaijan
          • Georgia
          • Russia
          • Ukraine
  • Kids
        • Search by Age
          • Ages 3-5
          • Ages 6-8
          • Ages 9-12
          • Young Adult
        • Search by Topic
          • Science Books for Kids
          • Politics and Philosophy
          • Economics Books for Kids (Fiction)
          • History
          • Nature and Environment
          • Happiness & Mental Health
          • Family & Pets
        • Best New Children's Books
        • High School Teachers Recommend Books by Subject
        • Novels & Novelists
        • By Kids for Kids
  • Best Books of 2020
        • Politics
        • Biography
        • Memoirs and Autobiography
        • Cookbooks
        • Business
        • Philosophy
        • Fiction
          • Crime Fiction
          • Science Fiction
          • Historical Fiction
          • Romance
          • Mysteries
          • Thrillers
        • Nonfiction
        • Art
        • Economics
        • History
        • Science
        • Self Help
        • Audiobooks
        • Poetry
        • Kids Books
        • Kids Science
  • New Books
        • All new books
        • History
        • Philosophy
        • Science
        • Mathematics
        • Physics
        • Fiction
        • Biographies
        • Economics
        • Paperbacks
        • New Editions (of old books)
        • Our in-house reviews (nonfiction)
        • Our in-house reviews (fiction)
        • Gifts for Book Lovers
  • Audiobooks
    • Actors Read Great Books
    • Best Audiobooks for Kids
    • Books Narrated by Their Authors
    • Best Audiobook Thrillers
    • Best History Audiobooks
  • Book Awards
    • Booker Prize
    • Baillie Gifford Prize
    • Royal Society
    • Wolfson Prize
    • Walter Scott Prize
    • Arthur C Clarke Prize
    • Audie Awards
    • Nobel Prize
  • Experts

Science & Religion

    The best books on Nature of Reality, recommended by Andrew Briggs

  • Read
    The best books on Nature of Reality - The Children of Men by P D James

    1

    The Children of Men
    by P D James

  • Read
    The best books on Nature of Reality - Faithful to Science by Andrew Steane

    2

    Faithful to Science
    by Andrew Steane

  • Read
    The best books on Nature of Reality - The Territories of Science and Religion by Peter Harrison

    3

    The Territories of Science and Religion
    by Peter Harrison

  • Read
    The best books on Nature of Reality - Faith and Wisdom in Science by Tom McLeish

    4

    Faith and Wisdom in Science
    by Tom McLeish

  • Read
    The best books on Nature of Reality - On the Third Day by Piers Paul Read

    5

    On the Third Day
    by Piers Paul Read

The best books on Nature of Reality, recommended by Andrew Briggs

When addressing the really fundamental questions in science, researchers must assume that there is an objective reality to describe. But the nature of that reality may be more subtle, allowing space for the existence of God, says Andrew Briggs, professor of nanomaterials at Oxford University.

    The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science, recommended by Jerry Coyne

  • Read
    The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science - The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God by Carl Sagan

    1

    The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
    by Carl Sagan

  • Read
    The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science - The Atheist's Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life without Illusions by Alex Rosenberg

    2

    The Atheist's Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life without Illusions
    by Alex Rosenberg

  • Read
    The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science - God in the Age of Science?: A Critique of Religious Reason by Herman Philipse

    3

    God in the Age of Science?: A Critique of Religious Reason
    by Herman Philipse

  • Read
    The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science - Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel C Dennett

    4

    Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
    by Daniel C Dennett

  • Read
    The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science - A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom by Andrew Dickson White

    5

    A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom
    by Andrew Dickson White

The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science, recommended by Jerry Coyne

Embracing a scientific worldview excludes the possibility of also believing in God, says evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne. He picks five non-accommodationist books.

    Kenneth Miller recommends the best Arguments against Creationism

  • Read
    Kenneth Miller recommends the best Arguments against Creationism - The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins

    1

    The Blind Watchmaker
    by Richard Dawkins

  • Read
    Kenneth Miller recommends the best Arguments against Creationism - Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Sean B Carroll

    2

    Endless Forms Most Beautiful
    by Sean B Carroll

  • Read
    Kenneth Miller recommends the best Arguments against Creationism - Evolution by Carl Zimmer

    3

    Evolution
    by Carl Zimmer

  • Read
    Kenneth Miller recommends the best Arguments against Creationism - Creationism's Trojan Horse by Barbara Forrest and Paul R Gross

    4

    Creationism's Trojan Horse
    by Barbara Forrest and Paul R Gross

  • Read
    Kenneth Miller recommends the best Arguments against Creationism - The Devil in Dover by Lauri Lebo

    5

    The Devil in Dover
    by Lauri Lebo

Kenneth Miller recommends the best Arguments against Creationism

Biology professor—and Catholic—Kenneth Miller tells us what we should read to understand the battle being fought between scientists and creationists.

    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity, recommended by Philip Ball

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - Wonders and the Order of Nature by Lorraine Daston and Katharine Park

    1

    Wonders and the Order of Nature
    by Lorraine Daston and Katharine Park

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - Science and the Secrets of Nature by William Eamon

    2

    Science and the Secrets of Nature
    by William Eamon

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - The History of Magic and Experimental Science by Lynn Thorndike

    3

    The History of Magic and Experimental Science
    by Lynn Thorndike

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes

    4

    The Age of Wonder
    by Richard Holmes

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - The Rosicrucian Enlightenment by Frances Yates

    5

    The Rosicrucian Enlightenment
    by Frances Yates

The best books on The Origins of Curiosity, recommended by Philip Ball

Modern science emerged only when it became acceptable to ask any question about anything – and that required erosion of traditional hierarchies, says the science writer

    The best books on The Early History of Astronomy, recommended by Dava Sobel

  • Read
    The best books on The Early History of Astronomy - The Book Nobody Read by Owen Gingerich

    1

    The Book Nobody Read
    by Owen Gingerich

  • Read
    The best books on The Early History of Astronomy - The Copernican Question by Robert S Westman

    2

    The Copernican Question
    by Robert S Westman

  • Read
    The best books on The Early History of Astronomy - Sidereus Nuncius by Galileo Galilei

    3

    Sidereus Nuncius
    by Galileo Galilei

  • Read
    The best books on The Early History of Astronomy - Galileo at Work by Stillman Drake

    4

    Galileo at Work
    by Stillman Drake

  • Read
    The best books on The Early History of Astronomy - The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler

    5

    The Sleepwalkers
    by Arthur Koestler

The best books on The Early History of Astronomy, recommended by Dava Sobel

Best-selling science writer, Dava Sobel, recommends books about the men whose painstaking work changed our understanding of Earth’s place in the universe.

    The best books on The Emergence of Understanding, recommended by Peter Atkins

  • Read
    The best books on The Emergence of Understanding - Sacred Texts of the World by Ninian Smart and Richard Hecht (editors)

    1

    Sacred Texts of the World
    by Ninian Smart and Richard Hecht (editors)

  • Read
    The best books on The Emergence of Understanding - A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell

    2

    A History of Western Philosophy
    by Bertrand Russell

  • Read
    The best books on The Emergence of Understanding - A Journey into Gravity and Spacetime by J. A. Wheeler

    3

    A Journey into Gravity and Spacetime
    by J. A. Wheeler

  • Read
    The best books on The Emergence of Understanding - The Extended Phenotype by Richard Dawkins

    4

    The Extended Phenotype
    by Richard Dawkins

  • Read
    The best books on The Emergence of Understanding - The Tempest by William Shakespeare

    5

    The Tempest
    by William Shakespeare

The best books on The Emergence of Understanding, recommended by Peter Atkins

Science is the only way to make sense of the world around us and the scientific method the only way to establish truth, says Peter Atkins, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Oxford. Author of several chemistry textbooks as well as many popular science books, he recommends books that track the evolution of our understanding about the world around us, starting with an anthology of sacred texts and ending with Shakespeare.

    The best books on Science and Islam, recommended by Amira Bennison

  • Read
    The best books on Science and Islam - Science and Islam by Ehsan Masood

    1

    Science and Islam
    by Ehsan Masood

  • Read
    The best books on Science and Islam - Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance by George Saliba

    2

    Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance
    by George Saliba

  • Read
    The best books on Science and Islam - Greek Thought, Arabic Culture by Dimitri Gutas

    3

    Greek Thought, Arabic Culture
    by Dimitri Gutas

  • Read
    The best books on Science and Islam - Medieval Islamic Medicine by Peter E Pormann and Emilie Savage-Smith

    4

    Medieval Islamic Medicine
    by Peter E Pormann and Emilie Savage-Smith

  • Read
    The best books on Science and Islam - The Classical Heritage in Islam by Franz Rosenthal

    5

    The Classical Heritage in Islam
    by Franz Rosenthal

The best books on Science and Islam, recommended by Amira Bennison

Islamic scientific discoveries underpinned much of the European Renaissance and the Islamic world inspired Europe as much as Greece and Rome did, says Cambridge professor Amira Bennison. She recommends the best books to get a better understanding of the Islamic contribution to modern science.

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.

Newsletter Contact us Privacy Policy Terms of Service

© Five Books 2021