
Ask HN: Best general-audience science books - raleighm
I love Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything” but it’s now 17 years old.
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Zanni
_QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter_ by Richard Feynman. [0] This is
a series of four lectures given my Feynman on quantum electrodynamics for a
lay audience, and it's rare in being comprehensible yet not so watered-down as
to be wrong or confusing. Probably my all-time favorite science book. I've
lent out and given away more copies than I can count.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QED:_The_Strange_Theory_of_Lig...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QED:_The_Strange_Theory_of_Light_and_Matter)

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ahazred8ta
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Circus_of_Physics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Circus_of_Physics)

\-- 700 unusual science phenomena; each case is presented as a puzzle with an
explanation in the back of the book. Physics, chemistry, biology, engineering

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akg_67
This appears to be physics only. Is there an equivalent book that focuses on
Chemistry only?

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smcleod
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World
Increasingly Full of Fake -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skeptics%27_Guide_to_the_U...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skeptics%27_Guide_to_the_Universe_\(book\))

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barbe
Physics for Future Presidents by Richard A. Muller (major scientific ideas,
not just physics...)

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raleighm
Thanks. I see the same author has a similar book specifically on energy. Will
check them out.

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rramadass
Must read classic: _The Evolution of Physics by Albert Einstein and Leopold
Infeld_

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Jugurtha
There's a nice series from MIR Publishers entitled "Science for Everyone"[1].
Some books are even written by Lev Landau. The series is destined to interest
people.

[1]:
[https://archive.org/search.php?query=publisher%3A%22Mir%20Pu...](https://archive.org/search.php?query=publisher%3A%22Mir%20Publishers%22%20for%20everyone)

[2]:
[https://mirtitles.org/?s=for+everyone](https://mirtitles.org/?s=for+everyone)

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banjo_milkman
On DNA/genetics: Life's Greatest Secret, Matthew Cobb Siddhartha Mukherjee's
books: 'The Emperor of All Maladies' \+ The Gene are very good as an
introduction (start off by watching the PBS documentary)

Jim Baggott's books are good on physics e.g. 'Mass'. Also Jim Holt, though he
was trained as a philosopher. Penrose 'The Emperor's New Mind' etc are very
good but not new.

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kratom_sandwich
Although I personally didn't like it very much, I know that many hold "Gödel,
Escher, Bach" in high regard.

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barbe
Physics for Future Presidents but Richard A. Muller

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sieste
"Big Bang" by Simon Singh

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magnio
Haven't read this yet, but "Fermat's Last Theorem" by the same author is a
really good and approachable book.

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WMCRUN
Lifespan, David Sinclair

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lolptdr
Frozen Star by Greenstein

