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Entertainment Weekly Bemoans Lack of Great Science Books
Bryan writes "A recent headline at Entertainment Weekly suggests that the '100 Best Reads' of the last 25 years do not include a single science book (not even a popular science book). In response, cosmologist Sean Carroll at Cosmic Variance has given an interesting analysis of EW's disappointing list, and Soul Physics is calling for suggestions on the Greatest Physics Books of the Last 25 Years. For all the great literature that science has produced in the last 25 years, EW's list seems to represent a major shortcoming in the field: it still isn't diffusing into popular culture." I'm not sure what Entertainment Weekly's standing to complain would come from. That aside, have science books ever in modern times been a driving force greater than ones intended as (mere) entertainment, religious instruction, etc? I'd put anything by Richard Feynman on this list, though.
Isn't this subjective with the term "best read". I can tell you right now that I'm not even moderatly interested in the majority of those books. I could name a few fantasy books I'd say would say most certainly beats many of those on that list but because of my own tastes.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking I actually found to be a great read if they need suggestions on science literature. Again, who considers science a "good read"? Not most people I would say.
"EW's list seems to represent a major shortcoming in the field: it still isn't diffusing into popular culture."
A professor once gave me a book called The Existential Pleasures of Engineering (http://www.amazon.com/Existential-Pleasures-Engineering-Thomas-Dunne/dp/0312141041/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214425954&sr=8-1), which began with a discussion of engineers as romantic, heroic figures to the people of the late 19th century. This is still true to some extent in some places like France. Right now in the US we're in an anti-intellectual upswing, but that doesn't mean we won't have another golden age of cultural interest in science.
"I zero-index my hamsters" - Willtor (147206)
Just possibly, making the argument to most of the population that their beliefs are nothing but twaddle probably doesn't do wonders for book sales.
I dunno, The God Delusion by Dawkins make precisely that argument and it was in NYT bestsellers for 51 weeks, reaching #4, as well as #2 on Amazon. There are more atheists out there than you think, especially among the more educated and intelligent, and therefore among those who tend to read more.
Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
I run a section at a large-ish bookshop, my bit is the physical sciences. And astrology when my colleagues get confused ;)
;)
Feynman is, pound for pound ($for$) the biggest seller in the whole section. That includes urban studies. And, to be serious, Fossey, Hawking, Lovelock and Sagan. My bit doesn't include the popular science stuff (the line we draw is equations - more than two and it's my section, less and it's the equally popular Popular Science section)
The public will be drawn in by popular science books, hell, I love reading them myself, and there will always (I hope and ironically pray) be guys at the top of the field who can write non-popular but entertaining books for those who either have a bit of background in "science" in general, or want a bit more depth to their pop-sci introduction. Science writing is alive and well. It's never going to compete with "everything else", the fiction section at work takes up a third of the shop, and rightly so. We're talking a niche product, but as a niche the quality and passion behind it is very very high. And I'm referring to both the writers and the customers.
And the booksellers....obviously
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QED came out in 1985, making it only 23 years old. It'd definitely go on my favorite science book list. It explained virtual photons and summing of probability amplitudes quite well, I though, without calling in the heavy math.
I'm also a fan of The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene.
--sabre86
My daughter (7 years old) got sucked into Mythbusters last year (picking up basic scientific method). Recently (last 2 months), she's started watching other shows on Discovery channel. She even woke me up early because she found one called Universe. Was really excited, seeing how Earth could have formed. So yeah, blowing shit up is very cool, she is picking up some ideas on critical thinking and also getting interested in mechanical engineering. Poor thing, tried to make a robot out of card board and tape. Got upset when it kept falling apart. Looks like a Mechano set is on the list for birthday.
I drank what? -- Socrates