Science book recommendations
Do you love reading books and need some inspiration on what to read next?
Browse through the recommendations from scientists and science communicators below, or visit our Book club page to view books we discussed and their short descriptions. You can also find more in our book reviews section. You can share your suggestions with us and submit your own book review.
Books for children
Marita Cheng, Young Australian of the Year and Robogals founder, recommends:
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams – Read the book review by Jude Dineley
Simon Pampena, Australian Numeracy Ambassador and maths comedian, recommends:
Flatland, by Edwin A. Abbott
Prof Stuart Wyithe, University of Melbourne and 2011 Physical Scientist of the Year, recommends:
Starry Messenger, by Peter Sis
Books for adults
Brian Schmidt, ANU Professor and Nobel Prize winner, recommends:
Dark Sun: The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes
Wonderful Life, by Stephen Jay Gould
COSMOS, by Carl Sagan
Prof Carola G. Vinuesa, Australian National University and former Life Scientist of the Year, recommends:
COSMOS, by Carl Sagan
Marie Curie: a biography, by Eve Curie
Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA, by Brenda Maddox
Prof James Whisstock, Monash University and former Life Scientist of the Year, recommends:
Dorothy Hodgkin: A Life, by Georgina Ferry
J.D. Bernal: The Sage of Science, by Andrew Brown
I Wish I’d Made You Angry Earlier, by Max F. Perutz
Marita Cheng, Young Australian of the Year and Robogals founder, recommends:
1984, by George Orwell
Dr Maryanne Demasi, presenter ABC Catalyst and medical scientist, recommends:
Don’t Be Such a Scientist, by Randy Olson
The Science of Happiness, by Stefan Klein
Assoc Prof Min Chen, University of Sydney and 2011 Life Scientist of the Year, recommends:
A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson
Dr Paul Willis, Director of RiAus and paleontologist, recommends:
Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
Principles of Geology, by Charles Lyell
Simon Pampena, Australian Numeracy Ambassador and maths comedian, recommends:
From Here to Infinity, by Ian Stewart
The Number Sense, by Stanislas Dehaene
Prof Stuart Wyithe, University of Melbourne and 2011 Physical Scientist of the Year, recommends:
The Hubble Wars, by Eric J. Chaisson
The Double Helix, by James D. Watson
Dr Zoz Brooks, Discovery Channel presenter and roboticist, recommends:
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!, by Richard Feynman
Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Dark Sun: The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes
IGNITION! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants, by John D. Clark
Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic
Professor Ian Frazer, Director, Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabollic Medicine:
Science fiction: Iain Banks and Ian Hamilton
Science fact: Memoirs of a Thinking Radish, Peter Medawar
The Beginners Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize, Peter Doherty
Professor Bryan Gaensler, ARC Federation Fellow, School of Physics, University of Sydney:
Pushing Ice, Alastair Reynolds
‘An addictive read, with excellent characters and a horizon way beyond most other sci-fi.’
Pythagoras’ Trousers, Margaret Wertheim
‘A giant wake-up call to science, pointing out that not only are physics & astronomy male-dominated, but even the way we do science is gender-biased.’
The Demon Haunted World, Carl Sagan
‘One of the most elegant exposes on offer on the pitfalls of pseudo-science.’
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
‘Science-fiction is at its best when it acts as a mirror to ourselves. This novel asks the question: If we came as colonisers to a new land in the 21st century, would we still make the mistakes of our 15th and 16th century forebears?’
Professor Richard Head, Director, CSIRO Preventative Health Flagship:
The Florey Biograph
Consilience: The unity of knowledge, E.O. Wilson
The Hon. Michael O’Brien, SA Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Forests, Energy, the Northern Suburbs:
The Structure of Scientific Revolution, Thomas Kuhn
Mathematics in Western Culture, Morris Kline
Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham
Sean Williams, author
Top 10 books on the cosmos:
The Five Ages of the Universe, Fred Adams & Greg Laughlin
The Universe Next Door, Marcus Chown
The Pluto Files, Neil deGrasse Tyson
A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking
Hyperspace, Michio Kaku
Cosmos, Carl Sagan
The Big Bang, Simon Singh
The First Three Minutes, Steven Weinberg
Black Holes and Time Warps, Kip Thorne
The Universe in a Mirror, Robert Zimmerman
Robyn Williams, science broadcaster:
Bomb Book and Compass, Simon Winchester
Koala, Ann Moyal
Coral Reef, Steve Jones
The Weather Makers, Tim Flannery
Bad Science, Ben Goldacre
Age of Wonder, Richard Holmes
The Biography of E=MC2, David Bodanis
The Making of Memory, Steven Rose
Hen’s Teeth & Horses Toes, Stephen Jay Gould
The Blind Watchmaker, Richard Dawkins
Longitude, Dava Sobel
The Animal Attraction, Jonica Newby
Pythagoras’s Trousers, Margaret Wertheim
Blank Slate, Steve Pinker
Professor Fiona Wood:
The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins
The Brain that Changes Itself, Norman Doidge
Tim Minchin, comedian, actor, and musician:
Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
Bad Science, Ben Goldacre
The Big Bang, Simon Singh
Amanda Barnard, condensed matter physicist and leader of the CSIRO Virtual Nanoscience Laboratory:
QED, Richard Feynman
The Physics of Superheros, James Kakalios
Andrew Denton, comedian, TV presenter and producer:
Pattern Recognition, William Gibson
Farenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Longitude, Dava Sobel
Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton
Honk If You’re Jesus, Peter Goldsworthy
Hitchiker trilogy in five parts, Douglas Adams
Breakfast Of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut
