Hawking's "Brief History of Time" was my first eye-opener.
Two more books with the same theme but from different perspectives:
- Timothy Ferris "The Whole Shebang" (I urge y'all to read it)
- Bill Bryson "Brief History of Almost Everything"
The latter being a particularly good read because it was written by a historian and storyteller. The attention to personalities (I never knew Newton was such a jerk) provided fresh insights.
Any books by or of Feynman, especially the one compiled by his daughter, Michelle: "Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From The Beaten Path."
This is a valuable collection of Feynman's correspondence, providing wonderful humor and a special appreciation of how he dealt with his Nobel Prize.
"The Feynman Lectures" should be compulsory reading to any freshman. At least then "Six Easy Pieces", followe by "Six Not So Easy Pieces".
John Horgan, ex staff writer for Scientific American. His first book: "The End of Physics.", I particularly enjoyed. At about the time of its publication, Horgan disappeared off the S.A. staff writer list. Could it be he upset too many scientists?
Hugh Eales: "Riddles In Stone. Controversies, Theories and Myths About Southern Africa's Geological Past" Wits University Press.
Read it!!
And lastly:
William (not Bill) Nealy: "Kayak. The animated Manual of Intermediate and Advanced Whitewater Technique." Menasha Ridge Press. 171pp.
