BTMcP's RECOMMENDED READING LIST
All of the books listed below are
written for general audiences.
None are highly technical. Most are available
in paperback editions.
GENERAL BIOLOGY
Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes
and The Panda's
Thumb by Stephen Jay Gould. Reflections in natural history.
The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher
by Lewis Thomas.
Delightful snippets and
musings from a biologist who is fascinated with
nature and relationships. Ten minute chapters. After reading these essays
you are likely to see life forms in
a way that you never did before. (Try other collections of
essays by Thomas also, e.g. The Medusa
and the Snail.)
GENETICS / MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
The Cartoon Guide to Genetics
by Larry Gonick
and Mark Wheelis. I
can think of no more fun way to
learn basic genetics.
The Double Helix by James D. Watson. A
classic that details the events (both personal
and scientific) surrounding the elucidation of
the structure of DNA. Quick reading.
The Eighth Day of Creation
by Horace Freeland
Judson. Must reading
for anyone seriously interested in molecular
biology. The book's 600+ pages reveal the
history of molecular biology as if it
were a detective story. A great way to truly understand the
basic concepts of molecular biology.
Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23
chapters by Matt Ridley. The author discusses one newly discovered gene from each of the
human chromosome pairs and tells its genetic story.
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. "Our genes made us.
We animals exist for their preservation
and are nothing more than their throwaway
survival machines." A
1976 bestseller, this witty book addresses
questions of social biology in terms of
the genetic theory of natural selection.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging
Diseases in a World Out of Balance by Laurie Garrett. (1994). A compelling account of the challenges that
Nature continually throws at humans in the form of infectious diseases. While
quite a tome, this work is already often-quoted. Well worth reading.
Contagion by Robin Cook. An exciting novel about how a madman threatens the world with a
disastrous epidemic. The reader gets a
look at a number of agents that might be used to such an end. While the science is not completely flawless,
the book is a fun, worthwhile read.
Deadly Feasts: The Prion Controversy
by Richard Preston. (1998). This is an account of the currently evolving
story of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), the likely agents of
diseases such as kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and "Mad Cow
disease".
Death Rounds by Peter Clement. A medical who-done-it (novel) that is
entertaining, relatively accurate, and filled with microbiology and infectious
diseases. A quick and fun read.
The
Demon in the Freezer by
Richard Preston. Since natural smallpox
infections have been eradicated, should the known stocks of the smallpox virus that
are stored in Moscow and at the CDC be destroyed? The question is probed in this well-written 2002 book.
Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of
1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It by
Gina Kolata. A masterful account of the
devastating 1918 influenza epidemic written for the general reader. The author addresses the prospects for the
recurrence of a similarly devastating flu epidemic and considers what can be
done to prevent this form happening.
Germs: Biological Weapons and America’s Secret War by Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, and
William Broad. This a well-researched
and yet easy-to-read account of the threat of biological weapons.
The
Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the
Deadliest Plague in History
by John Barry. This is a thorough
accounting of the people and events surrounding the deadly 1918 influenza
epidemic.
The
Hot Zone by Richard
Preston. The true story of how a deadly
virus (Ebola) from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in a
Washington, D.C.-area animal test lab. 1995 New York Times Best Seller.
Man
and Microbes: Disease and Plagues in History
and Modern Times by Arno
Karlen. A dramatic panorama of the
natural history of infectious disease.
The Medical Detectives by Berton Roueche (volumes
I and II) Sherlock Holmes type stories
about medical mysteries. A collection of bizarre, puzzling, and
startling cases. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED not only
for educational value but also for entertainment.
Microbe
Hunters by Paul deKruif.
This is a 1926 book that remains a
classic in the popular microbiology literature. deKruif details some of the classic experiments by the earliest
microbiologists. Today’s aspiring
scientists might learn much from the patience of these early experimenters and
the clever design of their experiments.
Scourge: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox by Jonathan Tucker. A history
of smallpox from ancient times to the present.
Viruses,
Plagues, and History by
Michael B.A. Oldstone. An exceptionally
well-written account of some of the landmarks of medical virology. Easy and enjoyable to read, this book sets in
perspective the complex issues of today’s emerging infectious diseases. 1998.
Yellow
Fever - Black
Goddess: The coevolution of people and plagues by Christopher Wills. Weaving between historical accounts of
epidemics and scientific detective stories, the author presents the story of
the evolution of infectious diseases and suggests how we will eventually master
them. While at times a bit scholarly,
this 1996 book will probably be an easy, enjoyable, and profitable read for
most.
MEDICINE
The American Medical Association
Family Medical Guide. An encyclopedic account of commonly encountered
medical conditions. While you
may not read this one from cover
to cover, once you pick it up you
will probably be back time and again.
The Man Who Mistook His
Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. Case histories of patients lost
in the world of neurological disorders.
Mortal Lessons by Richard Seizer. Thoughts
about life in general the life of
a physician in particular. Capturing and
poetic. (Try other books by Seizer also. They
are all great!)
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. The classic book of
concern about our environment which launched
the ecological movement in America. (See also The Sea
Around Us, another classic which
first drew the relationship between ocean ecosystems
and human society.)
HAPPY READING !