books

I'm showing something quite personal here: the science section of my bookcase. Non fiction above, fiction at the bottom (children's books have their own set of shelves). It's reasonably small - I try to keep the number of books I actually own down, I move too often. Every now and again I look through the books I own, and ask myself "do I want to keep this?".

Reasons for keeping a book are often practical and/ or personal (they were gifts, I've annotated a copy for study, I think it'll be useful in future...) but in some ways it is also indicative of what I happen to think makes a good science book.

The question of what makes a "good" science book was addressed at an RI/ Imperial college event last night. And the winner is *drum roll* Primo Levi's The Periodic Table.

Personally, I don't think the Periodic Table is a science book, but I acknowledge I'm using a reasonably limiting definition (it doesn't say anything about science, or tell us any science). This doesn't make it a bad book, it's just not, for me, a "science book".

You can follow the debate (and add other suggestions of books you like) on Jon Turney's blog. Seeing as student blogging doesn't start till November, if anyone else wants to flash their science books, email me pictures.