TARDIS

Sci-Fi Topics

Surveys

Survey Results

Doctor Who

Stargate

Other Sci-Fi

Fantasy (Non-SciFi)

Fun and Games




Fun Science Books

Here are links to books to illustrate that science can be both educational and fun. We are firm believers in trying to get across the message, particularly to the young, that science is all about doing experiments and testing theories, asking the question "why does ....?".

 
SCIENCE: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE

This remarkable reference book reveals the story of scientific progress from the invention of the wheel to 21st-century climate solutions, including everything from ancient Greek geometry and quantum physics to the worldwide web. Explore every key moment of scientific discovery and find out how the concepts, inventions and the individuals behind them have changed our world.

 

 
SCIENCE IN SECONDS FOR KIDS

Make lightning in your room! Keep paper dry under water! Lose weight by going upstairs! See colors that aren′t there! Experience the magic of science with these quick, easy experiments and activities from Jean Potter. You can complete each activity in ten fun–filled minutes or less. Clear, step–by–step instructions and illustrations help you get it right every time.

 
THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF SCIENCE

A companion volume to The Ultimate Book of Knowledge, exploring science themes further and tying in neatly with the National Curriculum, Key Stage 2, where children . . . 'begin to make links between ideas and to explain things using simple models and theories. They apply their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas to familiar phenomena, everyday things and the human body'.

 
100 SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS

Action-packed collection of 100 simple science experiments using easily-sourced materials. Includes making crystals, electrical circuits, paper planes, kaleidoscopes, balloon rockets, shadow puppets and much, much more. Combines hands-on fun with scientific investigation and covers all areas of science even simple genetics! Includes a glossary and internet links to recommended websites with lots more experiments and activities. Shortlisted for the Aventis Prizes for Science Books 2006.

 
THE STUNNING SCIENCE OF EVERYTHING

Taking a journey from the very small, to the very big, readers will be taken on a glorious tour of everything in science from the smallest thing ever to the horribly huge universe. Individual chapters cover atoms, molecules, light and sound, microbes, diseases, bugs, humans and the body, animals, the earth and outer space And it's all in glorious full colour!

 
THE GRAND DESIGN

Is the apparent ‘grand design’ of our universe evidence for a benevolent creator who set things in motion? Or does science offer another explanation? In The Grand Design, the most recent scientific thinking about the mysteries of the universe is presented in language marked by both brilliance and simplicity. A succinct, startling and lavishly illustrated guide to discoveries that are altering our understanding and threatening some of our most cherished belief systems,

     
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH: THE EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION

Probably the best book that Richard Dawkins has written so far. We are big fans of this Professor Dawkins and this book plugs the gaps in his previous books - highly recommended

 
WONDERS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

The Wonders of the Solar System – from the giant ice fountains of Enceladus to the liquid methane seas of Titan and from storms twice the size of the Earth to the tortured moon of Io with its giant super-volcanoes – is the Solar System as you have never seen it before.

 
NAKED EGGS AND FLYING POTATOES

Author, celebrity teacher and science guy Steve Spangler teaches you how to transform the ordinary into the amazing as you make everyday items ooze, bubble, fizz, pop. Make people wonder...How did you do that? From Flying Toilet Paper to Bin Smoke Rings, Erupting Soda to Exploding Sandwich Bags, the experiments in this book will spark imaginations.

 
13 THINGS THAT DON'T MAKE SENSE: THE MOST INTRIGUING MYSTERIES OF OUR TIME

'Fascinating, bang-up-to-date... Like all the best science popularisers, Brooks reawakens us to the astonishing fact of our mere existence, the strangeness of the world around us, and the astonishing amount that science has yet to discover'

 
THE SUPER SCIENCE BOOK

Here is the fifth title in the stunningly successful sequence that began in l996 with THE GREAT GRAMMAR BOOK. THE SUPER SCIENCE BOOK describes, with pop-up wizardry and superb illustrations, the principles of Physical Science. Atoms, molecules, elements and compounds have never been so much fun. If you want to be a scientist- LOOK closely at the worlds around you. ASK lots of questions and keep a RECORD of how things change.

 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE

Explore and explain the world around you with the ultimate guide to science and technology. What causes a hurricane? How does the Internet work? Why is the Universe still getting bigger? Discover the amazing secrets of science from comets to cyclones and rockets to reptiles. Be first to read about the latest scientific theories and discoveries, recent space missions, newly discovered chemical elements and modern digital technologies. Find out how scientific processes work and carry out experiments of your own.

 
THE GOD DELUSION

A brilliant and well written book. A brilliant and well written book which challenges many widely believed religious views

 
THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES

In The Origin of Species (1859) Darwin challenged many of the most deeply-held beliefs of the Western world. Arguing for a material, not divine, origin of species, he showed that new species are achieved by `natural selection'. The Origin communicates the enthusiasm of original thinking in an open, descriptive style, and Darwin's emphasis on the value of diversity speaks more strongly now than ever

 
WHY DON'T PENGUIN'S FEET FREEZE AND 114 OTHER QUESTIONS

A fascinating mix of the baffling, ridiculous and trivial...

 
THE SELFISH GENE: 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Here is a genuine cultural landmark of our time.

 
THE GOLDILOCKS ENIGMA: WHY IS THE UNIVERSE JUST RIGHT FOR LIFE?

"The Goldilocks Enigma" is Paul Davies spectacular and eagerly awaited return to cosmology. Here he tackles all the 'big questions' and introduces the latest discoveries that have allowed scientists to piece together the story of the universe in unprecedented detail. And he explains why, despite all this, cosmologists are more divided than ever. Why is everything just right for life on earth? And how have we tried to explain this? How has belief shaped the scientific debate? What do we really know about our place in the universe?

 
THE BLIND WATCHMAKER

Acclaimed as the most influential work on evolution written in the last hundred years, "The Blind Watchmaker" offers an inspiring and accessible introduction to one of the most important scientific discoveries of all time. A brilliant and controversial book, which demonstrates that evolution by natural selection - the unconscious, automatic, blind, yet essentially non-random process discovered by Darwin

 
A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING

His investigations deal with seven topics, all of enormous interest and significance: the origins of the universe; the gradual historical discovery of the size and age of the earth (and the beginnings of the awesome notion of deep time); relativity and quantum theory; the present and future threats to life and the planet; the origins and history of life (dinosaurs, mass extinctions and all); and the evolution of man. Within each of these, he looks at the history of the subject, its development into a modern discipline and the frameworks of theory that now support it.

 
BANG! THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE

Rock legend and experienced amateur astronomer Brian May joins the legendary expert Sir Patrick Moore to tell the story of the Universe from the moment time and space came into existence at the Big Bang, through to the infinite future and the ultimate fate that awaits us. Many of the pictures of the Universe obtained by instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope or the Very Large Telescope in Chile are beautiful enough to be considered works of art in their own right.

 
JUST ANOTHER DAY: THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES

In his brilliantly idiosyncratic style, Adam Hart-Davis takes the reader through his day and shows just how much science and technology surrounds us all the time, from the alarm clock that wakes us up to the duvet we go to sleep in. We learn not just about how a modern, radio controlled alarm clock works, but also about the first one ever made - by Ktesibios in Alexandria in the third century BC.

 
TURN LEFT AT ORION: A HUNDRED NIGHT SKY OBJECTS TO SEE IN A SMALL TELESCOPE AND HOW TO FIND THEM

A guidebook for beginning amateur astronomers, Turn Left at Orion provides all the information you need to observe the Moon, the planets and a whole host of celestial objects. Large format diagrams show these objects exactly as they appear in a small telescope and for each object there is information on the current state of our astronomical knowledge. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed

 
WHY DO BUSES COME IN THREES?

Why is it better to buy a lottery ticket on a Thursday? Why are showers always too hot or too cold? And what's the connection between Rob Andrew taking a conversion in rugby and a tourist trying to get the best photograph of Nelson's Column? These and many other fascinating questions are answered in this entertaining and highly informative book ideal for anyone wanting to remind themselves - or discover for the first time - that maths is relevant to almost everything that we do.

 
THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Providing an up-to-date discussion of the many aspects of teaching primary science, the new edition of this best-selling book, contains a strong focus on constructivist learning and the role of social interaction in learning.

 
ESSENTIAL CELL BIOLOGY

Essential Cell Biology, Second Edition is concise and accessible enough for a non-specialist to read and digest. Building on the success of the first edition the new text includes brand new "How We Know" sections in every chapter. They describe how experimental science is done and where knowledge came from. At every stage the student and lecturer are supported by ECB2 Interactive CD and the extensive ancillary package