Want to know what’s hot off the press? Check out our pick of 10 of the best popular science books coming out this month
10 of the best popular science books out in October 2020
Is Anybody Out There?
Dara Ó Briain
£12.99, Scholastic, 01 October 2020
The hilarious Dara Ó Briain offers scientific answers to questions such as: how did life begin? How was the Earth created? Do aliens exist? in this illustrated book for 9+ years.
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
- Listen to our podcast with Dara Ó Briain
Island Dreams: Mapping an obsession
Gavin Francis
£20, Canongate, 01 October 2020
Why are humans so interested in islands? Gavin Francis recounts his own island adventures, examines our relationship with the land through history and philosophy, and reveals the psychology behind our collective obsession.
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
A Life on Our Planet: My witness statement and a vision for the future
David Attenborough
A message from Britain’s favourite naturalist and broadcaster on the Earth, climate change and our responsibilities to the environment.
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
- Listen to our podcast with Sir David Attenborough
Numbers Don’t Lie: 71 things you need to know about the world
Vaclav Smil
£16.99, Viking, 01 October 2020
A book for anyone confused by statistics or dubious of data in a world where numbers seem to mean everything and nothing. Vaclav Smil’s new book reveals why diesel isn’t as bad as you think, how much food is really being wasted, what actually makes people happy, and much more.
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Portfolio 30
Rosamund Kidman Cox
£25.00, The Natural History Museum, 14 October 2020
A gorgeous collection of images from the 2020 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Take a look at some of the incredible wildlife pictures from this year’s book.
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
Fermentation as Metaphor
Sandor Ellix Katz
£20, Chelsea Green Publishing, 15 October 2020
A self-confessed fermentation fan, Sandor Ellix Katz has shared his love of food, gardening and nutrition with us since 2012 with his best-selling book The Art of Fermentation.
In Fermentation as Metaphor, Katz uses the lens of his microscope to show the beauty in our everyday, and reveal surprising similarities between human and microbial culture.
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
- Listen to biologist Merlin Sheldrake talk about yeast and other fungi in an episode of the Science Focus podcast
Funny You Should Ask: Your questions answered by the QI Elves
The QI Elves
£12.99, Faber, 15 October 2020
Have you ever wondered if it is possible to dig a tunnel to the other side of the Earth? Or about the correct pronunciation of a ‘Nice biscuit’?
The QI Elves are the team of researchers and writers behind the BBC Two panel show QI, and their vast, collective knowledge makes for genuinely interesting reading – especially for BBC Science Focus readers whose favourite section is Q&A!
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
- Listen to our podcast collab with No Such Thing as a Fish, the spin-off QI podcast by the Elves
The Wonder Book of Geometry: A Mathematical Story
David Acheson
£12.99, Oxford University Press, 22 October 2020
David Acheson has set geometry free from the confines of stuffy textbooks and has let loose its potential to surprise and delight. Grab your pencil, and dive in.
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
Gigantic Cinema: A weather anthology
Alice Oswald and Paul Keegan
£14.99, Vintage, 29 October 2020
A collection of poems, prose and writings on weather, from the Victorian theories of the death of the Sun, to its appearances and meaning as used in famous literature. Importantly, this is not just a single perspective on weather – there are ancient tales and modern science, from all around the world.
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
Too Much Stuff
Emily Gravett
£12.99, Two Hoots, 29 October 2020
Teach your kids the importance of ‘less is more’ with Emily Gravett’s Too Much Stuff. Perfect for the budding environmentalist, this fiction book teaches the importance of wasting less and recycling more.
- Buy from Amazon UK, Foyles, Waterstones and WHSmith
The best books of all time
We reckon this is a fine selection of books to read this month, but there are plenty more that are well worth your time from the annuls of history. If you’re looking for a little inspiration, here are a few more of our book recommendations to mull over:
- Four of the best science fiction books from 34 years of the Arthur C. Clarke Awards
- Natural Selection: Five of the best books on evolution
- Five best physics books, according to Jim Al-Khalili
- AI: Five of the best must-read artificial intelligence books
- Five race science books you must read
- Science books for kids: Five books for budding scientists
Are you excited to read any of the books on this list? Let us know what you think of our pick of the best science books out this month by messaging us on Twitter or Facebook, tag us in a picture of you reading the book on Instagram, and join the Science Focus Book Club for a community of other science book lovers.
- Note: These publication dates might change due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Authors
Amy is the Editorial Assistant at BBC Science Focus and looks after all things books, culture and media. She is also a regular interviewer on the Science Focus Podcast. Her interests range from natural history and wildlife, to women in STEM and accessibility tech.
