New book by ABSW member Mark Henderson

Mark Henderson's first book is being published on Thursday April 2. It's called 50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need To Know, and is published by Quercus. It's a broad introduction to basic concepts and issues in genetics, written very much with a lay audience in mind. The "50 Ideas" series already includes similar titles on physics, maths etc.

If you're interested, it's available for pre-order from Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Genetics-Ideas-Really-Need-Know/dp/1847246710 -and it should be in the bookshops from Thursday!

Mark is Science Editor of The Times Newspaper

2008 book winners announced

There it is, screaming atop the page at the Royal Society, Winners Announced. The puff of white smoke has gone up, and Six Degrees by Mark Lynas (Fourth Estate/Harper Collins) picks up this year's General Prize in the 2008 Royal Society Prizes for Science Books.

The Junior Prize goes to Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do by Rebecca Gilpin and Leonie Pratt, (Usborne).

For some reason, the detailed account of the event is over on Flickr, along with some pictures. (That's where you land if you follow the links in the above.)

The general prize is for a book on climate change. The title of the book that collected the junior prize explains itself.

Author finds happiness at the Royal Society

Just in case you missed it, the announcement of this year's winners of the prizes run by the Royal Society, Pursuit of happiness leads to top science book prize.

Tim Radford bangs the drum for science books

The recently retired science editor, and former literary editor, of The Guardian, Tim Radford, continues to merge his enthusiasms for science writing and literature. Queerer than we suppose, Tim's take on science books, accompanied the paper's coverage of this year's prizes.

Lots of nice quotes. "In a good science book, you are likely to read not just something you have never read before but something nobody has written before."

And he even managed to provoke a debate among readers. Perhaps there is life in the science book after all.

Beeb puffs books prize

The piece on BBC NEWS, Best popular science books named, has more details of this year's book prizes. With pictures of two of the books' covers and a brief history of the prize.

Royal Society announces short list

In its press release announcing the Royal Society Prize for Science Books , the Royal Society makes much of the fact that all six authors "are newcomers to the prize's shortlist".

Nice to see at least one ABSW member in there, which is why we are rooting for Henry Nicholls. The judges say of Henry's book, Lonesome George, that it "is a great piece of journalistic writing that makes you think about a wide range of complex issues ".

Long list brought to book

The Royal Society has announced the books that are on the "longlist" for this year's 2007 General Prize for the year's best science book.

• A Mind of its Own by Cordelia Fine (Icon Books)
• Bang! The Complete History of the Universe by Brian May, Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott (Carlton Books)
• Francis Crick, Discoverer of the Genetic Code by Matt Ridley (Harper Press)
• Giant Leaps by Jack Challoner and John Perry (Boxtree)
• Homo Britannicus by Chris Stringer (Penguin Allen Lane)
• In Search of Memory by Eric R. Kandel (WW Norton & Co)
• Lonesome George by Henry Nicholls (Macmillan)
• One in Three by Adam Wishart (Profile Books)
• Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (Harper Press)
• The Goldilocks Enigma by Paul Davies (Penguin Allen Lane)
• The Rough Guide to Climate Change by Robert Henson (Rough Guides)
• The Science of Doctor Who by Paul Parsons (Icon Books)

There is a description of each book and its author(s) on the web site.

Science books, the Junior Shortlist

The PR machine rolls into action for "the world's most prestigious awards for science writing". Well, that's what they say. In reality, we are talking about the "Junior Shortlist" for the Royal Society Prizes for Science Books.

The six books shortlisted by the judging panel are:

• Can you feel the force? by Richard Hammond (Dorling Kindersley)
• How nearly everything was invented by the Brainwaves, illustrated by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar (Dorling Kindersley)
• It's true! Space turns you into spaghetti by Heather Catchpole and Vanessa Woods (Allen and Unwin)
• KFK Natural Disasters by Andrew Langley (Kingfisher Knowledge)
• My Body Book by Mick Manning and Brita Granström (Franklin Watts)
• Science Investigations: Electricity by John Farndon (Wayland)

It is now down to "over 100 schools and youth groups" to pick the winner.

Nominations open for "green book" award

That's an award for books about the environment rather than books printed on recycled paper. The announcement is on Horganism the blog by John Horgan, Director of the Center for Science Writings at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. Edward O. Wilson, "one of our era’s greatest and most eloquent scientists," received the first Green Book Award for his book The Creation.

It says that "The CSW Green Book Award is an annual prize given to the finest work of science writing that draws attention to issues of environmental responsibility published in the previous year." The entry requirements, or how the thing works, aren't clear. There's an on-line entry form, so there's no harm in plugging your own magnum opus.

tag: environment, awards, science books, books