Nominated to be a Cornerstone by American Book Award, Science 1980
Dancing Wu Li Masters – An Overview of the New Physics
A book for those curious about the new discoveries in advanced physics but who have no scientific background. Written in clear language with no mathematical equations, it explores quantum mechanics, …
author: Gary Zukav
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by National Bk. Award, Science & Pulitzer 1969
Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life
Illustrates and explains Darwin’s theory of natural selection, the misunderstandings and controversies that surround it, and how the theory has transformed the traditional view of human’s place in the…
author: Daniel C. Dennett
Dazzle of Dragonflies
A large-format book with stunning photographs and electronic images. Explains the natural history and folklore of dragonflies. One chapter devoted to their photograpic techniques: film, digital, and e…
author: Forrest L. Mitchell and James L. Lasswell

Dead Reckoning: Calculating Without Instruments
A concise guide to efficient mental calculation of mathematical equations and a fascinating look at number theory.
author: Ronald W. Doerfler
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by LA Times, Science 1998
Deadly Feasts – Tracking the Secrets of a Terrifying New Plague
A somber exploration of the emergence of deadly ?stealth? maladies known as prion diseases (mad cow disease being one). Rhodes shows how this mysterious group of human and animal diseases is spreadin…
author: Richard Rhodes
Death From the Skies! These are the Ways the World Will End…
“Broad in scope, expertly researched, and as entertaining as it is informative, Death From the Skies! Is the ultimate astronomy lesson…” (from book jacket). Plait helps us to draw the line between s…
author: Philip Plait, Ph.D.
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by National Book Award 1969
Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima
Explores the psychological effects of the August 6, 1945 bombing of Hiroshima, Japan on the survivors through interviews with people from all walks of life who experienced it, and how the experience w…
author: Robert Jay Lifton
Deep – The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss
Over 200 color photos of deep-sea creatures give this book a stunning realism. Text by some of the most respected researchers examines the biology of deep-sea organisms, the ecology of deep-sea habit…
author: Claire Nouvian, editor

Deep Atlantic: Life, Death, and Exploration in the Abyss
Strikingly illustrated by the author, this book introduces us to the abyssal zone of the Atlantic Ocean (everything below 4000 m). Divided into two sections, it first delves into the history of explo…
author: Richard Ellis
Defining the Wind: The Beaufort Scale and How a Nineteenth-Century Admiral Turned Science into Poetry
Hidden in this fascinating history of Admiral Francis Beaufort and his wind scale is the story of humans’ relationship with their environment, to the wind, and their attempts to describe it in a meani…
author: Scott Huler
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by LA Times - Science 1997, Barry Logan
Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
Through personal account and tales of discovery Carl Sagan shows how scientific thinking is necessary to debunk pseudoscience, and safeguard democratic institutions and technical civilizations.
author: Carl Sagan
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by LA TImes, Science 1995
Descartes’ Error: Emotion , Reason, and the Human Brain
Not only a journey into the working of the human brain but also an explanation of how reason and feelings come together in the mind.
author: Antonio R. Damasio
Devil’s Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love
A collection of essays written over the last 25 years by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. The essays are grouped into seven sections, each section with an explanation by the author of why the …
author: Richard Dawkins

Dimming the Sun – DVD
This NOVA DVD explores global dimming (decreased amount of sunlight arriving at the earth’s surface) and its relationship to pollution and global warming.
author: NOVA – WGBH, Boston
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by Lee Grodzins
Dinosaur in a Haystack – Reflections in Natural History
Collection of thirty-four essays involving the natural world, fossils, and evolutionary thinking. Gould delights in pointing out the interconnectedness of seemingly unconnected things, and he does so…
author: Stephen Jay Gould
Dinosaurs
This book is part of the INSIDERS, a visually groundbreaking, state-of-the-art nonfiction series featuring 3-D model imagery and up-to-date information in a user-friendly format. Dinosaurs explores e…
author: John Long
Dinosaurs
Take a journey through the prehistoric world and trace the evolution of the most astonishing creatures ever to have walked the earth. More than 170 giant-sized and superbly detailed computer generated…
author: Steve Brusatte
Dinosaurs – The Most Complete, Up-To-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages
A hefty, comprehensive volume covering topics such as geologic time, fossils and fossilization, dinosaur taxonomy, evolution, dinosaur behavior, life in the different periods (Jurassic, Triassic), and…
author: Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.

Discoveries: Great Breakthroughs in 20th Century Science, Including the Original Paperslink.
The 20th century saw breakthroughs in every field of science that profoundly changed the way we understand the world and our place in it. Lightman chooses 22 of these discoveries and profiles the sci…
author: Alan Lightman
Discovery of Global Warming
A history of the scientific and political obstacles, the conflicts and mistakes, that led up to the discovery of global warming and its impact on the Earth’s future.
author: Spencer R. Weart
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by 100+ List, American Book Award/Science
Disturbing the Universe
This autobiography is written not only from Dyson?s perspective as a physicist, but as a citizen, student, and parent. Involved in perceiving and describing the laws that govern the universe, he writ…
author: Freeman Dyson
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by NBCC, Non-fiction 1992; LA Times, Science 1993
Diversity of Life
Pulitzer Prize-winning author E.O. Wilson?s account of how the living world became diverse and how humans are destroying that diversity. Wilson recounts the five enormous natural blows to the planet …
author: Edward O. Wilson
Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano
Enter the world of scientists as they spin slowly downward inside a research submarine to more than a mile below the ocean surface where they explore submarine volcanoes, thermal vents and the animals…
author: Kenneth Mallory

DNA: The Secret of Life
First hand account of the unlocking of the secret of life – the story of the discovery of the structure and function of DNA.
author: James D. Watson, with Andrew Berry
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by National Book Award, Science 1969; Lee Grodzins
Double Helix – A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
James Watson’s account of the events leading to the solution of the structure of DNA in the early 1950’s. More than just a recounting of the scientific discoveries involved, it is a story of human in…
author: James D. Watson
Nominated to be a Cornerstone by Pulitzer: nonfiction 1978, NBCC 1978
Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
An overview of the evolution of human intelligence from prehistoric to the present with an explanation how the brain developed and functions. Also discusses the future evolution of the human brain and…
author: Carl Sagan
Dreams of a Final Theory: The Search for the Fundamental Laws of Nature
A personal account and intellectual history of the holy grail of physics, the search for a final theory that encompases the fundamental laws of nature.
author: Steven Weinberg
Dying of Enoch Wallace: Life, Death, and the Changing Brain
A fascinating history of modern neuroscience with accounts of discovery. Delves into the mysteries of the brain, how it is shaped by both genetics and experience; ever-changing and complex.
author: Ira B. Black, MD

Nominated to be a Cornerstone by LA Times 1997
Dying of the Trees: The Pandemic in America’s Forests
Through exploration of America’s forests and discussions with scientists, foresters, citizens, and government officials, Little recounts the history of the demise of America’s forests and the efforts …
author: Charles E. Little