Listmania!
Books recommended by members of the Ecolog listserv
By an Amazon.com customer
The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of ExtinctionThe Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction by David Quammen
Buy new: $15.84 / Used from: $3.99
This is the best book ever. Period. No qualifiers such as "science" or "non-fiction" are needed in that sentence. It is a page turner and far more educational than all but a few of my college biology classes were. You don't have to like science to love this book. Buy a few copies and plan on giving them to people you love.
A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the BaboonsA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons by Robert M. Sapolsky
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $1.89
Wonderful book. My second favorite of all time. Inspiring and beautifully written. Sorry, no more personal comments after this, I promise.
Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the SeasSong for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas by Carl Safina
Buy new: $12.24 / Used from: $1.68
Also by the same author "Eye of the Albatross: Visions of Hope and Survival"
The Diversity of LifeThe Diversity of Life by Edward O. Wilson
Buy used from: $7.60
"Biophilia", "Concilience: The Unity of Knowledge", and "Naturalist" by the same author were also on the list. Pretty much anything by E.O. Wilson...
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the WorldThe Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $6.98
Also on the list, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by the same author.
A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections)A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections) by Aldo Leopold
Buy new: $35.13 / Used from: $23.97
The Log from the "Sea of Cortez" (Penguin Modern Classics)The Log from the "Sea of Cortez" (Penguin Modern Classics) by John Steinbeck
Buy new: $21.28 / Used from: $11.48
Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and SpiritIshmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn
Buy new: $12.24 / Used from: $3.24
Oryx and CrakeOryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $4.97
Desert SolitaireDesert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
Buy new: $11.66 / Used from: $3.46
Also "The Monkey Wrench Gang" a fun fiction book by the same author.
The Control of NatureThe Control of Nature by John McPhee
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $1.79
Also by same author: "Encounters with the Archdruid"
WaldenWalden by Henry David Thoreau
Buy new: $6.95 / Used from: $2.97
Win-Win Ecology: How The Earth's Species Can Survive In The Midst of Human EnterpriseWin-Win Ecology: How The Earth's Species Can Survive In The Midst of Human Enterprise by Michael L. Rosenzweig
Buy new: $33.85 / Used from: $2.80
Fragile Dominion: Complexity and the CommonsFragile Dominion: Complexity and the Commons by Simon Levin
Buy new: $15.15 / Used from: $3.99
Tears of the Cheetah: The Genetic Secrets of Our Animal AncestorsTears of the Cheetah: The Genetic Secrets of Our Animal Ancestors by Dr. Stephen J. O'Brien
Buy new: $11.96 / Used from: $5.68
Water, Ice & Stone: Science and Memory on the Antarctic LakesWater, Ice & Stone: Science and Memory on the Antarctic Lakes by Bill Green
Buy new: $12.44 / Used from: $0.96
Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train: Errant Economists, Shameful Spenders, and a Plan to Stop them AllShoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train: Errant Economists, Shameful Spenders, and a Plan to Stop them All by Brian Czech
Buy new: $10.57 / Used from: $1.59
One RiverOne River by Wade Davis
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $4.94
The Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches (Penguin Classics)The Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches (Penguin Classics) by Charles Darwin
Buy new: $9.89 / Used from: $2.34
A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines: The Growing Threat Of Species Invasions (Scope Series - Scientific Committee on Pro)A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines: The Growing Threat Of Species Invasions (Scope Series - Scientific Committee on Pro) by Yvonne Baskin
Buy new: $25.00 / Used from: $3.33
Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate ChangeField Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert
Buy used from: $3.24
Grassland: The History, Biology, Politics and Promise of the American PrairieGrassland: The History, Biology, Politics and Promise of the American Prairie by Richard Manning
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $3.97
Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the MindMonster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind by David Quammen
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $3.00
Same author as good as Song of the Dodo. In my personal opinion, not quite as good, but still one the best non-fiction books I have ever read.
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $5.48
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew AmericaHot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman
Buy new: $9.78 / Used from: $2.05
Last Chance to SeeLast Chance to See by Douglas Adams
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $2.51
Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years AgoExtinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago by Douglas H. Erwin
Buy new: $15.61 / Used from: $10.98
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 (P.S.)Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 (P.S.) by Simon Winchester
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $1.00
The World Without UsThe World Without Us by Alan Weisman
Buy new: $8.73 / Used from: $4.33
King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of SalmonKing of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon by David Montgomery
Buy new: $15.25 / Used from: $1.99
Salmon Without Rivers: A History Of The Pacific Salmon CrisisSalmon Without Rivers: A History Of The Pacific Salmon Crisis by James A. Lichatowich
Buy new: $20.95 / Used from: $10.95
Darwin's Dreampond: Drama on Lake VictoriaDarwin's Dreampond: Drama on Lake Victoria by Tijs Goldschmidt
Buy new: $22.62 / Used from: $3.85
Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological InvasionOut of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion by Alan Burdick
Buy new: $11.25 / Used from: $2.50
Ravens in WinterRavens in Winter by Bernd Heinrich
Buy used from: $7.12
Also by the same author: "The Trees in My Forest"
Arctic DreamsArctic Dreams by Barry Lopez
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $2.94
The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our TimeThe Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $2.52
E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous EquationE=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis
Buy new: $16.50 / Used from: $6.95
Tomorrow Now: Envisioning the Next 50 YearsTomorrow Now: Envisioning the Next 50 Years by Bruce Sterling
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $3.99
The New Economy of Nature: The Quest To Make Conservation ProfitableThe New Economy of Nature: The Quest To Make Conservation Profitable by Gretchen Daily
Buy new: $13.36 / Used from: $7.90
Silent SpringSilent Spring by Rachel Carson
Buy new: $9.72 / Used from: $3.00