Listmania!
Beginning Skeptic's Reading List
By an Amazon.com customer
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the DarkThe Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $4.41
Referenced by the listener and confirmed by Dr. Novella as a good "first book."
Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other DelusionsFlim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions by James Randi
Buy new: $15.63 / Used from: $5.00
Recommended by Evan Berstein.
The Psychic MafiaThe Psychic Mafia by M. Lamar Keene
Buy used from: $27.50
Recommended by Rebecca Watson.
Pseudoscience and the ParanormalPseudoscience and the Paranormal by Terence Hines
Buy new: $15.82 / Used from: $9.65
Recommended by Bob Novella.
How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday LifeHow We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life by Thomas Gilovich
Buy new: $13.64 / Used from: $4.75
Recommended by Dr. Novella.
Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small ThingsQuirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things by Richard Wiseman
Buy used from: $2.18
Recommended by Rebecca Watson.
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution 24 Lectures on 12 CDs (Modern Physics for Non-Scientists)Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution 24 Lectures on 12 CDs (Modern Physics for Non-Scientists) by Richard Wolfson
Buy used from: $24.75
Audio program; recommended by Bob Novella. Transcripts and other media also available.
Sham: How the Self-Help Movement Made America HelplessSham: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless by Steve Salerno
Buy new: $11.86 / Used from: $2.15
Recommended by Evan Bernstein.
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) by Richard P. Feynman
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $2.30
Recommended by Rebecca Watson.
Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent DesignWhy Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design by Michael Shermer
Buy new: $10.92 / Used from: $2.94
Recommended by Evan Bernstein.
Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our TimeWhy People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $6.00
Recommended by Dr. Novella as an excellent primer or introduction to critical thinking.
A Physicist's Guide to Skepticism: Applying Laws of Physics to Faster-Than-Light Travel, Psychic Phenomena, Telepathy, Time Travel, UFOs, and Other Pseudoscientific ClaimsA Physicist's Guide to Skepticism: Applying Laws of Physics to Faster-Than-Light Travel, Psychic Phenomena, Telepathy, Time Travel, UFOs, and Other Pseudoscientific Claims by Milton A. Rothman
Buy new: $37.98 / Used from: $4.00
Recommended by Bob Novella. Outlines what science has to say on recurring pseudo-scientific topics.
Them: Adventures with ExtremistsThem: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson
Buy new: $10.80 / Used from: $4.94
Recommended by Rebecca Watson. Ronson is also featured on Public Radio and has material that can be found on YouTube.
Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to EvolutionDarwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by Michael J. Behe
Buy new: $10.80 / Used from: $8.50
Not an "official" recommendation on the referenced show, but Dr. Novella mentioned this as an aside to gain a "believer's" perspective.
Science: Good, Bad, and BogusScience: Good, Bad, and Bogus by Martin Gardner
Buy new: $24.28 / Used from: $3.50
Recommended by Dr. Novella. Also added that anything by Martin Gardner would be beneficial.
An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and SupernaturalAn Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural by James Randi
Buy used from: $14.86
Recommended by Evan Bernstein. Also available online at randi.org
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human CadaversStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Buy new: $9.86 / Used from: $3.00
Recommended by Rebecca Watson.
Spook: Science Tackles the AfterlifeSpook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $0.17
Recommended by Rebecca Watson.
Crime Science: Methods of Forensic DetectionCrime Science: Methods of Forensic Detection by Joe Nickell
Buy new: $17.15 / Used from: $4.50
Recommended by Dr. Novella; also recommends anything by the author.
Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax"Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax" by Philip C. Plait
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $2.08
Recommended by Rebecca Watson.
The Triumph of Evolution: and the Failure of CreationismThe Triumph of Evolution: and the Failure of Creationism by Niles Eldredge
Buy used from: $1.69
Recommended by Dr. Novella.
The Book of Life: An Illustrated History of the Evolution of Life on Earth, Second EditionThe Book of Life: An Illustrated History of the Evolution of Life on Earth, Second Edition
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $9.99
Mentioned that anything by Stephen Jay Gould would be recommended. This title was a random pick.
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of EvolutionThe Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins
Buy new: $11.02 / Used from: $3.45
Recommended by Rebecca Watson.
The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and PracticeThe Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice by Christopher Hitchens
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $6.39
Supplementary recommendation by panel.
Case ClosedCase Closed by Gerald Posner
Buy new: $12.21 / Used from: $2.99
Supplementary recommendation by panel.
SkepticSkeptic
Buy new: $30.00
Magazine recommendation by group.
Skeptical InquirerSkeptical Inquirer
Buy new: $35.00
Magazine recommendation by group.
Scientific AmericanScientific American
Buy new: $24.97
Magazine recommendation by group.