IIDB Evolution/Creation: Annotated Booklist

[RufusAtticus]

On Infidels we often get asked for book recommendations and other information about evolution and the political controversy surrounding it. We are now undertaking an effort to produce a simple FAQ that outlines resources both in print and on the web. All of our book recommendations feature a link to Amazon.com that indicates that we referred you there. Whenever you buy a recommendation on this list you will help fund the SecWeb.

Right now we only have one section ready, but we hope to get others up soon.

INTRODUCTORY READING Genetics in the Wild (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1588340694/thesecularweb/) by John Avise
What can DNA tell us about evolution? Avise explains how genetic assays of living organisms shed light on some of the mysteries of nature. Over the course of 92 essays he covers everything from where pandas belong in the tree of life to where neanderthals belong in the tree of man. Along the way he discusses conservation, speciation, reproduction, among other things and shows that truth can be stranger than fiction.

Charles Darwin: Voyaging (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691026068/thesecularweb/) and Charles Darwin: The Power of Place (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679429328/thesecularweb/) by Janet Browne
This is an extraordinarily ambitious and well-written two-volume biography of Charles Darwin. Volume 1, Voyaging, covers his early life, his expedition on the Beagle, and his research up to the 1850s. In many ways it is a more contemplative prelude to Volume 2, The Power of Place, which begins with Darwin opening a letter from Wallace and discovering that the ideas he had been struggling with for over 15 years had been independently discovered by another. The rest of the book covers the subsequent exploration and maneuvering (political as well as scientific) that led to evolution's acceptance. These are not lightweight books -- each volume reaches about 600 pages -- but are excellent reading for anyone who enjoys history or a tale skillfully told.

Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375406255/thesecularweb/) by Richard Fortey
Trilobites are arthropods that went extinct 200 million years ago. Richard Fortey is a modern paleontologist at the Natural History Museum who studies trilobites both professionally and as a hobby. In this book, Fortey uses the trilobite as a theme to explore geology, biogeography, continental drift, ancient climates, taphonomy, extinction, evolutionary change, a little invertebrate biology, and a great deal about the pleasures of fossil hunting.

Evolutionary Biology, 3rd edition (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0878931899/thesecularweb/) by Douglas J. Futuyma
Futuyma's text is the de facto standard for college introductory evolutionary biology. Even if you don't use it in a course it is a great basic reference for the facts and theory of evolution.

What Evolution Is (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0465044255/thesecularweb/) by Ernst Mayr
Mayr, the Isaac Newton of geographical speciation, wrote this book for three kinds of people: those who want to know more about the mechanisms of evolution, those who accept evolution but are not sure about Darwinian mechanisms, and those who reject evolution but need to know what it is to argue against it. This book is the result of an aim for an elementary volume that stresses principles but does not get lost in the details. This is a simple read for anyone desiring to know what evolution is.

Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck? (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393309274/thesecularweb/) by David M. Raup
And the answer is...bad luck. Raup broadly surveys geological history to discuss the Big Five mass extinctions: the Ordovician, Devonian, and Triassic, the best-known K-T, and the most severe, the Permian. Along the way he describes how paleontologists measure extinctions, how modern species go extinct, and speculates on the mechanisms behind mass extinctions.

Genome (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060932902/thesecularweb/) by Matt Ridley
A book that takes an interesting approach to illustrate some general concepts in modern molecular genetics. The premise is that each chapter takes a single human chromosome, and uses a gene or property of that chromosome as an example of a phenomenon, such as 'junk' DNA, meiotic drive, gene imprinting, etc. An easy read, since each chapter stands on its own and it can be read in digestible chunks.

The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/067973337x/thesecularweb/) by Jonathan Weiner
This Pulitzer Prize winning book chronicles the work of the Rosemary and Peter Grant studying the nature of evolution in Galapagos finches. Through out the book Weiner informs the reader of the nature of Darwin's theories and all the evidence supporting the modern versions of them. It is an easy read and a must have for anyone's library. This is the book that convinced Tricia (http://www.iidb.org/vbb/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=3720) of the reality of evolution.

At the Water's Edge: Fish With Fingers, Whales With Legs, and How Life Came Ashore but Then Went Back to Sea (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684856239/thesecularweb/) by Carl Zimmer
An introduction to the concepts and evidence for macroevolution, focusing on two grand transitional events in vertebrate history: the evolution of terrestrial tetrapods from fish, and the evolution of whales. Zimmer covers a wide range of topics, from the fossil record to developmental biology to the physiology of swimming, in order to explain how these events occurred.

[RBH]

In response to a suggestion from EscapeVelocity, we've opened this thread to additions from users. We strongly request that additions be accompanied by brief summaries after the manner of Rufus's entries above. As entries accumulate, we will begin to classify and consolidate them into single-category multiple-entry posts similar to Rufus's "Introductory Reading" above.

Have at it!

[Hopeful Monsters]

For the layman/general reader―

Evolution

Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea by Carl Zimmer (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060958502/internetinfidels/)

An thorough and readable overview which sets out supporting evidence and the state and direction of contemporary evolutionary biology.

The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0618005838/internetinfidels/)

While the writing style and high level of detail might be a matter of taste, this book is an up-to-date guide that enables the reader to follow the line of evolution backwards down the phylogenic tree to encounter ancestors common to various species and families.

Unintelligent Design by Mark Perakh (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591020840/internetinfidels/)

Dr Perakh provides one of the better books directly addressing the Evolution vs ‘Intelligent Design’ debate. He critiques main ID and Creationist theories.

Why Intelligent Design Fails: A Scientific Critique of the New Creationism by Matt Young (Editor), Taner Edis (Editor) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/081353433X/thesecularweb/)

A series of contributions from physicists, biologists, computer scientists, mathematicians, archaeologists etc critique so-called 'intelligent design' from a scientific perspective and consider its rigour as 'science'.

Earth Sciences

Earth Story: The Shaping of Our World by Simon Lamb, David Sington (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691116628/thesecularweb/)

Like the TV series it accompanies, this book manages to cover Earth Sciences/Geology comprehensively and approachably while managing to do justice to the scientific methods used to reach conclusions about continental drift, tectonic plates, the age of the Earth, glaciation, rock formation etc.

A Short History of Planet Earth: Mountains, Mammals, Fire, and Ice by J. D. MacDougall (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471197033/thesecularweb/)

An accessible introduction to geology, paleontology and evolution that examines the Earth’s 4.5 billion year history and events in each geological era.

Cosmology

On the Shores of the Unknown: A Short History of the Universe by Joseph Silk (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0521836271/internetinfidels/)

One of the best writers on cosmology provides an overview of the latest ideas about the universe's origin and formation and the evidence for this.

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385509863/thesecularweb/)

Cutting edge cosmology from a first class writer on the subject.

Hyperspace : A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension by Michio Kaku (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0385477058/internetinfidels/)

Superstring theory, Membrane theory and other developments in cosmology from a superb writer on the subject.

-

[Roland98]

We probably should have noted this when we opened up the thread, but this is only for books directly relating to Biology and Evolution. Cosmology and Geology (unless it's directly addressing Noah's flood or another topic where the thread would belong in E/C) belong in the S&S Recommended Reading (http://www.iidb.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=75100) sticky.

[Crazyharp81602]

How about these.

The Triumph of Evolution and the Failure of Creationism by Niles Eldredge (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0716736381/thesecularweb/)

This book I remember reading after I checked it out from the library. This book is written by a paleontolgist who was a victim of a young earth onslaught when a yec has ripped one of Niles' quote out of text and deceived the people into believing the Niles' himself have been converted into a creationist which he never did. This book contains scores of refutations of common creationist's arguments and how evolution is triumphant in science.

Telling Lies for God by Ian Plimer (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/009182852X/thesecularweb/)

Another book I've checked out from the library. This is Ian Plimer's book that tells of the hard core truth behind creationism, about his experience with the creationists, and his efforts to speak out boldly against creationism despite efforts from the yecs to silent him. This book is all about this very brave Australian man's adventures with the creationists and how he exposed the truth behind the creationism movement.

[Hopeful Monsters]

Two special edition issues from Scientific American (http://www.sciam.com/)

Their specials strike a good balance between being up-to-date, accessible, having some depth and setting out the science behind what is presented.

You can order a magazine or buy it as a pdf document—

New Look at Human Evolution (http://www.sciam.com/special/index.cfm?issueid=11&lsource=bookstore&sc=bookstore[/url) A Scientific American Special Edition

Dinosaurs and Other Monsters (http://www.sciam.com/special/index.cfm?issueid=20&lsource=bookstore&sc=bookstore) A Scientific American Special Edition

[Hopeful Monsters]

Reconstructing Human Origins, Second Edition (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393925900/internetinfidels/) by Glenn C. Conroy

While being one of the more expensive books on this topic, this is thorough, up-to-date and readable. Professor Conroy's well illustrated work examines human evolution and dispersals of early hominids and the scientific methods used to reach conclusions about various hominid fossils, including: radiometric dating, functional morphology, molecular biology and archaeological inferences. Substantial source references are provided at the back.

[RBH]

PZ Myers at Pharyngula (http://pharyngula.org/) has posted his own book list for evolutionists (http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/an_updated_book_list_for_evolutionists/), conveniently organized into sections -- "For the kids", "For the grownup layman", "For the more advanced/specialized reader", and "For the anti-creationist".

Check the additional recommendations in the Comments to that posting, too.

RBH

[RBH]

While not a book, this special issue of Natural History (http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/nhmag.html) features a 6-person debate on evolution and creationism among some of the big guns -- Michael; Behe, Jonathan Wells, and William Dembski on the ID side, and Kenneth Miller, Robert Pennock, and Genie Scott for the good guys.

[Rottentroll]

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0192860925/qid=1113322139/thesecularweb/)

This is the first "evolution book" I read and it remains my favorite. A great introduction to evolution along with the implications of evolution on behaviour (especially altruism).

[judanne]

Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics: Philisophical, Theological, and Scientific Perspectives (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0262661241/the secularweb/)
The book can also be found or ordered from Barnes & Noble, Borders, Chapters/Indigo and other booksellers. This is an excellent treatment of the subject - an anthology of writings by prominent creationists and their critics, as the title suggests.

[Martin B]

Basics of Selection (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0412055317/thesecularweb/) by Graham Bell

An abridged version of Bell's larger work Selection: The Mechanism of Evolution. Basics is a much more approachable introduction to what natural selection really means. Bell is one of the world's leaders in experimental evolutionary biology. He writes an extensive treatment of evolutionary processes that can be studied in laboratory experiments. The book is organized into concise sections that deal with different aspects of evolving systems. Each section is supported by one or a number of laboratory experiments. His writing style is extraordinarily clear, and his shared academic heritage with Richard Dawkins (both Oxford boys) is quite evident!

[boundlesslife]

This book, The End of Faith (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393035158/thesecularweb/), by Sam Harris, is a landmark analysis of the destructive effects of "faith" on any reasonable interpretation of the universe, or Man's place in it. The book focuses on the dangers poses by faith, especially with respect to advanced technology and its potential for use in terrorism. One brief excerpt from the primary review on Amazon.Com (take the link above to see more):

"Sam Harris cranks out blunt, hard-hitting chapters to make his case for why faith itself is the most dangerous element of modern life. And if the devil's in the details, then you'll find Satan waiting at the back of the book in the very substantial notes section where Harris saves his more esoteric discussions to avoid sidetracking the urgency of his message."

This book has aroused major interest in book clubs both at a Unitarian-Universalist Congregation and within the primary Humanist organization in Phoenix, Arizona. It is selling like hot-cakes on Amazon.Com (outselling the Holy Bible by 2.5:1 earlier this month, and outselling the most popular books on "creationism" by 10:1-100:1 at that time).

[espritch]

I just finished reading Life on a Young Planet (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691009783/thesecularweb/) by Andrew H. Knoll.

It deals with the first 3 billion years of life on Earth, including current thinking on abiogenesis, the snowball earth, and the cause of the Cambrian explosion, among other things. It is readable and accessible, but not dumbed down. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.

[McD]

Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0932766412/thesecularweb/) by John Woodmorrape. This book on Noah's Ark is a one-of-a-kind compendiuum of information about animal-care methods, food-preservation techniques, animal-handling techniques, etc. It discusses in great detail how 8 people could have cared for 16,000 animals using pre-scientific technology. Whether or not the reader believes in the Bible or not, he or she can be fully confident that this book conveys substantive information about the workability of Noah's Ark and its inhabitants.


Ah ok, I'm just kidding around :D


[Since Woodmorappe's book is a little outside the scientific mainstream, those interested in purchasing it are also referred to Glenn Morton's review at Talk Origins (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/woodmorappe-review.html). -- Oolon]

[Hopeful Monsters]

These books explore a crucial field of evolutionary biology that is gaining academic momentum and importance ― evolutionary developmental biology ('evo devo') and therefore also, related subject areas:

evolutionary genetics; developmental genetics; comparative developmental genetics; comparative morphology; embryology; regulatory biology; and (possibly) evolutionary 'directionality'.

I have tried to select accessible but sound books and not graduate and above level academic text books.

Despite the seeming narrow focus, such books will in any case provide useful knowledge of evolutionary mechanisms from the most modern perspective―

Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393060160/internetinfidels/) by Sean B. Carroll

Biased Embryos and Evolution (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0521541611/thesecularweb/) by Wallace Arthur

From DNA to Diversity: Molecular Genetics and the Evolution of Animal Design (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1405119500/thesecularweb/) by Sean B. Carroll, Jennifer K. Grenier, Scott D. Weatherbee

On the Origin of Phyla (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0226845486/internetinfidels/) by James W. Valentine

[Hopeful Monsters]

The Complete World of Human Evolution (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0500051321/internetinfidels/) by Chris Stringer, Peter Andrews

This book is neither a heavily technical, academic text nor a mere 'coffee table' lightweight. To anyone finding it difficult to form an overview of human evolution from all the information that flies around on the topic, this would help provide a useful perspective. The book is up-to-date enough to include the Indonesian island Homo floresiensis find.

It is extensively illustrated - most importantly including photographs - revealing many hominid skulls, bones, partial or virtually whole skeletons, site artefacts etc.

Most usefully it sets out the various techniques used by paleoanthropologists to analyse finds and evidence.

The current edition is HARDBACK and you might prefer to wait for the lower cost softback.

[CelticChic]

The Red Queen (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060556579/internetinfidels/) by Matt Ridley

Talks about the evolution of sex (genders) and sexual behaviors. One of the most interesting evolution books I've read.

[Kotter]

A great one is "Confronting Creationism, Defending Darwin" published by University of New South Wales Press. The editor is Selkirk. Not sure if it is available outside Australia, but written at high school level with sections on fossils, cosmology, theology, geology, etc. A great read!


Added in Mod edit: It's available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0868401781/internetinfidels/). It's expensive, though.

[RBH]

Another thread (http://www.iidb.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=130400) with some suggestions for reading.

RBH

[tommorris]

Tower of Babel by Robert T. Pennock
A professional philosopher sceptically pokes ID ideas including Johnson's arguments equating metaphysical and methodological naturalism and Behe's arguments regarding irreducible complexity.

Creationism's Trojan Horse by Barbara Forrest and Paul Gross
A comprehensive documentation of the intelligent design movement.

Scientists Confront Creationism by Laurie R. Godfrey
Scientists show the flaws in old-fashioned creationist claims.

[davidannis]

This thread is very helpful, but I have been asked by some friends to recommend something for a child (targetted at ages 7-9) who was exposed to some "God created the world" lecture at school.

Any suggestions for a children's introduction?

Thanks,
David
http://wwwteachthecontroversy.com

[Roland98]

This thread is very helpful, but I have been asked by some friends to recommend something for a child (targetted at ages 7-9) who was exposed to some "God created the world" lecture at school.

Any suggestions for a children's introduction?

PZ has some listed here. (http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/a_book_list_for_evolutionists/) I listed some others at the bottom of this. (http://www.atheistparents.org/pages.php?sc=001&pg=0166)

[Prole23]

Some books on Evolution and Ethics which I have found interesting recently.

If anyone can suggest some more or point me in the way of other resoursces/threads then I'd be most grateful.

'The Moral Animal' by Richard Wright, takes you through Darwin's life and shows how and why Darwin 'succeeded' in his life.

'Beyond Evolution' by Anthony O'Hear, shows how far evolution can take us and then shows that it's up to us after that.

'Darwin's Cathedral' by D. S. Sloan, more about religion really and how it can be seen as adaptive if a multi-level view of evolution is accepted.

[Hopeful Monsters]

Evolution vs. Creationism (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0520246500/internetinfidels/) by Eugenie C. Scott, Niles Eldredge.

Another useful introduction to the issues. The perspective it takes is obvious given that (to quote Amazon summary): "Eugenie C. Scott is Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education. She has written extensively on the evolution-creationism controversy and is past president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Niles Eldredge is Curator in the Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City".

[espritch]

Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life's Origin (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0309094321/thesecularweb/) by Robert M. Hazen.

I just finished this one. Robert Hazen is a geochemist turned origin-of-life researcher and gives you an insiders view of the subject. The book is a good overview of current origin of life research and hypothesis for the layman. It covers everything from the first experiments by Stanley Miller to some of the newest ideas in the field.

The book confirms that we are still a long way from fully understanding how life began, but the search for the answer makes for a fascinating read.

ETA: Available online free (http://newton.nap.edu/books/0309094321/html/).

[mikem]

One Long Argument (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674639065/thesecularweb/) by Ernst Mayr (1991).

Not a new book, but it made an impression on me. It provides an overview to how Darwin arrived at his theory of evolution and the importance of Natural Selection. It also deals with how Darwin's influence informs modern evolutionary theory. Very clear, very concise. An excellent introduction.

Sorry Moderator, but I don't know how to turn the title blue or underline! I've not had a PC for very long you see.

[ninewands]

Definitely NOT for the total "newbie" to E/C, but this is where it all began ...

On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection, or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, 1st Edition (www.gutenberg.org/etext/1228), Charles Darwin, October 1, 1859.

The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, 2nd ed. (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2300), Charles Darwin, September, 1874.

Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, 2nd. ed. (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3332), Charles Darwin, 1875.

Yeah, yeah, I KNOW about the "Modern Synthesis" and all, but a little historical perspective wouldn't hurt anybody, either.

Oh, and kudos to Project Gutenberg for all their work to preserve these works and make them generally available.

[Hopeful Monsters]

Evolution (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0199255636/internetinfidels/) by Stephen Stearns, Rolf Hoekstra

UK Infidels' clicky―

Evolution (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0199255636/internetinfidels/) by Stephen Stearns, Rolf Hoekstra

This serves as a useful overview/introduction and while it is an academic text book (each chapter ends with revision questions) it is accessible and will introduce you to the major principles, concepts, mechanisms etc.

It has robust and precise definitions of the core concepts such a 'natural selection', 'adaptive radiation' etc.

At the date of this posting it is also up-to-date - this being a revised second edition.

[Mabus_Zero]

'Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies' (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393317552/internetinfidels/), by Dr. Jared Diamond

Critically acclaimed by many, including Bill Gates and several universities, this work is an answer to an old friend of the authors, asking why the Europeans and Chinese conquered the natives of Africa, the Americas, and New Guinea/Australia, instead of the other way around. This is a knot that ties a great many fields together, bringing evolution into the modern age, and forming a conclusion of history that is appropriate reading for scientists and laymen alike; also offers some insights into the implications of current and future societies, if they fail to learn from the past.

[ninewands]

For the TOTAL newbie to "Infidelity," "Scientism," "Evolutionism," "Darwinism," or whatever the Hell else you want to call any outlook that requires analytical thinking skills, an absolutely indispensible book is The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (http://www.secweb.org/index.aspx?action=viewBook&id=116), by Carl Sagan. Especially precious is Chapter 12, "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection."

[Dlx2]

With the amount of discussion that boils down to misunderstandings of what cladistic analysis is and isn't, perhaps Willi Hennig's Phylogenetic Systematics (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0252068149/internetinfidels) should be recommended. It's old and doesn't cover all the bases, but it discusses the philosophical basis for phylogenetic reconstruction in quite a bit of detail. It's worth reading for those who want to understand the basic methodology behind a lot of the analyses that we discuss in this forum.

[Dlx2]

Deep Time: Paleobiology's Perspective (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0967755425/internetinfidels) is an edited volume that also might be interesting reading for individuals with an interest in paleontology who are willing to read something slightly more technical than what you'll find at Barnes and Noble, but definitely worth reading if you want to know exactly how we come to the conclusions we do, and the cutting edge of the controversies present in current paleontology. It's dense reading, but very worthwhile if you have a greater interest in the field.

[tommorris]

For the TOTAL newbie to "Infidelity," "Scientism," "Evolutionism," "Darwinism," or whatever the Hell else you want to call any outlook that requires analytical thinking skills, an absolutely indispensible book is The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (http://www.secweb.org/index.aspx?action=viewBook&id=116), by Carl Sagan. Especially precious is Chapter 12, "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection."

Oh, absolutely. I went on a trip organised by a religious friend a year or so ago, and I took Sagan's candle with me. It really blew me away. Everybody should read The Demon Haunted World.

[espritch]

Extinction, How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691005249/sr=8-1/qid=1145768201/ref=sr_1_1/103-0629181-6543868?%5Fencoding=UTF8 ) by Douglas H. Erwin.

This book isn't about evolution but rather the search for the cause of the Permian extinction (although, like most books on paleontology, it takes evolution as a given). The Permian extinction was the worst extinction event in Earth's history and around 95% of the species living at the time went extinct. Central to the question of why it occurred is the question of when. Determining precisely when events occurred and how quickly is critical to understanding why they occurred. Consequently, the book goes into a good bit of detail about the subjects of geochronology and biostratigraphy. The chapter on geochronology is a good antidote for the Creationist claim that scientists "use the fossils to date the rocks and the rocks to date the fossils".

[Dr.GH]

Two books by Christians opposed to creationism:

Stephen J. Godfrey, Christopher R. Smith
2005 Paradigms on Pilgrimage Toronto: Clements Publishing

Towne, Margaret Gray
2003 "Honest to Genesis: A Biblical & Scientific Challenge to Creationism" Baltimore:PublishAmerica

A good introduction for beginners that is fun to read;

Burnie, David
1999 "Get a Grip on Evolution" London: The Ivy Press

[espritch]

The Making of the Fittest (http://www.amazon.com/Making-Fittest-Ultimate-Forensic-Evolution/dp/0393061639/sr=8-1/qid=1170462441/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8521072-8413236?ie=UTF8&s=books) by Sean B. Carroll. This is the latest by the author of Endless Forms Most Beautiful.

The explosion in our knowledge of DNA has given us a powerful new forensic tool. It has freed men on death row and solved cases that have been cold for decades. DNA also testifies elegantly to the reality of evolution. In this book, Mr. Carroll lays out the case for evolution as revealed by the genetic codes of animals and men. It includes a lot of neat examples for the cutting edges of genetic and evolutionary research. He examines questions like how a single point mutation has given birds ultraviolet vision on multiple occasions, how old world monkeys and new world howler monkeys independently evolved trichromatic vision from gene duplication, and a lot of other neat stuff. Very readable and informative. I recommend it highly.

[SophistiCat]

Evolution, Science, and Society:
Evolutionary Biology and the National Research Agenda (http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/ASN/meagher.html)

Direct link to full-text PDF (http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~ecolevol/fulldoc.pdf).

This is a 45-page white paper issued by the American Society of Naturalists in cooperation with other organizations. Apart from giving a layman's summary of the principles of the ToE and an overview of modern evolutionary biology, the emphasis here is on the role of Evo in biology and other sciences, and on its practical applications. In short, it answers the common question of evolution sceptics: "What is the Theory of Evolution good for?"

Quote from the linked site:

The major goals of these documents are:

to describe our present understanding of evolution and the major intellectual accomplishments of evolutionary biology;
to identify major questions and challenges in which progress in evolutionary science can be expected in the near future;
to describe past and expected contributions of evolutionary biology both to other sciences and to social needs in areas such as health science, agriculture, and environmental science; and
to suggest ways in which progress can be facilitated in basic research, in applications of evolutionary biology to social needs, and in biological science education.

[espritch]

The Chosen Species: The long march of Human Evolution by Juan Luis Arsuaga and Ignacio Martinez. This is a very nice overview of human evolution. It gives a lot of details about the current state of paleontological research into human ancestry. It discusses the various finds that have been made, the arguments about where they fall of the family tree, and a lot of details about paleoclimatology, dating of fossils, mitochondrial eve and Y adam, and other topics related to the study of our ancestors. The book is targeted at the educated laymen and does a good job of avoiding excessive jargon while not dumbing down the subject.

It was translated from Spanish, but the translator did an excellent job. I didn't even realize it was translated when I was reading it. It also has very good illustrations.

[gupwalla]

Monkey Girl (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780060885489&itm=2) by Edward Humes is a journalistic look at the recent Dover trial.

I'm still plugging my way through the book, but so far, it is a good distillation of the political issues surrounding teaching of evolution in the classroom. The book is all about the politics of evolution, not its science, but there are some bits of high-level lay science sprinkled throughout.

I'll also recommend (from users above):

* Guns, Germs, and Steel by J. Diamond. A look specifically at the grown of technology, especially artificial selection and the development of agriculture, and how this led to the earliest known human civilizations: why they developed where they did, how the resources available to them contributed to the development of those cultures, and what kinds of side effects accompanied the growth of agriculture (such as animal-to-human disease transmission).

* The Ancestor's Tale by R. Dawkins. A fascinating journey backwards through time to look at our common ancestors with various other major branches of life. It's very good at showing how the evolution of key body plan modifications gave rise to entire branches of the tree of life. A downside for those not already versed in evolution is that the most controversial (for them) topic of human evolution occurs first in the book.

[Hopeful Monsters]

God, the Devil, and Darwin: A Critique of Intelligent Design Theory (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195322371/internetinfidels) by Niall Shanks

Just read Sam Harris' Letter To A Christian Nation and note that he lists his top ten books. This book is there and does seem worthwhile.