Welcome to the Wasteland Bookstore. These are all books that I have found interesting, influential and useful, and I hope that you may also. These are all provided in assocation with Amazon.co.uk, but they should all be available at Amazon.com if you live outside the United Kingdom.

Click on the book image to Buy It at Amazon.co.uk.

Non-fiction

Click Here To Purchase The Demon Haunted World, by Carl Sagan. I consider this to be one of the most important books a person could read. It is a brilliant introduction to the scientific method, critical thinking, and the problems that can arise when skepticism is not applied. Well written, unputdownable and very funny in places (e.g. one of the responses Sagan received to a magazine article discussing the poor standards of science education in America read "Not a Americans are stupid We just rank lower in school big deal."(sic)) If I ruled the world, everybody would be forced to read this. =)

The Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins. A deep study of the "selfish gene" theory of genetics and biology. Essential reading for understanding this aspect of the theory of evolution. It's one of those rare books that makes you go "Wow..." when you finish it, and all living things are seen in a slightly different light.

The Blind Watchmaker, by Richard Dawkins.An excellent introduction to evolutionary biology and natural selection. Plenty of discussion on the way things that appear to be thoughtfully designed can arise from the "blind", natural process of evolution. If you're at all interested in evolution, you need to read this book.

Click Here To Purchase The Meme Machine, by Susan Blackmore. In the Blind Watchmaker, Dawkins introduced the concept of the "meme", as an example of a self-reproducing object that undergoes natural selection, to demonstrate that evolution applies to non-biological entities as well as just genes. Blackmore expands on the idea and brings it up to date. This book will challenge (and possibly change) the way you think about thinking...

(It also has some interesting implications for religions)

Click Here To Purchase Why People Believe Weird Things, by Michael Shermer. A fairly in-depth look at a handful of strange beliefs, including UFOs, Holocaust denial and evolution denial (creationism). Interesting and amusing.

Click Here To Purchase The Birth Of Time, by John Gribbin. A history of how humans found out where they are in the universe, studying the changing views of the size and age of the solar system, to the galaxies and stars, trying to track down the elusive Hubble Constant all the while. If you're interested in astronomy/cosmology and the development of science, you'll like this.

River Out Of Eden, by Richard Dawkins. Another look at the theory of evolution, explaining it in terms of a digital "river" of DNA, flowing and branching as it travels through the bodies of organisms over millions of years. Clear and well written, a worthy addition to your bookshelf.

Unweaving the Rainbow, by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins makes a brave attempt at demonstrating that science can greatly enhance the beauty we see in the world around us. The title comes from the complaints made when Newton first broke sunlight into the spectrum, "unweaving" it and upsetting the poets and romantics who objected to nature being reduced to mere scientific phenomena. Dawkins argues that in gaining greater understanding of the world we can appreciate it more and feel even more wonder at it than ever before. If you have any artist/poet friends who object to scientific enquiry, read this.

Life - an unauthorised biography, by Richard Fortey. A natural history of the world, from the development of the first single-celled life forms, through the different stages through the pre-cambrian, cambrian, right up to modern organisms. Quite heavy going due to the vast amount of subject matter (i.e. all of life) but fascinating nonetheless.

Evolve Or Die!, in the Horrible Science series. An introduction to the fact and theory of evolution and natural selection for youngsters. My son read it at age eleven and thought it was "cool". A stocking filler for your creationist friends' kids. =)

Climbing Mount Improbable, by Richard Dawkins. A fairly gentle introduction to evolutionary biology, explaining the concept of evolutionary "landscapes". Relatively easy reading, compared with "Watchmaker", but well worth it.

[picture not available yet] Maybe Yes, Maybe No, by Dan Barker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Similar format to "Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong" (below). A guide for young thinkers, introducing children to critical thinking and the scientific method.

(NOTE : This book is available at Amazon.com, and not yet at Amazon.co.uk)

Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong, by Dan Barker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. A guide to thinking about and understanding morality, for younger readers. Explains how we can decide whether something is right or wrong for ourselves using reason, experience and compassion. Much more helpful than "Thou shalt not..."

A Brief History Of Time, by Stephen Hawking. Quantum physics, evaporating black holes, right-angled imaginary time and lots of cosmology. Heavy going, but you get through it all eventually and realise that the hype was justified.

Fiction

Contact, by Carl Sagan. If you saw the movie, you missed a lot of the depth and subtlety of the story. Sagan's story is about the first extraterrestrial signals received by humans, and how the scientific and religious communities reacts to it and each other. A wonderful story in itself, with interesting diversions into the conflict between science and faith.

The Songs Of Distant Earth, by Arthur C. Clarke. A colony of humans is established on a distant planet. Some years later a new group of humans come to join them, and discover that the settler's way of life has changed in unexpected ways. Among other things, the concept of "God" is unknown to them...

Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett.
Synopsis: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was "Hey, you!". For Brutha the novice is the Chosen One, and all he wants is peace, justice and brotherly love. He also wants the Inquisition to stop torturing him now, please.

Pratchett examines organised religion from the Discworld point of view. One his best-written and funniest books.

(The following section is NOT in association with Amazon.co.uk )

There are plenty of magazines devoted to science, freethought and other issues important to atheists.
Here are a few good starting places:

Freethought and reason in the UK

The Skeptical Inquirer
The magazine for science and reason, published by CSICOP

Celebrating reason and humanity

PROMETHEUS BOOKS
For all those books you can't get anywhere else

Freethought Today
Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation