The Royal Society Prizes for Science BooksCelebrating the best in popular science writingroyalsociety.org/sciencebooksroyalsociety.org/sciencebooks1

Twenty-one years of the best in popular scienceroyalsociety.org/sciencebooks2

royalsociety.org/sciencebooks3Twenty-one years of success“The most prestigious prize for popular science writing” – Daily TelegraphThe Royal Society Prizes for Science Books celebrates the very best in popular science writing.Founded in 1988 as the Science Book Prizes, then the Rhone-Poulenc Prizes for Science Books and the Aventis Prizes for Science Books, the Royal Society Prizes for Science Books have had the same aim – to encourage the writing, publishing and reading of good and accessible popular science books. They have grown to become one of the UK's most prestigious non-fiction literary prizes.The Royal Society is grateful to the Beecroft Trust for supporting the 2008 and 2009 Prizes, whilst the Society seeks longer-term support for 2010 onwards.

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What they sayBritain's most prestigious prize for science writing – The GuardianOne of the major publishing events of the year in the UK – BBC Newsthe Oscars of popular science books – The Press and JournalIt was fantastic, the nicest compliment I've ever been paid – Bill Bryson (2004 winner and 2005 judge)royalsociety.org/sciencebooks5

The Royal Society Prizes for Science Books 2009royalsociety.org/sciencebooks6

royalsociety.org/sciencebooks7The judgesSir Tim Hunt FRS, Cancer Research UK and Nobel laureate (Chair)Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, space scientist at Astrium Ltd, STFC Fellow of University College London and Founder and MD of Science Innovation LtdDr Philip Ball, authorDeborah Cohen, Editor, BBC Radio Science UnitDanny Wallace, author, comedian and presenter

Sir Tim Hunt FRS, Cancer Research UK and Nobel laureate (Chair)

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, space scientist at Astrium Ltd, STFC Fellow of University College London and Founder and MD of Science Innovation Ltd

Dr Philip Ball, author

Deborah Cohen, Editor, BBC Radio Science Unit

Danny Wallace, author, comedian and presenter

royalsociety.org/sciencebooks8The judges’ workThe judging panel changes each yearFrom all the entries received, the judges select a longlistThen a shortlist of six booksThen, finally, the winning bookThe winner receives £10,000 and each shortlisted book £1000

The judging panel changes each year

From all the entries received, the judges select a longlist

Then a shortlist of six books

Then, finally, the winning book

The winner receives £10,000 and each shortlisted book £1000

The longlistBad science by Ben Goldacre (Fourth Estate)Decoding the heavens: Solving the mystery of the world's first computer by Jo Marchant (William Heinemann)Ice, mud and blood: Lessons from climates past by Chris Turney (Palgrave Macmillan)Living with Enza: The forgotten story of Britain and the great flu pandemic of 1918 by Mark Honigsbaum (Palgrave Macmillan) Microcosm: E. coli and the new science of life by Carl Zimmer, (William Heinemann)Physics for future presidents: The science behind the headlines by Richard A Muller (WW Norton) Quantum: Einstein. Bohr and the great debate about the nature of reality by Manjit Kumar (Icon Books)royalsociety.org/sciencebooks9

The longlistAnd…Strange fruit: Why both sides are wrong in the race debate by Kenan Malik (Oneworld Publications)The age of wonder: How the Romantic generation discovered the beauty and terror of science by Richard Holmes (harper)The drunkard's walk: How randomness rules our lives by Leonard Mlodinow (Penguin)The universe in a mirror : The saga of the Hubble Space Telescope and the visionaries who built it by Robert Zimmerman (Princeton University Press)What the nose knows: The science of scent in everyday life by Avery Gilbert (Crown)Your inner fish: The amazing discovery of our 375-million-year-old ancestor by Neil Shubin (Penguin)royalsociety.org/sciencebooks10

The shortlistAnnounced 25 June 2009“Some great holiday reading before the winner is announced on 15 September” – The Guardian, 25 June 2009“Choosing a final list of six books from the big boxes of over 120 books that arrived on our doorsteps was a challenging pleasure.” – Sir Tim Hunt FRS, Chair of the judges royalsociety.org/sciencebooks11

The shortlistWhat the nose knows: The science of scent in everyday life by Avery Gilbert (Crown Publishers)“One of the things you really appreciate about this book is the feeling that you are in the presence of someone who really knows the subject. He's worked in the fragrance industry and in academic research and engagingly leads you into his fascinating world. Since reading this book we've all thought more about the scents around us and our oft-neglected sense of smell.” – the judgesroyalsociety.org/sciencebooks12

The shortlistBad science by Ben Goldacre (Harper Perennial)“We found this book was funny, accessible and offered much more than just a collection of Ben Goldacre's excellent columns in the Guardian. He attacks and debunks pseudoscience, which is really vital given how much is out there and how important the issues are to our lives. There's more to be said about some of the subjects, like the MMR vaccine scandal, and we're looking forward to the sequel.” – the judgesroyalsociety.org/sciencebooks13

The shortlistThe Age of Wonder: How the Romantic generation discovered the beauty and terror of science by Richard Holmes (HarperPress)“We all thought this was a fantastic, enlightening and inspiring book, taking characters from the history of science and making them come alive. Richard Holmes has managed to seamlessly merge science, social history and literary history in a wonderful narrative, putting science in a wider context and producing a truly enthralling read.” – the judgesroyalsociety.org/sciencebooks14

The shortlistDecoding the heavens: Solving the mystery of the world's first computer by Jo Marchant (William Heinemann)“This is a rattling good detective story exploring a subject that we were amazed that we hadn't heard more about. Learning about the extraordinary capabilities of the ancient civilisations was fascinating and left us all wondering what other incredible pockets of knowledge have been lost at the bottom of the sea or otherwise forgotten.” – the judgesroyalsociety.org/sciencebooks15

The shortlistThe drunkard's walk: How randomness rules our lives by Leonard Mlodinow (Penguin)“This book is well-written, enlightening and very funny at times. We could see people reading it and finding their perspective of odds and probability being fundamentally altered it definitely puts you off buying a lottery ticket or having a gamble on the roulette wheel!” – the judgesroyalsociety.org/sciencebooks16

The shortlistYour inner fish: The amazing discovery of our 375-million-year-old ancestor by Neil Shubin (Penguin)“This is a charming and delightful book; not often that a science book can be described in such terms! The author, an expert palaeontologist with a deep understanding of anatomy and animal development, still manages to explain things clearly, gracefully and eloquently - we all felt he'd be a great person to meet in the pub for a chat and a drink!” – the judgesroyalsociety.org/sciencebooks17

The winnerAnnounced 15 September 2009Receives £10,000Joins the ranks of previous winners including Daniel Gilbert, Bill Bryson, Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, Jared Diamond, Steve Jones and Stephen Jay Gould ?royalsociety.org/sciencebooks18