Best Science Book Ever

The Imperial College London has taken the very bold move of naming Primo Levi's "The Periodic Table" as the best science book ever, right up there with surprising front-runners like Norman Mailer's "A Fire on the Moon," and Jonathan Lethem's "As She Climbed Across the Table." I can't imagine picking one science book as best ever -- even if it was written by Levi -- but I absolutely love these folks for branching out from the predictable by focusing on narrative and including fiction in the running. This world needs more books that combine good narrative and science. Make sure to read through the science books blog by Jon Turney -- the professor behind the project -- is a wonderful resource for finding unexpected or forgotten science books.