# Recommend me some good non-fiction **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265 "2011-12-15T01:54:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/41 "2011-12-17T01:38:10Z")
I just started reading Laura Hillenbrand’s [Unbroken](http://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163). She is a terrific writer. I had no intention of reading _Seabiscuit_ but picked up a copy while waiting for someone in a department store and flicked through, reading a bit here and there, and got hooked. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/42 "2011-12-17T17:21:45Z")
I have 22 books on pi and this one remains my favorite. [A History of Pi](http://books.google.com/books?id=XqqUUSyz138C&printsec=frontcover&dq=beckmann+pi&hl=en&sa=X&ei=p8rsTsqxJ-iWiAKhybX8Aw&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=beckmann%20pi&f=false) by Petr Beckmann because the history of pi is a history of math and a history of our scientific progress. Reading it, it becomes apparent how close the ancient Greeks were to discovery calculus or at the least, the theory of limits. An absolutely fascinating read, but don’t take my word for it (I find most everything fascinating). Read a few pages from the excerpt linked above. And of course, you can’t really talk about pi without mentioning e so there’s [e: the story of a number](http://books.google.com/books/about/e.html?id=eIsyLD_bDKkC) by Eli Maor and published by Princeton University Press. I found it equally _interest_ing, pun intentional. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/43 "2011-12-17T20:12:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Without having read the book, you’re sure assuming a lot about it. Who do you consider participated in the “Allied War”? The book airs all the dirty laundry about poor decision making and bad planning on all sides of the fence. It’s a miracle that the Allies won the damn thing; but of course, if you prefer Amazon reviews to, you know, actually reading the book for yourself, then by all means remain ignorant of the facts. Well, how else can I decide what to read? I consider the ‘Allies’ to have been a changing set of all the nations who fought against the Axis from 1939-1945. So in 1939 the ‘Allied War’ began with Poland, France and the United Kingdom (and it’s empire) went to war against Germany following the invasion of Poland. Which again makes the statement that 1942-1943 was the start of the Allied War flat out wrong. That quote wasn’t from a review, it’s from the book description, which I suspect comes from the publisher.If it’s inaccurate that’s their fault. If they’ve left me ignorant of the true tenor of the book that’s also their fault. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/44 "2011-12-17T20:24:32Z")
> [@ballardfam](#): > > \*\* Hedy’s Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World\*\* by Richard Rhodes. > > - I’d heard of Lamarr’s connection to spread spectrum radio. This is a possible. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/45 "2011-12-17T20:39:32Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Have you read Simon Singh? He writes books about math and science, several of which I’ve found very good. I can particularly recommend three of them: > > [Fermat’s Enigma](http://www.amazon.com/Fermats-Enigma-Greatest-Mathematical-Problem/dp/0385493622/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324080756&sr=1-2) > > [The Code Book](http://www.amazon.com/Code-Book-Science-Secrecy-Cryptography/dp/0385495323/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324080756&sr=1-1) > > [Big Bang](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Bang-Origin-Universe-P-S/dp/B003IWYGV6/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324080756&sr=1-3) Yes I’ve read a bit of Singh, I might pick up the Code book one day. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/46 "2011-12-17T20:48:08Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > I have 22 books on pi and this one remains my favorite. [A History of Pi](http://books.google.com/books?id=XqqUUSyz138C&printsec=frontcover&dq=beckmann+pi&hl=en&sa=X&ei=p8rsTsqxJ-iWiAKhybX8Aw&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=beckmann%20pi&f=false) by Petr Beckmann because the history of pi is a history of math and a history of our scientific progress. Reading it, it becomes apparent how close the ancient Greeks were to discovery calculus or at the least, the theory of limits. An absolutely fascinating read, but don’t take my word for it (I find most everything fascinating). Read a few pages from the excerpt linked above. > > And of course, you can’t really talk about pi without mentioning e so there’s [e: the story of a number](http://books.google.com/books/about/e.html?id=eIsyLD_bDKkC) by Eli Maor and published by Princeton University Press. I found it equally _interest_ing, pun intentional. If they’re anywhere near as good as David Bodanis’ _[e=mc2: A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation](http://www.amazon.com/mc2-Biography-Worlds-Famous-Equation/dp/0425181642/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324154520&sr=1-1)_ then both will go on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/47 "2011-12-17T21:03:41Z")
The books that **standingwave** mentioned about _pi_ and _e_ are both good reads. IMHO the very best popular-level book about mathematics and its history is William Dunham’s [Journey Through Genius](http://www.amazon.com/Journey-through-Genius-Theorems-Mathematics/dp/014014739X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324155775&sr=1-1). ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/48 "2011-12-17T21:24:35Z")
Just thought of another one: [At The Tomb of the Inflatable Pig](http://www.amazon.com/At-Tomb-Inflatable-Pig-Paraguay/dp/1400041767) - a book about the amazingly screwed up history of Paraguay. Great read. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/49 "2011-12-17T22:58:45Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > If they’re anywhere near as good as David Bodanis’ _[e=mc2: A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation](http://www.amazon.com/mc2-Biography-Worlds-Famous-Equation/dp/0425181642/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324154520&sr=1-1)_ then both will go on the list. Hmmm… haven’t read that one. Now I have one for my list. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/50 "2011-12-19T00:29:46Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Hmmm… haven’t read that one. Now I have one for my list. 😃 Nice. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The books that **standingwave** mentioned about _pi_ and _e_ are both good reads. IMHO the very best popular-level book about mathematics and its history is William Dunham’s [Journey Through Genius](http://www.amazon.com/Journey-through-Genius-Theorems-Mathematics/dp/014014739X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324155775&sr=1-1). This looks excellent, it’s on the list. > [@Morbo](#): > > Just thought of another one: [At The Tomb of the Inflatable Pig](http://www.amazon.com/At-Tomb-Inflatable-Pig-Paraguay/dp/1400041767) - a book about the amazingly screwed up history of Paraguay. Great read. As does this. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265/51 "2011-12-19T00:57:22Z")
I’ll second [Unbroken](http://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324255908&sr=1-1) - it’s a terrific read and deserves its best seller status. Pretty impressive also that 1819 of it’s 1936 Amazon reviews are four or five stars (i.e. 94 percent!). If you like modern history, you can’t wrong with [In the Garden of Beasts](http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Beasts-Terror-American-Hitlers/dp/0307408841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324255720&sr=8-1) by Erik Larson. Ostensibly about the naive American ambassador to Germany circa 1934, it is a great “we were there” account of what we now look back on in horror. As an aside, it’s also packed with suspense as it leads up to the infamous ‘Night of the Long Knives’. Speaking of modern history, I just started [To End All Wars](http://www.amazon.com/End-All-Wars-Rebellion-1914-1918/dp/0618758283/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324256070&sr=1-1) and can already see why it’s made various ‘best of 2011’ lists. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-non-fiction/606265.md?page=2)