The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 [Paperback]

Dan Ariely (Editor), Tim Folger (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: October 2, 2012 | ISBN-10: 0547799535 | ISBN-13: 978-0547799537 | Edition: 1

The Best American Series®
First, Best, and Best-Selling

The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected — and most popular — of its kind.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012 includes

JEROME GROOPMAN, SY MONTGOMERY, MICHAEL BEHAR, DEBORAH BLUM, THOMAS GOETZ, DAVID EAGLEMAN, RIVKA GALCHEN, DAVID KIRBY, and others

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dan Ariely, author of The Upside of Irrationality and Predictably Irrational, is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University.

TIM FOLGER is a contributing editor at Discover and writes about science for several magazines.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (October 2, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547799535
• ISBN-13: 978-0547799537
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Essays
  • #17 in Books > Science & Math > Essays & Commentary
  • #60 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Essays & Correspondence > Essays

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great selection, really enjoyed this collection January 4, 2013

By John Paton

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a third year psychology student I found this year's selection to be completely to my liking. The articles in the collection move from the micro to the macro, and cover topics from how bacteria in your gut affect your health (the human microbiome project) to how the our cities have been changing over the past centuries.

As can be expected each of the articles is very well written and completely engaging. They come from sources like the National Geographic, Science, Nature, and Wired. Most of the authors are journalists, although there are a couple of authors who are professional scientists.

The emphasis of the articles is on the social sciences-- there's nothing at all on recent physics discoveries. If you have an interest in the social sciences, and enjoy Dan Ariely's work then you'll find this selection to your pleasing. There's enough variability in the articles that you'll probably learn something new too-- I know I've certainly been learning a lot.

In sum, I'd say that it's an inspiring collection of articles. The editor did a great job, and I will continue to read the series in the future.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, narrow scope December 2, 2012

By Anonymous Coward

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Unlike previous versions, this compilation does not contain any pieces on physics, astronomy, or mathematics. If that doesn't bother you, go for it. If it does, read through the table of contents before purchasing.

26 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reading November 29, 2012

By William A. Baity

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I buy these every year, along with the "Best Science Writing" one from a competing publisher. Strangely, they rarely duplicate each other. With this series you also get Nature ( think ecology and environmentalism) articles. As I prefer not to be lectured when I am reading for pleasure, I somewhat prefer the other series.