Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth by Andrew Knoll Princeton University Press, £12.50, $18.95 “Expresses better than most the bumptious vitality and sheer fun of open-minded research.” Stephan Bengston, Nature 423, 481 (2003).

Eating Apes by Dale Peterson University of California Press, £15.95, $15.95 An account of efforts to publicize the trade in wild meat, “now perceived as one of the most important threats to global biodiversity.” Guy Cowlishaw, Nature 424, 131 (2003).

The Discovery of Global Warming by Spencer Weart Harvard University Press, £9.95, $14.94, €13.90 “Up-to-date, balanced historically, beautifully written, and short and to the point.” Steven Schneider, Nature 427, 197 (2004).

Memory from A to Z by Yadin Dudai Oxford University Press, £19.95, $39.50 “An engaging, informative and sometimes playful collection of essays” Larry Squire, Nature 423, 119 (200310.1038/423119a).

The Man Who Changed Everything: The Life of James Clerk Maxwell by Basil Mahon Wiley, £8.99, $14.95, €13.50 “Not merely an absorbing account of Maxwell's life but also an explanation of why his work is at the foundation of the modern world.” John Maddox, Nature 425, 765 (2003).

The Particle Odyssey: A Journey to the Heart of Matter by Frank Close, Michael Marten and Christine Sutton Oxford University Press, £17.95, $25 “A beautifully illustrated and eminently readable introduction to high-energy physics” Ken Peach, Nature 419, 879 (2002).

DNA: The Secret of Life by James D. Watson with Andrew Berry Knopf, $24.95 “More inclusive and better reading than similar attempts by science journalists.” Maxine Singer, Nature 422, 809 (2003).