KEY: In the Size column, fiction works have either an "SS" (meaning "short story" --- you must find it inside an anthology, or perhaps a magazine) or a "B" (meaning you can buy it on its own as a book). Non-fiction works on this list are always separate books, so I indicate their size with an "S" (small), "M" (medium) or "L" (large).

If the title of a book or short story is a link, then that link points to an online copy of the complete text of that work! If, in the Size column, "SS" is a link, it points to an anthology wherein that short story may be found.

NOTE: Previous versions of this list incorrectly stated the author of "Left or Right" as Isaac Asimov. The author is actually Martin Gardner.

Title	Author	Fiction?	Size	Topic(s) I recommend the book/story for...
Flatland	Edwin Abbott	Fiction	B	Higher dimensions
Flatterland	Ian Stewart	Fiction	B	Topology, higher dimensions, fractals
Geometry, Relativity, and the Fourth Dimension	Rudy Rucker	Fiction & Non-fiction	S	Relativity, higher dimensions
The Shape of Space	Jeffrey Weeks	Fiction & Non-fiction	M	Topology, higher dimensions
Left or Right?	Martin Gardner	Fiction	SS	4D
The Captured Cross-Section	M.J. Breuer	Fiction	SS	Higher dimensions
--And He Built A Crooked House	Robert Heinlein	Fiction	SS	The hypercube
The Boy Who Reversed Himself	William Sleator	Fiction	B	Higher dimensions
The Fifth-Dimension Catapult	M. Leinster	Fiction	SS	Higher dimensions
Tangents	Greg Bear	Fiction	SS	Higher dimensions
Mimsy Were the Borogoves	Lewis Padgett	Fiction	SS	The fourth dimension
Beyond the Third Dimension	Thomas Banchoff	Non-fiction	M	Higher dimensions
Hyperspace	Michio Kaku	Non-fiction	L	Higher dimensions, wormholes
A Wrinkle in Time	Madeleine L'Engle	Fiction	B	Folding space
Out Around Rigel	R. H. Wilson	Fiction	SS	Relativity
Relativity Visualized	Lewis C. Epstein	Non-fiction	L	Relativity
Spacetime Physics	Edwin F. Taylor & John Archibald Wheeler	Non-fiction	L	Relativity
The Mathematical Experience	Philip J. Davis & Reuben Hersch	Non-fiction	L	4D, history of mathematics, alternative mathematics
Luminous	Greg Egan	Fiction	SS	non-silicon computers, alternative mathematics
The Green Futures of Tycho	William Sleator	Fiction	B	Time Travel
All You Zombies---	Robert Heinlein	Fiction	SS	Time Travel
Einstein's Dreams	Alan Lightman	??	S	Distorted time
Singularity	William Sleator	Fiction	B	Distorted time
Life-line	Robert Heinlein	Fiction	SS	Time as a dimension
Earth Times Two	Pamela Reynolds	Fiction	B	Parallel universes
The Forest of Time	Michael F. Flynn	Fiction	SS	Parallel universes
Housing Shortage	Harry Walton	Fiction	SS	Parallel universes
Cosmos	Carl Sagan	Non-fiction	L	Science
Chaos	James Gleick	Non-fiction	L	Chaos, fractals, nonlinear dynamics
Hyperpilosity	L. S. De Camp	Fiction	SS	Biochemistry
The Left Hand of the Electron	Isaac Asimov	Non-fiction	S	Atoms, etc.
Sundiver	David Brin	Fiction	B	Lasers, solar physics, aliens, genetics
Saturn Rukh	Robert Forward	Fiction	B	Physics (various), aliens
The Secret House	David Bodanis	Non-fiction	M	Science, microphysics
Atom	Lawrence M. Krauss	Non-fiction	L	The history of an oxygen atom, from the Big Bang forward
The Diamond Age	Neal Stephenson	Fiction	B	Nanotechnology, artificial intelligence
There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom	Richard Feynman	Non-fiction	S	Nanotechnology
Nano!	Ed Regis	Non-fiction	M	Nanotechnology, history of nanotechnology
To Sin Against Systems	Gary R. Osgood	Fiction	SS	Systems theory
The Cosmic Code	Heinz R. Pagels	Non-fiction	L	Quantum physics
Thinking Physics	Lewis C. Epstein	Non-fiction	L	Quantum physics, physics
Six Easy Pieces	Richard Feynman	Non-fiction	L	Quantum physics, relativity, physics
A Brief History of Time	Stephen Hawking	Non-fiction	L	Physics, curved space, black holes
The Universe in a Nutshell	Stephen Hawking	Non-fiction	L	Theories of the formation and structure of the universe, higher dimensions
The Physics of Star Trek	Lawrence M. Krauss	Non-fiction	M	Physics, curved space
The Planiverse	A. K. Dewdney	Fiction	B	2D everything, science
Contact	Carl Sagan	Fiction	B	Search for aliens
Wang's Carpets	Greg Egan	Fiction	SS	Aliens, higher dimensions
Interstellar Pig	William Sleator	Fiction	B	Aliens
Rendezvous with Rama	Arthur C. Clarke	Fiction	B	Alien artifacts, physics
Unearthly Neighbors	Chad Oliver	Fiction	B	Alien cultures
The Cuckoo's Egg	Clifford Stoll	Non-fiction	L	Computers, the Internet, hackers
Wonders of Numbers	Clifford A. Pickover	Non-fiction	L	Number puzzles and games
The Joy of Pi  (which has a Website)	David Blatner	Non-fiction	S	Pi: the digits, the history and much much more.

These days, there are finally good sources for math, science, and science fiction besides just those printed on paper. Here are a few:

Movies

Mindwalk --- This has much discussion of science and the history of science, and it can be appreciated by those with little science background.

Apollo 13 --- The true story of a NASA mission that tried to get to the Moon and failed. Lots of yummy technical details.

Contact --- This is a realistic scientific movie about the way first contact with aliens might actually happen. It is somewhat different than the book (see above). I recommend getting them both.

2001: A Space Odyssey --- "Open the pod bay doors, Hal." This movie has been around for years, and inspired many other books and films. It contains several science ideas that could happen in the real world, and several ideas that are very weird. Stay past the monkey scenes. :-) The book is also good (and so is its first sequel --- I have not read the others).

Gattaca --- This movie came out a while ago, but it did not get the attention it deserved at the time. It's about the effects that semi-widespread genetic engineering could have on society. Note what letters are used in its name.

Television

Cosmos --- Zowie! See this miniseries and read the book.

Life by the Numbers --- This miniseries tries to do for mathematics what "Cosmos" did for science. Not as wildly successful, but still well worth watching.

Websites

www.badastronomy.com --- Phil Plait's site has a very similar goal and similar approaches to those of my The Truth About Science Fiction class. Plus Mr. Plait is a Mad Scientist, and their Network has handled more science questions than even my This HAS an Explanation class.

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(Last updated 7/20/02003)