New Scientist Popular Books

New Scientist Biography & Facts

New Scientist is a popular science magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishes a monthly Dutch-language edition. First published on 22 November 1956, New Scientist has been available in online form since 1996. Sold in retail outlets (paper edition) and on subscription (paper and/or online), the magazine covers news, features, reviews and commentary on science, technology and their implications. New Scientist also publishes speculative articles, ranging from the technical to the philosophical. New Scientist was acquired by Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) in March 2021. History Ownership The magazine was founded in 1956 by Tom Margerison, Max Raison and Nicholas Harrison as The New Scientist, with Issue 1 on 22 November 1956, priced at one shilling (a twentieth of a pound in pre-decimal UK currency; equivalent to £1.33 in 2021). An article in the magazine's 10th anniversary issues provides anecdotes on the founding of the magazine. The British monthly science magazine Science Journal, published from 1965 until 1971, was merged with New Scientist to form New Scientist and Science Journal. In 1970, the Reed Group, which became Reed Elsevier, acquired New Scientist when it merged with IPC Magazines. Reed retained the magazine when it sold most of its consumer titles in a management buyout to what is now TI Media. In April 2017 New Scientist changed ownership when RELX Group, formerly known as Reed Elsevier, sold the magazine to Kingston Acquisitions, a group established by Sir Bernard Gray, Louise Rogers and Matthew O’Sullivan to acquire New Scientist. Kingston Acquisitions then renamed itself New Scientist Ltd. The New Scientist was subsequently sold to the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) for £70 million in March 2021; DMGT guaranteed the magazine's editorial independence, and ruled out staff cuts and the sharing of editorial content.In December 2021, DMGT announced that both New Scientist and the DMGT-owned daily i newspaper would be moved to a new division of the company, to be called Harmsworth Media. General history Originally, the cover of New Scientist listed articles in plain text. Initially, page numbering followed academic practice with sequential numbering for each quarterly volume. So, for example, the first page of an issue in March could be 649 instead of 1. Later issues numbered issues separately. From the beginning of 1961 "The" was dropped from the title. From 1965, the front cover was illustrated. Until the 1970s, colour was not used except on the cover. Since its first issue, New Scientist has written about the applications of science, through its coverage of technology. For example, the first issue included an article "Where next from Calder Hall?" on the future of nuclear power in the UK, a topic that it has covered throughout its history. In 1964, there was a regular "Science in British Industry" section with several items.Throughout most of its history, New Scientist has published cartoons as light relief and comment on the news, with contributions from regulars such as Mike Peyton and David Austin. The Grimbledon Down comic strip, by cartoonist Bill Tidy, appeared from 1970 to 1994. The Ariadne pages in New Scientist commented on the lighter side of science and technology and included contributions from David E. H. Jones, Daedalus. The fictitious inventor devised plausible but impractical and humorous inventions, often developed by the (fictitious) DREADCO corporation. Daedalus later moved to Nature. Issues of (The) New Scientist from issue 1 to the end of 1989 are free to read online; subsequent issues require a subscription.In the first half of 2013, the international circulation of New Scientist averaged 125,172. While this was a 4.3% reduction on the previous year's figure, it was a much smaller reduction in circulation than many mainstream magazines of similar or greater circulation. UK circulation fell by 3.2% in 2014, but stronger international sales increased the circulation to 129,585.A monthly Dutch edition of New Scientist was launched in June 2015. It replaced the former Natuurwetenschap & Techniek (NWT) magazine, adopting its staff and subscribers. The editorially independent magazine is published by Veen Media. It contains mainly translations of articles in the English-language edition, but also its own articles. These are typically focused on research in the Netherlands and Belgium, the main countries where it is purchased. Modern format In the 21st century, until May 2019, New Scientist contained the following sections: Leader, News (Upfront), Technology, Opinion (interviews, point-of-view articles and letters), Features (including cover article), CultureLab (book and event reviews), Feedback (humour), The Last Word (questions and answers) and Jobs & Careers. A Tom Gauld cartoon appears on the Letters page. A readers' letters section discusses recent articles and discussions also take place on the website. Readers contribute observations on examples of pseudoscience to Feedback, and offer questions and answers on scientific and technical topics to Last Word. New Scientist has produced a series of books compiled from contributions to Last Word. From issue 3228 of 4 May 2019, New Scientist introduced a "slightly updated design, with ... a fresher, brighter feel". A dedicated "Views" section was added between news reports and in-depth features, including readers' letters, comment, and reviews on science, culture and society. Regular columnists were introduced, and columns in the culture pages. The light-hearted "Back Pages" includes the long-standing Feedback and The Last Word, puzzles, and a Q&A section.Online readership takes various forms. Overall global views of an online database of over 100,000 articles are 10.8m by 7m unique users according to Google Analytics, as of January 2019. On social media there are 3.5m+ Twitter followers, 3.5m+ Facebook followers and 100,000+ Instagram followers as of January 2019. Staff and contributors Emily Wilson was appointed editor-in-chief in 2018. Current staff members are listed on page 5 of the magazine. Columnists as of 4 May 2019 included Annalee Newitz on novel tech. James Wong on food myths, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein's adventures in space-time and Graham Lawton on environment. Editors of New Scientist Percy Cudlipp (1956–1962) Nigel Calder (1962–1966) Donald Gould (1966–1969) Bernard Dixon (1969–1979) Michael Kenward (1979–1990) David Dickson (1990–1992) Alun Anderson (1992–1999) Jeremy Webb (1999–2008) Roger Highfield (2008–2011) Sumit Paul-Choudhury (2011–2018) Emily Wilson (2018–2023) Catherine de Lange (2023–)Spin-offs New Scientist has published books derived from its content, many of which are selected questions and answers from the "Last Word" section of the magazine and website: 199.... Discover the New Scientist popular books. Find the top 100 most popular New Scientist books.

Best Seller New Scientist Books of 2024

  • Disruption synopsis, comments

    Disruption

    Jessica Shirvington

    The heartstopping first chapter in bestselling author Jessica Shirvington's Disruption series.What if a microchip could identify your perfect match? What if it could be used agains...

  • Entry Island synopsis, comments

    Entry Island

    Peter May

    THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY'Peter May is one of the most accomplished novelists writing today' Undiscovered Scotland'No one can create a more eloque...

  • The Third to Die synopsis, comments

    The Third to Die

    Allison Brennan

    A notorious serial killer is backAn edgy female police detective. An ambitious FBI special agent. Together they are at the heart of the tickingclock investigation into a psychopath...

  • Los Alamos synopsis, comments

    Los Alamos

    Joseph Kanon

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “The suspense novel for all others to beat . . . [a] must read.”The Denver PostWINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVELIt is the spring of 1945, an...

  • The Curve of Binding Energy synopsis, comments

    The Curve of Binding Energy

    John McPhee

    Theodore Taylor was one of the most brilliant engineers of the nuclear age, but in his later years he became concerned with the possibility of an individual being able to construct...

  • Down Among the Sticks and Bones synopsis, comments

    Down Among the Sticks and Bones

    Seanan McGuire

    Winner: 2022 Hugo Award for Best SeriesWinner: 2018 Alex AwardWinner: 2018 ALA RUSA Fantasy AwardSeanan McGuire returns to her popular Wayward Children series with Down Among the S...

  • A Deeper Darkness synopsis, comments

    A Deeper Darkness

    J.T. Ellison

    Discover where it all began in book one of J.T. Ellison’s heartracing Sam Owens series…As a medical examiner, Samantha Owens knows her job is to make sense of death. But since the ...

  • Scene of the Crime synopsis, comments

    Scene of the Crime

    Sharon Dunn

    Someone’s out to end her life.Can the K9 unit shield her from harm?Evidence from forensic specialist Darcy Fields could convict a killerif she survives to testify. A killer seems d...

  • Why We Sleep synopsis, comments

    Why We Sleep

    Matthew Walker

    “Why We Sleep is an important and fascinating book…Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs. I suspect his book will do the same for you.” ...

  • Hominids synopsis, comments

    Hominids

    Robert J. Sawyer

    Robert Sawyer's SF novels are perennial nominees for the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, or both. Clearly, he must be doing something right since each one has been something new and ...

  • Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space synopsis, comments

    Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space

    Janna Levin

    The authoritative story of the headlinemaking discovery of gravitational wavesby an eminent theoretical astrophysicist and awardwinning writer.From the author of How the Universe G...

  • The Lights on Knockbridge Lane synopsis, comments

    The Lights on Knockbridge Lane

    Roan Parrish

    Can one man’s crowded, messy life fill another man’s empty heart? Raising a family was always Adam Mills’ dream, although solo parenting and moving back to tiny Garnet Run certainl...

  • 2084 synopsis, comments

    2084

    John C. Lennox

    Will technology change what it means to be human? You don't have to be a computer scientist to have discerning conversations about artificial intelligence and technology. We all wo...

  • This Sweet Sickness synopsis, comments

    This Sweet Sickness

    Patricia Highsmith

    In This Sweet Sickness, Patricia Highsmith, in her own inimitable fashion, has created a complex psychological tale as suspenseful as The Talented Mr. Ripley.David Kelsey, a young ...

  • The Condition synopsis, comments

    The Condition

    Jennifer Haigh

    In the summer of 1976, during their annual retreat on Cape Cod, the McKotch family came apart. Now, twenty years after daughter Gwen was diagnosed with Turner's syndromea rare gene...

  • The German Wife synopsis, comments

    The German Wife

    Kelly Rimmer

    “Skillfully researched and powerfully written, The German Wife will capture you from the first page.” Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop i...

  • Saving Us synopsis, comments

    Saving Us

    Katharine Hayhoe

    United Nations Champion of the Earth, climate scientist, and evangelical Christian Katharine Hayhoe changes the debate on how we can save our future in this nationally bestselling ...

  • 100 Simple Secrets of Great Relationships synopsis, comments

    100 Simple Secrets of Great Relationships

    David Niven, PhD

    What are the essential qualities of a great relationship? What do people in healthy and happy relationships do differently? Scientists and academics have spent entire careers inves...

  • Solar Express synopsis, comments

    Solar Express

    L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

    Solar Express, the thrilling, new, hard science fiction novel from New York Times bestselling author L. E. Modesitt, Jr.You can't militarize space. This one rule has led to decades...

  • Dawn of the New Everything synopsis, comments

    Dawn of the New Everything

    Jaron Lanier

    Named one of the best books of 2017 by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, & VoxThe father of virtual reality explains its dazzling possibilities by reflecting on his own l...

  • Being a Dog synopsis, comments

    Being a Dog

    Alexandra Horowitz

    From the #1 bestselling author of Inside of a Dog and The Year of the Puppy“an incredible journey into the olfactory world of man’s best friend” (O, The Oprah Magazine), Alexandra ...

  • Inside of a Dog synopsis, comments

    Inside of a Dog

    Alexandra Horowitz

    The #1 New York Times bestselling book from the author of The Year of the Puppy that asks what dogs know and how they think. The answers will surprise and delight you as Alexandra ...

  • Existential Physics synopsis, comments

    Existential Physics

    Sabine Hossenfelder

    A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“An informed and entertaining guide to what science can and cannot tell us.” The Wall Street Journal“Stimulating . . . encourage[s] readers to push past ...

  • Hard Silence synopsis, comments

    Hard Silence

    Mia Kay

    FBI profiler Jeff Crandall returned to Fiddler, Idaho, to work on new Bureau protocols in peace…and because he hasn't been able to stop thinking about Abby Quinn. Kind, beautiful a...

  • Feynman synopsis, comments

    Feynman

    Jim Ottaviani

    Richard Feynman: physicist . . . Nobel winner . . . bestselling author . . . safecracker. In this substantial graphic novel biography, First Second presents the largerthanlife expl...

  • Until You Loved Me synopsis, comments

    Until You Loved Me

    Brenda Novak

    New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak returns to Silver Springs Sometimes starting over means finding everything you've been missing… After catching her fiancé c...

  • The Secret Life of Lobsters synopsis, comments

    The Secret Life of Lobsters

    Trevor Corson

    “Lobster is served three ways in this fascinating book: by fisherman, scientist and the crustaceans themselves. . . . Corson, who worked aboard commercial lobster boats for two yea...

  • Owls of the Eastern Ice synopsis, comments

    Owls of the Eastern Ice

    Jonathan C. Slaght

    A New York Times Notable Book of 2020Longlisted for the National Book AwardWinner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and the Minnesota Book Award for General Non...

  • The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People synopsis, comments

    The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People

    David Niven, PhD

    Scientists and academics have spent entire careers investigating what makes people happy. But hidden in obscure scholarly journals and reports, their research is all too often inac...

  • New Earth synopsis, comments

    New Earth

    Ben Bova

    Awardwinning author Ben Bova brings us New Earth, his latest tale of science fiction in his Grand Tour series.The entire world is thrilled by the discovery of a new Earthlike plane...

  • The Case for a Creator synopsis, comments

    The Case for a Creator

    Lee Strobel

    Discover the astonishing evidence for intelligent design in this New York Times bestselling book by awardwinning journalist Lee Strobel."My road to atheism was paved by science . ....

  • Brilliant Blunders synopsis, comments

    Brilliant Blunders

    Mario Livio

    Drawing on the lives of five great scientists, this “scholarly, insightful, and beautifully written book” (Martin Rees, author of From Here to Infinity) illuminates the path to sci...

  • The Man with the Sawed-Off Leg and Other Tales of a New York City Block synopsis, comments

    The Man with the Sawed-Off Leg and Other Tales of a New York City Block

    Daniel J. Wakin

    They stand proudly gazing across the Hudson River at the cliffs of New Jersey. Their brows are marked by ornamental pediments. Greek columns stand as sentries by their entrances an...

  • The One-Eyed Man synopsis, comments

    The One-Eyed Man

    L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

    The OneEyed Man is a thrilling new farfuture science fiction novel from New York Times bestseller L. E. Modesitt, Jr.The colony world of Stittara is no ordinary planet. For the int...

  • The Un-Arranged Marriage synopsis, comments

    The Un-Arranged Marriage

    Laura Brown

    Mark Goldman has never gotten along with Shaina Fogel. Ever. Even when they were in diapers, their bestie mothers wanted them to grow up and get married. Not happening. Mark prefer...

  • Red Flags synopsis, comments

    Red Flags

    Lisa Black

    New York Times bestselling author Lisa Black launches a pulsepounding new series with a taut, compelling forensic thriller that introduces Dr. Ellie Carr and Dr. Rachael Davies, wh...

  • First Cut synopsis, comments

    First Cut

    Judy Melinek & T.J. Mitchell

    A Bustle Most Anticipated Book of January 2020“Scalpel sharp.”Kathy ReichsA young rookie medical examiner. A suspicious case. An underworld plot only she saw coming.From the New Yo...

  • The Age of Radiance synopsis, comments

    The Age of Radiance

    Craig Nelson

    “A thrilling, intense, and disturbing account of the atomic era, from the discovery of Xrays to the tragic meltdown of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant…Rich with power...

  • Hybrids synopsis, comments

    Hybrids

    Robert J. Sawyer

    In Hominids, Nebula Awardwinning author Robert J. Sawyer introduced a character readers will never forget: Ponter Boddit, a Neanderthal physicist from a parallel Earth who was whis...

  • Pastwatch synopsis, comments

    Pastwatch

    Orson Scott Card

    In one of the most powerful and thoughtprovoking novels of his remarkable career, Orson Scott Card interweaves a compelling portrait of Christopher Columbus with the story of a fut...

  • The Silent Corner synopsis, comments

    The Silent Corner

    Dean Koontz

    THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING JANE HAWK SERIES   Meet Jane Hawka remarkable new heroine certain to become an icon of suspense. “This gripping thriller grab...

  • Field of Fire synopsis, comments

    Field of Fire

    Marc Cameron

    An explosive Jericho Quinn thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Brute Force, Stone Cross, and Tom Clancy Code of Honor.    The first target is Dallas, T...

  • Lab 257 synopsis, comments

    Lab 257

    Michael C. Carroll

    Strictly off limits to the public, Plum Island is home to virginal beaches, cliffs, forests, ponds and the deadliest germs that have ever roamed the planet. Lab 257 blows the lid ...

  • Tightrope synopsis, comments

    Tightrope

    Amanda Quick

    An unconventional woman and a man shrouded in mystery walk a tightrope of desire as they race against a killer to find a top secret invention in this New York Times bestselling nov...

  • My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish synopsis, comments

    My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish

    Mo O'Hara

    When Tom's big brother decides to become an Evil Scientist, his first experiment involves dunking Frankie the goldfish into toxic green gunk. Tom and his best friend Pradeep know t...