Here is a (not necessarily complete) list of books that I have found essential to quality science instruction. Some are not science books per se, but address related issues. Note that IBSNs are currently transitioning from ten digits to thirteen digits. When time permits, I will provide both numbers for each book.

Textbooks

Ruth Chabay and Bruce Sherwood, Matter & Interactions, Volume I: Modern Mechanics (Wiley, New York, 2006), Version 1.5. ISBN 0-471-79382-5. This is, in my opinion, the first truly innovative introductory physics textbook to be produced during my lifetime. Volume I presents modern mechanics.

Ruth Chabay and Bruce Sherwood, Matter & Interactions, Volume II: Electric and Magnetic Interactions (Wiley, New York, 2006), Version 1.5. ISBN 0-471-79383-3. This companion to Volume I presents electromagnetic theory.

References for Instructors

Arnold B. Arons, Teaching Introductory Physics (Wiley, New York, 1997). ISBN 0-471-13707-3. If you teach astronomy or physics get this book, read it very carefully from cover to cover, read it again from cover to cover, and think about why you walk into the classroom every day and why you decided to be a physics teacher. It is the bible of modern science instruction and can be applied at all levels. It is no exaggeration that this book literally changed the way I see physics and my role as a physics teacher. My copy was autographed by the author about one year before he died.

Derek Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More (Princeton, New York, 2006). ISBN 0-691-12596-1. This book was one of the very few I could not put down before reading it from cover to cover. I read it in less than one week. This book is very nearly as important to me as Arons' book. The author says things that colleges themselves are afraid to say in public. It's about time!

Harry R. Lewis. Excellence Without a Soul: How a Great University Forgot Education (Public Affairs, New York, 2006). ISBN 1-58648-393-5. Written by another insider, this book describes other goings on at Harvard.

Clifford E. Swartz and Thomas Miner, Teaching Introductory Physics: A Sourcebook (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1996). ISBN 1-56396-320-5. This book is different from Arons' book but useful nonetheless.

Supplementary Resources for Students and Instructors Any of these would be suitable as primary or supplementary course textbooks in any scientific discipline. Certain people will strongly, and quite possibly vocally, object to many of these books being used in the classroom. These are the people who most need to be exposed to these books.

Tim M. Berra, Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: A Basic Guide to the Facts in the Evolution Debate (Stanford University Press, Stanford, 1990). ISBN 0-8047-1548-3. I object to the word "Debate" in this book's title but otherwise it is a helpful reference.

Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2006). ISBN 0-61868000-4. This book echoes many thoughts I have tried to articulate my entire life.

Chester Dolan, Holy Daze: Coming to Grips with "Religion," the Holy Daze of Humanity (Mopah Publications, Lakewood, CA, 1992), 3rd. ed. ISBN 0-9631042-7-6. The author of this controversial and rare book articulates many of the sentiments I have tried to articulate all my life.

Robert Ehrlich, Nine Crazy Ideas in Science: A Few Might Even Be True (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2002). ISBN 0-691-09495-0. This book, like the next one, would make excellent supplemental reading for critical thinking in an introductory science course.

Robert Ehrlich, 8 Preposterous Propositions: From the Genetics of Homosexuality to the Benefits of Global Warming (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2005). ISBN 0-691-12404-3. This book, like the previous one, would make excellent supplemental reading for critical thinking in an introductory science course.

Gerd Gigerenzer, Calculated Risks: How to Know When Numbers Deceive You (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2002). ISBN 0-7432-0556-1. This book is absolutely essential for understanding quantitative critical thinking. The author gives many examples that could be incorporated into any science course.

Sam Harris, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (Norton, New York, 2005). ISBN 0-393-32765-5. This is one of several recent books exploring the relationship between religion and reason. It is a useful resource for critical thinking.

Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation (Knopf, New York, 2006). ISBN 0-307-26577-3. Harris wrote this as a response to much of the feedback he got for his previous book, The End of Faith.

Chris Mooney, The Republican War on Science (Basic Books, New York, 2006). ISBN 0-465-04676-2. This book documents much of what some people do not accept as reality.

Bertrand Russell. Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1957). ISBN 0-671-20323-1. The author is a well known philosopher.

Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (Ballantine, New York, 1996). ISBN 0-345-40946-9. Written by a master, this book is required reading for all students (and teachers) of critical thinking.

Michael Shermer and Pat Linse, The Baloney Detection Kit (The Skeptics Society, http://www.skeptic.com). This supplement should accompany every high school and college introductory science textbook in use today. I have used it as the basis for a three or four week introductory unit on critical thinking at the beginning of my astronomy courses, but I have now created my own material heavily influenced by the BDK.

Lewis Vaughn, The Power of Critical Thinking, Second Edition (Oxford, New York, 2008). ISBN 978-0-19-532041-1. This book is absolutely essential for teaching critical thinking within the context of science. It is the only book of its kind that I have found.

Howard Zinn. Declarations of Independence: Cross-examining American Ideology (HarperCollins, New York, 1991). ISBN 0-06-016473-5. An excellent book by Zinn.

Howard Zinn. A People's History of the United States 1492-Present (HarperCollins, New York, 2001). ISBN 0-06-052837-0. Another excellent book by Zinn.