Books by ABSW members

The Wonder of Seashells: Discover the Meaning and Magic of the Ocean’s Treasures

Melissa Hobson

24 April 2025

Wellfleet Press (Quarto)

This book is a treasury of stories, science, and history about seashells. Sure to delight and surprise, this visual odyssey of the beauty of seashells reveals how shells enhance and inform the world around us. Exploring coasts and shells from across the globe, each unique shell will suddenly become familiar with The Wonder of Seashell’s beautiful illustrations and fascinating insights. Perfect for the coastal home or the passionate beach enthusiast, "The Wonder of Seashells" serves as a showpiece and a captivating reference to the sea’s treasures. Discover the beauty and significance of seashells on the sandy shores and in the deep blue sea.

PR contact: Francesca Vultaggio

The Elephant in the Room: How to Stop Making Ourselves and Other Animals Sick

Liz Kalaugher

10 April 2025

Icon Books

Humans, animals and disease. They're all interrelated, so why do we keep ignoring the elephant in the room? It's well known that COVID-19 may have come from a bat, but diseases are often transmitted in the other direction too. Humans have passed diseases to animals countless times through history, and it's the cross-currents of this relationship between humans, animals and disease that are explored by Liz Kalaugher in The Elephant in the Room. Taking the reader on a globe-trotting journey through time, Kalaugher presents a series of fascinating case histories of human-related wildlife diseases. Among the stories featured here are the early humans who may have carried pathogens responsible for the extinction of Neanderthals, the native birds of Hawaii that have been devasted by human-introduced disease, and the Tasmanian tiger that has been lost to the sands of time. Examining these tales and drawing on first-hand accounts from experts around the world, The Elephant in the Room is both a tragic history and an inspirational call to arms. It doesn't have to be this way. By learning from the past, it's possible to create a better, healthier environment for ourselves, our wildlife and our planet.

PR contact: [email protected]

Inner Sense: How the New Science of Interoception Can Transform Your Health

Caroline Williams

3 April 2025

Profile Books

Interoception is one of our most important - and most mysterious - senses. It's how our bodies tell our brains what we're feeling - when we're hungry, when we're cold, how we should respond to stress and panic. In Inner Sense, Caroline Williams uncovers a field that's poised to revolutionise health and explores groundbreaking new techniques that can improve our mental and physical well-being. She meets brain scientists mapping the nervous system, neurodivergent researchers working to hone their interoception skills and health practitioners investigating how this inner sense can aid mindfulness and even disordered eating. Combining science, medicine, mindfulness and physical therapy, Inner Sense is the first book to bring this exciting new field of medicine to a general readership.

PR contact: Valentina Zanca

Systemic: How Racism Is Making Us Ill

Dr Layal Liverpool

6 June 2024

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

A ground-breaking investigation into how racism corrodes science and medicine – leading to worse treatment for everyone.
We live in a society where:

• Black and Asian patients in the UK wait nearly a week longer for a cancer diagnosis
• Indigenous peoples across the world tend to experience a higher risk of cancers
• Globally, people of colour are not only more likely to die while giving birth, they are also more likely to die while being born – or soon afterwards

In this blistering investigation, science journalist Layal Liverpool unearths the shocking research and the vital solutions to the health threat of racism. Across the world, people belonging to marginalised racial and ethnic groups disproportionately experience poor health outcomes. And when a scientific bias is this pronounced, it results in worse treatment for everyone: making us collectively more ill, holding back medical research and reducing the potential for scientific discoveries.

PR contact: [email protected]

Hey, There's Science In This

Eva Amsen

28 March 2024

easternblot books

'Hey, There's Science In This' is a collection of essays about unexpected science links to everyday topics. Rubber ducks at sea, a Japanese TV show or food-based paint techniques don't seem to have much to do with science at first glance, but Eva Amsen finds an amusing science story in all of them. In twenty-four short essays she takes an approachable and humorous look at the connection between hot springs and genetics, the psychology behind your study playlist, hiking trail geology and much more. Reading this book will make you look at the world in a different way and is bound to have you say, "hey, there's science in this!"

PR contact: https://evaamsen.com

My Book of the Elements: A Fact-Filled Guide to the Periodic Table

Adrian Dingle

26 March 2024

DK Children

Learn about the elements that make up our world and the science that defines them. 'My Book of the Elements' is a wonderful introduction to the periodic table for children aged 5-7 interested in all things chemistry. Covering all the elements, from the unreactive to the radioactive, as well as key science topics, such as states of matter, this visual book is something that every young science enthusiast will want to own. Eye-catching images are featured alongside friendly illustrations, giving children plenty to take in and enjoy.

Communicating Science Clearly: A Self-Help Guide For Students and Researchers

Sharon Ann Holgate

29 November 2023

CRC Press

This unique self-help guide equips undergraduates, postgraduate students, and early career researchers within the sciences with transferrable communication skills that they can adapt and refer back to as they progress through their careers. It provides practical guidance on how to best communicate science in a range of different settings. This book facilitates clear and concise communication in both academic scenarios and the workplace. It covers settings ranging from job interviews, through conference presentations, to explaining your research to the general public. It is illustrated with first-hand experiences, top tips, and "dos and don’ts" to demonstrate best practices. It will also be a valuable guide for established academics who would like a refresher or a guide to new avenues of science communication, such as podcasts.

PR contact:  [email protected]

How to Expect the Unexpected

Kit Yates

6 June 2023

Quercus

Ever since the dawn of human civilisation, we have been trying to make predictions about what's in store for us. We do this on a personal level, so that we can get on with our lives efficiently (should I hang my laundry out to dry, or will it rain?). But we also have to predict on a much larger scale, often for the good of our broader society (how can we spot economic downturns or prevent terrorist attacks?). For just as long, we have been getting it wrong. From religious oracles to weather forecasters, and from politicians to economists, we are subjected to poor predictions all the time. Our job is to separate the good from the bad. Unfortunately, the foibles of our own biology, the biases that ultimately make us human, can let us down when it comes to making rational inferences about the world around us. And that can have disastrous consequences. How to Expect the Unexpected will teach you how and why predictions go wrong, help you to spot phony forecasts and give you a better chance of getting your own predictions correct.

The Brainiac's Book of Robots and AI

Paul Virr

27 April 2023

Thames and Hudson

This new addition to the Brainiac series introduces the science and technology of Robots and Artificial Intelligence with a creative approach that makes STEM learning accessible and fun for children aged 7 to 10 years. Humorously written and engagingly illustrated by Harriet Russell, The Brainiac's Book of Robots and AI is packed with fascinating facts and hands-on activities, such as building a robotic hand or a mechanical hopping frog automaton.

PR contact:  [email protected]

How Vaccines Work

David Miles

9 March 2023

Piatkus

Vaccines are a debate, whether we want them to be or not. Now more than ever, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the accusations and arguments that bloom across the news and the internet. With a blend of science and history, 'How Vaccines Work' demystifies the strange and intricate world of vaccines: it explains what a vaccine is, how they are discovered and developed, and what happens when they meet our bodies. With over two decades of experience as an immunologist, David Miles gives expert insight into each vaccine routinely used in Britain, how they have kept us healthy, and why many people have come to worry about possible side effects. Through thrilling storytelling and in-depth exploration of the most common vaccination myths, 'How Vaccines Work' is the perfect guide to understanding all the vaccines we currently receive.

Feeding Animals Is Essential For Global Food Security

Clifford Adams

31 January 2023

CONTEXT

The book addresses a very important topic nowadays, that of the ethics, benefits and problems of feeding animals to supply human food. Global human food production is very complex with impacts on the Circular Economy and the Environment but for maximum efficiency feeding animals is essential.

PR contact:  [email protected]