Darwin: The Man Behind the Science

Darwin

Janet Brown, Princeton University Press (2026)

Science historian Janet Brown published a two-part biography of naturalist Charles Darwin in 1995 and 2002. She has now released a condensed and updated edition. The book, she writes, “deals not with the details of science, but with the cultural conditions that may shape scientists as good as Darwin.”

Drawing on the multi-volume Letters of Charles Darwin (1985–2023) and the Charles Darwin Complete Works Online website, Brown brings both the man and his science to life.

What Clouds Reveal About Climate Change

Book of Clouds

Vincenzo Levizzani, Politics (2026)

“Unraveling the secrets of clouds” requires physics, chemistry and biology, says meteorologist and cloud physicist Vincenzo Levizzani. The first scientist to record systematic observations of clouds was chemist and pharmacist Luke Howard in 1803.

Two centuries later, many aspects of clouds remain poorly understood. In this fascinating and well-illustrated book, Levizzani explains why meteorologists still cannot predict how global cloud distribution will evolve as a result of climate change.

The Risks and Rewards of Space Exploration

Out of This World

Peter Bond, Reaction (2026)

Science writer Peter Bond grew up in the Space Age. He is an adviser to the Royal Astronomical Society and a consultant to the European Space Agency. His latest book explores space exploration with expertise and passion through the perspectives of both an astronaut and a spacecraft designer.

Bond observes that spaceflight now receives little attention in the world’s media “unless some extraordinary, perhaps life-threatening event occurs.” He describes some of those events in graphic detail in the final chapter, “Risky Business.”

Personalization Issues

Personalization Issues

Joseph Turow, University of Chicago Press (2026)