TIL: Earth edition
As a climate scientist and paleoclimatologist with a passion for our world and science communication, I wanted to share my recommendations for Earth science books that are informative, engaging, and accessible. I intend to continue updating this list.
created by prehistormic
last updated August, 2026
Comments
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Oh, I'm so glad we can get so many recommendations from a specialist! Do you know if any of these books are more beginner friendly?
Ah, sorry for missing this! These should all be beginner friendly, though some do a better* job weaving together the Earth and human stories (e.g., Krakatoa). Also, I’d strongly recommend Tree Story, but that’s just because I know and have published research with the author.
* ”better” probably isn’t the right word because each narrative has its purpose, but I find that connecting Earth and people is a wonderful way to show the beauty of our world.
For some reason most of these books have a really long waiting list in my library, but I guess that's because they don't have more than one copy. English original books have this issue a lot. Do the Winchester books have to be read in order? I can't get a hold of the first one for a while.
Sorry for not seeing this until now. Nope! You can read the Winchester books in any order. I started with Krakatoa and went from there. Let me know what you decide to start with!
Thanks, I'll start with whatever the library gives me first
