Royal Society Prizes for Science Books 2009

The judges remained on remarkably good terms in their meeting to select the shortlist - with a distinct lack of raised voices or thrown books. That's not to say their decision was easy - and here is that decision, the shortlist.

It's a transatlantic race between the American academics and the UK's journalists and biographers: with three books written by US academics and three written by British journalists and biographers. All of the authors on the shortlist are new to the Royal Society Prize for Science Books.

The winner will be announced on 15 September 2009.

The shortlist

On announcing the shortlist, Sir Tim Hunt FRS, Chair of the judges, said: "We were astonished and delighted to find so many fascinating books on such a wide variety of topics. There's clearly a large audience for books that explain science clearly and gracefully, and no shortage of authors. Choosing a final list of six books from the big boxes of books that arrived on our doorsteps over 120 books were submitted was a challenging pleasure."

What the nose knows: The science of scent in everyday life by Avery Gilbert (Crown Publishers)

The judges said: "One of the things you really appreciate about this book is the feeling that you are in the presence of someone who really knows the subject. He's worked in the fragrance industry and in academic research and engagingly leads you into his fascinating world. Since reading this book we've all thought more about the scents around us and our oft-neglected sense of smell."

Bad science by Ben Goldacre (Harper Perennial)

The judges said: "We found this book was funny, accessible and offered much more than just a collection of Ben Goldacre's excellent columns in the Guardian. He attacks and debunks pseudoscience, which is really vital given how much is out there and how important the issues are to our lives. There's more to be said about some of the subjects, like the MMR vaccine scandal, and we're looking forward to the sequel."

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic generation discovered the beauty and terror of science by Richard Holmes (HarperPress)

The judges said: "We all thought this was a fantastic, enlightening and inspiring book, taking characters from the history of science and making them come alive. Richard Holmes has managed to seamlessly merge science, social history and literary history in a wonderful narrative, putting science in a wider context and producing a truly enthralling read."

Decoding the heavens: Solving the mystery of the world's first computer by Jo Marchant (William Heinemann)

The judges said: "This is a rattling good detective story exploring a subject that we were amazed that we hadn't heard more about. Learning about the extraordinary capabilities of the ancient civilisations was fascinating and left us all wondering what other incredible pockets of knowledge have been lost at the bottom of the sea or otherwise forgotten."

The drunkard's walk: How randomness rules our lives by Leonard Mlodinow (Penguin)

The judges said: "This book is well-written, enlightening and very funny at times. We could see people reading it and finding their perspective of odds and probability being fundamentally altered it definitely puts you off buying a lottery ticket or having a gamble on the roulette wheel!"

Your inner fish: The amazing discovery of our 375-million-year-old ancestor by Neil Shubin (Penguin)

The judges said: "This is a charming and delightful book; not often that a science book can be described in such terms! The author, an expert palaeontologist with a deep understanding of anatomy and animal development, still manages to explain things clearly, gracefully and eloquently - we all felt he'd be a great person to meet in the pub for a chat and a drink!"

Find out more about the books and the authors on our website.