Attenborough, David After his Cambridge zoology degree David Attenborough was author and radio journalist. In 1965 he became program director of BBC. He traveled to all continents to film animals but he also made films about anthropology and music. He did a lot for environmental protection.  Das Leben auf unserer Erde - Vom Einzeller zum Menschen     ISBN 3-490-00618-6  Life on Earth

 
 

Asimov, Isaac Isaac Asimov was one of the most prominent science fiction authors. But he also wrote many non-fiction books about astronomy and other fields of knowledge.  Die exakten Geheimnisse unserer Welt - Kosmos, Erde, Materie, Technik      ISBN 3-426-03921-4  Asimov's New Guide to Science Die exakten Geheimnisse unserer Welt - Bausteine des Lebens                        ISBN 3-426-26255-X  Asimov's New Guide to Science Explodierende Sonnen - Geheimnisse der Supernova                                       ISBN 3-462-01996-1  THE EXPLODING SUNS - THE SECRETS OF THE SUPERNOVAS

 
 

Ditfurth, Hoimar von Hoimar von Ditfurth (1921 - 1989) was professor of psychiatry and neurology. Over the years he came to the conclusion that he was riding on the wrong horse. Quotation: "Bei kritischer Betrachtung entpuppt sich die Freudsche Theorie als das Paradoxon einer wissenschaftlichen Disziplin..." (i.e. on critical inspection Freuds theory turns out to be the paradox of a scientific discipline). (In my opinion psychology belongs to the same category as astrology. But also with astrology you still can earn lots of money.) Hoimar von Ditfurth was uncompromising. Even when he was founder member of the German Greens (ecology party) he left the party in protest, when they throw bags with blood on an American general. This way of "politics" he could not share.  He also could not longer work in a profession, even when it was a reputable and well paid one, after being convinced it was nonsense. Therefore he decided to take the risk of a new beginning and further tried to help people in another way: He worked as a free scientific journalist, wrote many popular scientific books and created the television program "Querschnitte". He was a member of the German PEN-center and in 1980 he got the Kalinga-Prize of the UNESCO. It was his intention to rise peoples scientific interest. Why? Well, perhaps to enable them to prove critically all the pretty new things that modern science is giving so richly to us. Unfortunately most people still are more interested in cars, TV, football etc. than in the future of our planet. Im Anfang war der Wasserstoff                                                                ISBN 3-455-09279-9  Der Geist fiel nicht vom Himmel - Die Evolution unseres Bewußtseins       ISBN 3-455-09281-0  Kinder des Weltalls - Der Roman unserer Existenz                                   ISBN 3-455-09280-2  Alle drei oben genannten Bände als Sonderausgabe (empfehlenswert)       ISBN 3-455-09282-9  Innenansichten eines Artgenossen - Meine Bilanz                                      ISBN 3-546-42097-7

 
 

Feynman, Richard Richard P. Feynman was born 1918 near New York and died 1988 in Los Angeles. He got his degree in physics at the  Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1942 he worked on the "Manhattan Project" in Los Alamos.  After that he was professor of theoretical physics at Cornell University / Ithaca and later at the California Institute of Technology / Pasadena. 1965 together with S. I. Tomonaga and J. Schwinger he got the Nobel Prize of physics.  "Sie belieben wohl zu scherzen, Mr. Feynman!" - Abenteuer eines neugierigen Physikers (Perhaps the least scientific but most amusing of the books introduced here),      ISBN 3-429-21347-2  Surely You're joking Mr. Feynman

 
 

Krafft, Maurice Maurice Krafft and his wife Katja had been fanatical volcanologics since their early childhood. Together with their parents they saw in the age of 8 their first active volcano - the Stromboli. Volcanology became later both hobby and profession to them. Maurice studied geology, Katja chemistry and physics in Strasbourg.  In 1969 they founded a research team for volcanaolgy and finally the Centre de Volcanologie Vulcain in Cernay.  It was their goal to get reliable predictions of eruptions, to save human lives. On this score they took measurements of active volcanoes again and again.  Both of them get killed by an eruption - being on duty for science and mankind.  Unsere Erde, ein lebender Planet - Eine Entdeckungsreise durch die Erdgeschichte     ISBN 3-451-18790-6

 
 

Lederman, Leon Leon Lederman, one of the international leading particle physicists, was director of the National Fermi Acceleration Laboratory in the USA. In 1988 together with a colleague he got the Nobel Prize.  Das schöpferische Teilchen - Der Grundbaustein des Universums     ISBN 3-570-12037-6  The God Particle

 
 

Reeves, Hubert Hubert Reeves, born 1932 in Montreal, was astrophysicist. He was university professor, consultant of the NASA and research director of the  C.N.R.S., the most important scientific research institute of France.  Schmetterlinge und Galaxien - Kosmologische Streifzüge                                                           ISBN 3-446-16447-2  Woher nährt der Himmel seine Sterne? Die  Entwicklung des Kosmos und die Zukunft der Menschen                                                                                                                                                  ISBN 3-7643-1368-4

 
 

Sagan, Carl Carl Sagan, born 1934 in New York City, was professor for space science and head of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University, guest lecturer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology and co-founder and chairman of the Planetary Society, the biggest non-profit association for space research. In 1978 he got the Pulitzer Prize. In December 1996 he died of cancer.  Blauer Punkt im All - Unsere Heimat Universum                                                                    ISBN 3-8289-3401-3  Pale Blue Dot. A Vision of the Human Future in Space Der Drache in meiner Garage oder Die Kunst der Wissenschaft, Unsinn zu entlarven             ISBN 3-462-26912-0  The Demon-Haunted World. Science as a Candle in the Dark Unser Kosmos - Eine Reise durch das Weltall                                                                       ISBN 3-426-04053-0  Cosmos

 
 

Vandenberg, Philipp Philipp Vandenberg, born 1941, Europe's most successful author for archeology, studied German philology and art history in Munich. After a ten years profession as journalist, he has been working as a free author since 1976 and meanwhile he belongs to the most translated of German non-fiction writers. His books are available in 23 languages.  Cäsar und Kleopatra                                                                                                                             ISBN ?   (03128 6)  Das Geheimnis der Orakel - Archäologen entschlüsseln das bestgehütete Mysterium der Antike              ISBN ?   (00476 2)  Der Pompejaner                                                                                                                                    ISBN 3-7857-0440-2  Der vergessene Pharao - Unternehmen TUT-ENCH-AMUN das größte Abenteuer der Archäologie     ISBN ?   (03119 5)  Nero - Kaiser und Gott, Künstler und Narr                                                                                           ISBN 3-8112-0904-3  Ramses der Grosse                                                                                                                               ISBN 3-8112-0530-7  ? unfortunately Bertelsmann did not mention an ISBN-Number in this books. They only give a "book-number",  which is written in brackets here. Also some other publishers are giving a number that don't refer to ISBN.

 
 

If you like the type of literature described above, there are additional books below, just right for example to make rainy days enjoyable. All the books mentioned I myself enjoyed to read. Some of them are only available at second-hand book shops, but they are worth to look for (also in the Internet).  I am not sure which of them are available in English. It may also be difficult to find the desired title even when having an index of the author. Noah Gordon's "Der Medicus von Saragossa" for example is "The last Jew" in English. But keep on looking - its worth it.  Popular-science books: Hans Baumann, Die Höhlen der großen Jäger - Vier französische Jungen entdecken die uralten Höhlen von Lascaux (Actually a book for children, but I really like it anyway), ISBN 3-473-39057-7  C. H. Beck, Der Gang der Evolution - Die Geschichte des Kosmos, der Erde und des Menschen, ISBN 3-406-32300-6  Philippe Boulanger, 1001 Nacht - Scheherezade erzählt Geschichten aus der Wissenschaft,           ISBN 3-7643-6132-8  Dr. Göran Burenhult (Hrsg.), Illustrierte Geschichte der Menschheit - Die Ursprünge des Menschen bis 10000 vor Christus, ISBN 3-8289-0741-5  THE FIRST HUMANS: The Illustrated History of Humankind Dr. Göran Burenhult (Hrsg.), Illustrierte Geschichte der Menschheit - Die Menschen der Steinzeit - Jäger, Sammler und frühe Bauern, ISBN 3-8289-0742-3  PEOPLE OF THE STONE AGE: The Illustrated History of Humankind Dr. Göran Burenhult (Hrsg.), Illustrierte Geschichte der Menschheit - Die Kulturen der Alten Welt - Die ersten Städte und Staaten,     ISBN 3-8289-0743-1  OLD WORLD CIVILIZATIONS: The Illustrated History of Humankind Dr. Göran Burenhult (Hrsg.), Illustrierte Geschichte der Menschheit - Die Kulturen der Neuen Welt - Amerika, Asien und Pazifik,      ISBN 3-8289-0744-X  NEW WORLD AND PACIFIC CIVILIZATIONS: The Illustrated History of Humankind Dr. Göran Burenhult (Hrsg.), Illustrierte Geschichte der Menschheit - Naturvölker heute - Beständigkeit u. Wandel in d. modernen Welt, ISBN 3-8289-0741-5  TRADITIONAL PEOPLES TODAY: The Illustrated History of Humankind C.W. Ceram, Götter Gräber und Gelehrte The classic, ISBN ? (1140)  C.W. Ceram, Der erste Amerikaner, ISBN 3-498-09060-7  The first American Rudolf Drößler, Astronomie in Stein, ISBN 3-7354-0019-1  Werner Ekschmitt, Die Sieben Weltwunder - Ihre Erbauung, Zerstörung und Wiederentdeckung, ISBN 3-8053-0784-5  Albert Einstein / Leopol Infeld, Die Evolution der Physik Let's do an experiment in thought ...,            ISBN 3-89350-161-4  The Evolution of Physics Brian M. Fagan, Abenteuer Archäologie, ISBN 3-8289-0666-4  The Adventure of Archaeology Richard Golob / Eric Brus (Hrsg.), Almanach der Naturwissenschaft und Technik Electronics, Chemistry, Medicine, ..., ISBN 3-426-26518-4  The Almanac of Science and Technology - What's New and What's Known John A. J. Gowlett, Auf Adams Spuren - Die Archäologie des frühen Menschen Do you know Lucy?, ISBN 3-451-20496-7  Thor Heyerdahl, Tigris - Auf der Suche nach unserem Ursprung, ISBN ? (0141 2)  Lawrence M. Krauss, Schwarze Materie, ISBN 3-458-33940-X  The Fifth Essence - The Search for Dark Matter in the Universe Martin Kuckenburg, Lag Eden im Neandertal? - Auf der Suche nach dem frühen Menschen, ISBN 3-430-15773-0  Kurt Mendelssohn, Das Rätsel der Pyramiden (esoterics be warned of disappointment!),              ISBN 3-88199-337-1  Brian Leigh Molyneaux, Heilige Plätze, Magische Orte, ISBN 3-8228-1717-1  The Sacred Earth G. Popp / H. Pleticha, Wir leben seit fünf Sekunden, ISBN ?  Walter Sullivan, Am Rande des Raums, Am Ende der Zeit - Schwarze Löcher, ISBN 3-524-69023-8  Black Holes - The Edge of Space, the End of Time Wilfried Westphal, Die Maya - Volk im Schatten seiner Väter, ISBN ? (01255 9)  Jennifer Westwood, Sagen, Mythen, Menschheitsrätsel - An atlas of sacred places, mysterious places of worship and died out cultures, ISBN 3-89405-502-2  The Atlas of Mysterious Places Historical Novels: Peter Berling, Die Kinder des Gral, ISBN 3-404-12060-4  Volker Eschenbach, Tiberius,          ISBN 3-354-00609-9  David Gemell, Alexander der Große (Alexander is mentioned at the end only, but the story is worth reading anyway), ISBN 3-8289-6925-9  Lion of Macedon Noah Gordon, Der Medicus, ISBN ?   (01423 3)  Noah Gordon, Der Medicus von Saragossa, ISBN 3-89667-013-1  The last Jew Hanns Kneifel, Babylon - Das Siegel des Hammurabi, ISBN 3-7951-1321-0  Amin Maalouf, Samarkand,                                        ISBN 3-485-00616-5  Gerald Messadie, Ein Mann namens Saulus,                ISBN 3-426-19304-3  Thomas R. P. Mielge, Gilgamesch - König von Uruk (The oldest novel in the world, one must have read), ISBN 3-7951-1052-1  Daniel Peters, Das Glück des Azteken, ISBN 3-424-01389-7  The Luck of Huemac - A Novel about the Aztecs Henrky Sienkiewicz, Quo vadis? (Even better than the film - like usually), ISBN 3-536-01305-8  Patrick Süskind, Das Parfum - Die Geschichte eines Mörders, ISBN ?   (05022 9)  Mika Waltari, Sinuhe der Ägypter, ISBN ? (Lingen even did not mention a book number!)