Selected from more than 250 entries, this year's six shortlisted books explore the fascinating hidden worlds of the everyday. They range from the precision engineering and complex computing that makes modern life possible, to ground-breaking research into how our own brains and immune systems work. We’re also given a new appreciation for the lives of the animals that inhabit our world, and a re-conceptualization of the solutions, solvents and substances that make everything possible from life to flight.
The event will be hosted by Professor Brian Cox, who will discuss the influences and inspirations that have guided each writer, plus there'll be a chance for you to ask your own questions to the panel of authors.
If you're unable to get to central London on the night you can still follow along at home on our livestream broadcast.
Kindly supported by Insight Investment.
For all enquiries, please contact sciencebooks@royalsociety.org
2018 shortlist
- Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain by Sarah Jayne Blakemore
- The Unexpected Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke
- The Beautiful Cure: Harnessing Your Body’s Natural Defences by Daniel Davis
- Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine by Hannah Fry
- Liquid: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik
- Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester
Find out more about the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize.
Attending the event
- Free to attend
- No registration required
- Doors open from 18.00
- Seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis
- This event will be livestreamed
- Live subtitles will be available
- British Sign Language interpretation will be available on request. Please let the events team know if you plan to attend at least two weeks before the event.
- Travel and accessibility information
The Royal Society's aim is to make its events accessible to as many people as possible. This is why our events are free and offered on a first-come, first-served basis
