As the Royal Society announces this year's prize for science book of the year, we look at the shortlisted titles and discuss what makes good science writing with novelist Tracy Chevalier, who was one of the judges. We also interview the winner.
Then we head off to Nottinghamshire for a visit to DH Lawrence's home town, to find out what today's Eastwood thinks of its most famous son, and why it is considering closing the DH Lawrence Heritage Centre.
Plus, as publishers queue up to sign the 33 freed Chilean miners for their memoirs, we look at the history of mining in literature with author Peter Crookston, whose most recent book tells the history of one of the great mining anthems.
Reading list
The Pitmen's Requiem, by Peter Crookston (Northumbria Press)
The Bonny Pit Laddie, by Frederick Grice (out of print, used copies on Amazon)
Kit's Wilderness, by David Almond (Hodder)
Remarkable Creatures, by Tracy Chevalier (Harper)
The Royal Society shortlisted books:
A World without Ice, by Henry Pollack (Avery Books)
Everyday Practice of Science: Where intuition and Passion meet Objectivity and Logic, by Frederick Grinnel (Oxford)
God's Philosphers: how the Medieval world laid the foundations of modern science by James Hannam (Icon)
Life Ascending, by Nick Lane (Profile)
We need to Talk about Kelvin, by Marcus Chown
Why does E=mc2, by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw (Da Capo)
