Recommended Astronomy/Physics books for Christmas gift

[bizzylizzy]

Can any of you science buffs recommend a decent book for my geeky husband. Finding a book one step up from 'popular science' is difficult. He likes books on physics and astronomy, but the more complex the better. He enjoys mathematics and is well able to understand the more complicated books that I would feel decidedly taxed by. In a nutshell, I'm looking for books that haven't been bought out for the Christmas market, the how to, why are, books. Thanks very much. Happy Christmas to you all.

[Loosehead]

These are all suitably challenging!

The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene

A brief History of time - Stephen Hawking

The end of time - Julian Barbour

Black holes, baby universes and other essays - Stephen Hawking

[Ralph]

Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics and Science Fiction is quite good in that it examines how science fiction writers explain away the nuances of time travel, then it examines the actualities of time travel in some detail (though not above degree level). Baked my noodle!

[jake-the-peg]

If you want the real heavy brigade Roger Penrose's "the road to reality" http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0224044478/203-5222962-6787169

I've been working through this book for a few years. It starts with topics like complex numbers, Riemann surfaces and goes on to string and twistor theory.

It has a heavy maths content but is not for professional mathematicians.

If he's already whipped through things like "A brief history" it should do the job!

[fo3nix]

the road to reality, as recommended by jake, as he says is great but not an easy read. has very advanced mathematics in it (evne though it only partially explains things).

not too much physics in it, but i'd recommend

"Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid". An old but classic book that all geeks should read or have read.

Failing that, go for the elegant universe as loosehead suggests, brief history, the "mr tompkins" books, something like that.

[boobesque]

may i recommend 'the search for infinity' by 3 people whose names i cant remember and 'the universe next door' by marcus chown.