Genome: The Autobiography of the Species in 23 Chapters – Matt Ridley. This amazing book, which I picked up at Fopp in London for three quid, is a must read. Well written and informative the author covers a lot of the current understanding of genetics in light of the Human Genome mapping project amongst other things. Obviously there is a lot to cover, so Ridley focusses on some of the more interesting aspects of genetic knowledge, both medical and social – every page contains some fact or other that will fascinate you and make you the delight of dinner parties everywhere. Maybe.