A Carl Sagan Reading List

This reading list accompanies the main article "Remembering Carl Sagan." Please check out that piece, which is in honor of the fifth anniversary of his death.

Books by Carl Sagan (in order of recommendation)

Contact
Sagan's only science fiction work, this story about mankind's first contact with extraterrestrial life is, simply put, perhaps the best book ever written, period. Rooted in real science and written in Sagan's usual excellent prose, Contact examines religion and science and comes to some very interesting conclusions. If you have read Sagan's non-fiction works, you'll see his philosophy clearly in this fictional story. This is a must read for anyone.


The Dragons of Eden
Very similar in content to his earlier book, Broca's Brain, The Dragons of Eden is an excellent examination of the human mind. It traces the development of human intelligence and the function of many of our myths and legends. This book spent 33 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It may just be his most compelling non-fiction work.

Cosmos
Without a doubt Sagan's best-known work, Cosmos takes you through the past, present, and future of science. It is a sort of bible of where we've been and where we're headed. Though a bit long, it's probably the best place to start when exploring Sagan's work. This book spent 70 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

The Demon-Haunted World