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Sam Kean

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://samkean.com/

Genre

Nonfiction, Science, History

Member Since

July 2007

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Sam Kean is the New York Times-bestselling author of seven books. He spent years collecting mercury from broken thermometers as a kid, and now lives in Washington, D.C. His stories have appeared in The Best American Science and Nature Writing, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Slate, among other places, and his work has been featured on NPR’s “Radiolab”, “Science Friday”, and “All Things Considered.” The Bastard Brigade was a “Science Friday” book of the year, while Caesar’s Last Breath was the Guardian science book of the year.
from SamKean.com

(Un)Official Bio:
Sam Kean gets called Sean at least once a month. He grew up in South Dakota, which means more to him than it probably should. He’s a fast reader but a very slow eater. He went to coll ...more

Combine Editions
Sam Kean’s books

Average rating: 4.02 · 101,751 ratings · 10,261 reviews · 14 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements 3.92 avg rating — 55,895 ratings — published 2010 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery 4.25 avg rating — 13,682 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code 4.01 avg rating — 10,776 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 10,067 ratings — published 2021 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us 4.25 avg rating — 4,674 ratings — published 2017 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Bastard Brigade: The True Story of the Renegade Scientists and Spies Who Sabotaged the Nazi Atomic Bomb 4.35 avg rating — 4,174 ratings — published 2019	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations 4.07 avg rating — 1,549 ratings — published 2025 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2018 4.17 avg rating — 476 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Unlocking the Hidden History of DNA 4.30 avg rating — 86 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Phía Sau Tội Ác Nhân Danh Khoa Học #1 by Sam Kean (Goodreads Author), Huy Nguyễn (Translator) 3.59 avg rating — 51 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Sam Kean…

Mary Roach is a science author who specializes in the bizarre and offbeat. With a body of work ranging from deep-dives on the history of...

Polls

Which nonfiction book would you like to read with us during December and January? Please vote here.

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean

18 votes, 26.9%

Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels by Deirdre Le Faye

16 votes, 23.9%

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre

16 votes, 23.9%

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow

11 votes, 16.4%

Reading with Patrick: A Teacher, a Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship by Michelle Kuo

6 votes, 9.0%

67 total votes

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The Life of a Boo...: 2011 Q1 Non Fiction Nominations	51	136	Jan 01, 2011 09:17PM
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2010-2011 Completed Tasks (do not delete any posts)	2578	1106	Feb 28, 2011 09:05PM
The History Book ...: GARRET'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2011	33	72	Mar 27, 2011 09:39PM
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