The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology WatcherThe Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher
Score Classic
What it's about
Lewis Thomas was a physician and medical researcher who wrote short essays about biology for a general audience. This collection ranges from a sea slug and a jellyfish that live inside each other, to why humans need to make mistakes, to how warts can be cured by hypnosis, to Montaigne, music and the strangeness of being alive at all.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award. Thomas's essays are short, wise and full of delight in the living world, and they still feel fresh.
You'll love it if you liked
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
The Selfish Gene
Essays of Michel De MontaigneGood to know
The essays are only a few pages each. Some of the science is from the 1970s and has moved on.
By the numbers
- Readers56 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics74 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller23 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #50 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #230 of the 762 classics we rank
- #729 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, True story
More by Lewis Thomas
If you like this, read next
Ender's Game
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
Dune
The Lord of the Rings
How to Win Friends and Influence People
A Brief History of TimeExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Science and ideas booksTop 25 · 119 ranked
Classic booksTop 25 · 762 ranked
Books of the 1970sTop 25 · 131 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick answers
Is The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Award. It ranks #729 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher about?
Lewis Thomas was a physician and medical researcher who wrote short essays about biology for a general audience. This collection ranges from a sea slug and a jellyfish that live inside each other, to why humans need to make mistakes, to how warts can be cured by hypnosis, to Montaigne, music and the strangeness of being alive at all.
How long does it take to read The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher?
About 4 hours (162 pages), or about 8 days at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher won?
National Book Award (Nonfiction) winner (1981).
What should I read after The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher?
If you liked it, try An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong, The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins or Essays of Michel De Montaigne by Michel de Montaigne.