I enjoy reading popular-level books on a wide variety of subjects, and I love getting new book recommendations. In the spirit of lukeprog's The Best Textbooks on Every Subject, can we put together a list of the best popular books on every subject?

Here's what I mean by popular-level books:

• Written very well and clearly, preferably even entertaining.
• Does not require the reader to write anything (e.g., practice problems) or do anything beyond just reading and thinking, except perhaps on very rare occasions.
• Cannot be "heavy" reading that requires the reader to proceed slowly and carefully and/or do lots of heavy thinking.
• Can be understood by anyone with a decent high school education (not including calculus). However, sometimes this requirement can be circumvented, if the following additional criteria are met:
  • There must be other books on this list that cover all the prerequisite information.
  • When you suggest the book, list any prerequisites.
  • There shouldn't be more than 2 or 3 prerequisites.