Nanotechnology Must Read Books

	Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology <Purchase> by K. Eric Drexler (Anchor, 1986) ISBN: 0-385-19972-2 This book was the definition of the original charter of sci.nanotech. Popularly written, it introduces assemblers, and discusses the various social and technical implications nanotechnology might have [1]. Available in Britain from Fourth Estate, and in Japan from Personal Media (under the title Machines That Create: Nanotechnology) [3].
	Unbounding the Future: The Nanotechnology Revolution <Purchase> (this book is out of print) by K. Eric Drexler, Chris Peterson, and Gayle Pergamit (Morrow, 1991) ISBN: 0-688-12573-5 Essentially an update of Engines, with a better low-level description of how nanomachines might work, and less speculation on space travel, cryonics, etc [1].
	Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation <Purchase> by K. Eric Drexler (Wiley, 1992) ISBN: 0-471-57518-6 This is the technical book that grew out of Drexler's PhD thesis. It is a real tour de force that provides a substantial theoretical background for nanotech ideas [1]. For a more complete analysis of Nanosystems, there is a page at Ralph Merkle's nanotechnology site with a large amount of information about it, including its table of contents.
	Prospects in Nanotechnology: Toward Molecular Manufacturing <Purchase> edited by Markus Krummenacker and James Lewis (Wiley, 1995) ISBN: 0-471-30914-1 This covers the First Foresight General Conference. It contains many of the papers presented (generally, the more technical ones), and offers a compelling look at the current status of many enabling technologies and a future shaped by nanotechnology.
	Nano: The Emerging Science of Nanotechnology <Purchase> by Ed Regis (Little, Brown 1995) ISBN: 0-316-73852-2 This describes the researchers involved in nanotechnology, and the reactions of different members of the scientific community to the concept.
	Nanomedicine Volume I: Basic Capabilities <Purchase> by Robert A. Freitas Jr. Publisher: Landes Biosciences ISBN: 1-57059-645-X This is a technical book on the converging areas between nanotechnology and medicine. Nanomedicine may be defined as the monitoring, repair, construction and control of human biological systems at the molecular level, using engineered nanodevices and nanostructures [5].
	Our Molecular Future: How Nanotechnology, Robotics, Genetics and Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Our World <Purchase> by Douglas Mulhall ISBN: 1-57392-9921 Consultant Mulhall takes readers on a speculative tour of how nanotechnology will impact our world over the next decades. Along with describing what MIT types are currently cooking up (electronic paper), Mulhall injects pertinent questions about his topics, for example, whether business is adroit enough to adapt to the new technology; how nanotechnology might improve the environment; and if robotic "transhumans" should have rights. Mulhall contends that humanity is on the cusp of an unpredictably disruptive and decentralizing revolution and spins decidedly weird and disconcerting scenarios of a future of self-replicating nanobots, robo-slaves, and robo-pets. He also speculates on how nanotechnology might defend the planet against disasters such as cataclysmic earthquakes, tsunamis, or asteroids. Mulhall's eclectic tract bursts with amazement at developments in the field, but its very variety and digressiveness make technosavvy enthusiasts its likely audience.
	Nano: The Emerging Science of Nanotechnology <Purchase> by Edward Regis, Mark Chimsky (Editor), Ed Regis ASIN: 0316738522 Ed Regis tells the story of Drexler's forays into this new science, showing the scientist's attempts to convince his colleagues that he hasn't descended into pulp fiction. He also fills in a lot of the historical and technical background, from the 19th-century arguments over whether atoms exist to modern experiments that have isolated and manipulated single atoms. Regis's prose is clear and straightforward, but not without a sly sense of humor.
	Understanding Nanotechnology <Purchase> by Scientific American (Editor), Michael L. Roukes, Sandy Fritz (Compiler), editors at Scientific American Publisher: Warner Books; (December 1, 2002) ISBN: 0446679569 Reprints ten articles published in Scientific America during 2000 and 2001 that explore the possibilities offered by the next generation of miniaturized technologies. The contributors discuss obstacles to fully functioning nanomachines, applications for drug delivery and genetic testing, and the creation of nanometer-scale electronic components from organic molecules.
	The Investor's Guide to Nanotechnology and Micromachines <Purchase> by Glenn Fishbine Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (January 4, 2002) ISBN: 0471443557 Combined government and private investments in nanotechnology topped $1 billion in 2000, and that figure is expected to continue to grow exponentially in the years ahead. In the first investment guide to the rapidly emerging nanotech industry, Glenn Fishbine separates fact from fiction for professionals looking at nanotechnology as potential business or financial ventures. He takes an objective, no-nonsense look at current applications in the field and what's likely to develop in the near future in order to help professionals and investors distinguish between solid opportunities, "Hail Mary's," and sheer science fiction. Fishbine provides an overview of the current state of research and identifies the key nanotech applications areas. He also explores the nanotech initiatives currently underway and assesses their long-term potential from an investor's perspective.
	The MEMS Handbook <Purchase> by M. Gad-El-Hak (Editor) Publisher: CRC Press; (September 27, 2001) ISBN: 0849300770 The revolution is well underway. Our understanding and utilization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are growing at an explosive rate with a worldwide market approaching billions of dollars. In time, microdevices will fill the niches of our lives as pervasively as electronics do right now. But if these miniature devices are to fulfill their mammoth potential, today's engineers need a thorough grounding in the underlying physics, modeling techniques, fabrication methods, and materials of MEMS.The MEMS Handbook delivers all of this and more. Its team of authors-unsurpassed in their experience and standing in the scientific community- explore various aspects of MEMS: their design, fabrication, and applications as well as the physical modeling of their operations. Designed for maximum readability without compromising rigor, it provides a current and essential overview of this fledgling discipline.
	The Next Fifty Years: Science in the First Half of the Twenty-First Century <Purchase> by John Brockman (Editor) Publisher: Vintage Books; 1st edition (May 14, 2002) ISBN: 0375713425 Scientists love to speculate about the direction research and technology will take us, and editor John Brockman has given a stellar panel free rein to imagine the future in The Next Fifty Years. From brain-swapping and the hunt for extraterrestrials to the genetic elimination of unhappiness and a new scientific morality, the ideas in this book are wild and thought-provoking. The list of scientists and thinkers who participate is impressive: Lee Smolin and Martin Rees on cosmology; Ian Stewart on mathematics; and Richard Dawkins and Paul Davies on the life sciences, just to name a few. Many of the authors remind readers that science has changed a lot since the blind optimism of the early 20th century, and they are unanimously aware of the potential consequences of the developments they describe. Fifty years is a long time in the information age, and these essays do a credible and entertaining job of guessing where we're going.
	Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future <Purchase> by Gregory Stock (Author) Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co; 1st edition (June 15, 2002) ISBN: 061806026X Will the genetic research that gave us the Flavr Savr tomato also give us the power to customize our children? Medical thinker Gregory Stock believes that this is precisely what's happening and that we'd better get used to it fast. Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future explores gender selection, gene therapy, germinal choice, and many more options available now or in the near future, but lays aside the hysteria common to such discussions. Stock sees the cloning controversy as a distraction from issues of real importance, such as balancing offspring trait selection against eugenics. Writing with the clarity and precision of a philosopher, Stock engages his readers with thought exercises and real-life examples. While not a brainless cheerleader for big science, he believes that we can, and certainly will, use any means necessary to give our children an edge, even if it means profound changes for our species. Redesigning Humans offers the hope that these changes need not be catastrophic if we pay attention now.
	Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution <Purchase> by Francis Fukuyama (Author) Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux; 1st edition (April 17, 2002) ISBN: 0374236437 Maybe we have a future after all: Our Posthuman Future is political historian Francis Fukuyama's reconsideration of his 1989 announcement that history had reached an end. He claims that science, particularly genome studies, offers radical changes, possibly more profound than anything since the development of language, in the way we think about human nature. He makes his case thoroughly and eloquently, rarely dipping into philosophical or critical jargon and consistently maintaining an informal tone. Fukuyama is deeply concerned about the erosion of the foundations of liberal democracy under pressure from new concepts of humans and human rights, and most readers will find some room for agreement. Ultimately, he argues for strong international regulation of human biotechnology and thoughtfully disposes of the most compelling counterarguments. While readers might not agree that we're at risk of creating Huxley's Brave New World, it's hard to deny that things are changing quickly and that perhaps we ought to consider the changes before they're irrevocable.
	Drug Delivery: Engineering Principles for Drug Therapy (Topics in Chemical Engineering) <Purchase> by W. Mark Saltzman, W. Mark Salzman Publisher: Oxford University Press; (March 2001) ISBN: 0195085892 Providing a working foundation in the principles underlying drug transport, reaction, and disappearance in physiological and pathological situations, this introduction and guide covers a range of topics, including drug and protein properties, drug modification and diffusion, and polymeric biomaterials. Case studies, physiological guidelines, and useful nomenclature and data are also featured. Saltzman teaches chemical engineering at Cornell University