Shelf Improvement – meet our popular science curator

We’re delighted to welcome neuroscientist Dean Burnett as our guest curator for Shelf Improvement – the Guardian Bookshop’s monthly book subscription service.

Dean is the author of many renowned books, including The Happy Brain, The Idiot Brain, Psycho-Logical and the new paperback of Emotional Ignorance, out in January 2024 from Guardian Faber.

For Shelf Improvement, Dean has selected the books for our popular science subscription in January, February and March 2024.

A message from Dean Burnett

Dear readers,

Dr Dean Burnett here. You may remember me from all the previous times I've badgered you to buy my books.

Don't worry though, because this isn't that. It's just a message to tell you that I'm curating the popular science packages for Shelf Improvement in January, February and March 2024.

As a science writer of some repute, I'm often asked to read and endorse books from my fellow authors. And while it can be weird to see someone else do your job considerably better than you can, I'm a big believer in increasing people's understanding of science. If I get to do that while supporting and endorsing some of my talented peers, even better.

The books I've chosen cover a very diverse range of science subjects, both historical and contemporary.

But one thing they all have in common is that they made me say "Well, I never knew that!" That moment of discovery is one of the best things about reading science books, if you ask me. I'm hoping you get to experience it too via my selections for Shelf Improvement.

All the best,
Dean Burnett