Allport, S.: Explorers of the Black Box: The Search for the Cellular Basis of Memory, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1986. A vivid account of the pioneering studies of Eric Kandel and others in their efforts to demonstrate how we remember. Easy to read, this book shows scientists in action, gathering data and disputing among themselves about what the data mean.

Byrne, R.: The Thinking Ape: Evolutionary Origins of Intelligence, Oxford University Press, New York, 1995. What is intelligence, who has it, and how did they get it?

Crick, F.: The Astonishing Hypothesis. Sir Francis Crick, codiscoverer of the DNA double-helix molecule, uses visual perception to explore the nature of consciousness.

Eccles, J.: Evolution of the Brain, Routledge, London, 1989. A deeply stimulating and thoughtful look at how our brains differ from those of apes, by a Nobel-prize winning neurobiologist.

Holloway, M.: "Rx for Addiction," Scientific American, March 1991, pages 94–104. An up-to-date look at the molecular mechanisms underlying drug addiction.

Kuno, M.: The Synapse: Function, Plasticity and Neurotrophism, Oxford University Press, New York, 1995. The versatility and function of this critical neurological message relay component are examined.

Musto, D.: "Opium, Cocaine, and Marijuana in American History," Scientific American, July 1991, pages 40–47. A brief history of drug use by the general public over the last 200 years.

Sanes, J. and J. Lichtman: "Neurobiology: From Cell Line to Brain," Nature, vol. 356, April 16, 1992, pages 562-63. The authors discuss how the nervous system arises, from its earliest cell differentiation to the final product.