Sam Kean Non-Fiction books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Sam Kean Non-Fiction series?"

"There are eight books in the Sam Kean Non-Fiction series, published between 2010 and 2025."

Q: "What is the first book in the Sam Kean Non-Fiction series?"

"The first book in the Sam Kean Non-Fiction series is The Disappearing Spoon, published in 2010."

Q: "Which Sam Kean book should I read first?"

"The Disappearing Spoon (2010) is a good starting point. It was his first book, covers the periodic table through entertaining true stories, and gives a clear sense of his writing style. That said, each book covers a different subject, so you can start with whichever topic interests you most."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	The Disappearing Spoon	2010	Sam Kean	Buy
2	The Violinist’s Thumb	2012	Sam Kean	Buy
3	The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons	2014	Sam Kean	Buy
4	Caesar’s Last Breath	2017	Sam Kean	Buy
5	The Disappearing Spoon: Young Listeners Edition	2018	Sam Kean	Buy
6	The Bastard Brigade	2019	Sam Kean	Buy
7	The Icepick Surgeon	2021	Sam Kean	Buy
8	Dinner with King Tut	2025	Sam Kean	Buy

Sam Kean’s non-fiction books each take a different branch of science and tell its history through true stories that are often stranger than fiction. The Disappearing Spoon (2010) covers the periodic table, from the man who discovered oxygen while working as a brewer to the element gallium, which melts in your hand. The Violinist’s Thumb (2012) turns to genetics and DNA, telling stories like that of Paganini, whose genetic condition may have given him his extraordinary finger flexibility.

The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons (2014) explores how we learned about the brain, starting with a jousting accident in the 1500s and moving through centuries of injuries, diseases, and surgeries that revealed how different parts of the brain work. Caesar’s Last Breath (2017) traces the history of gases and the atmosphere. The Bastard Brigade (2019) steps away from pure science to tell the true story of the Allied scientists and spies who raced to stop Hitler from building an atomic bomb. The Icepick Surgeon (2021) looks at the ethical failures of science, from grave robbing to human experimentation. Dinner with King Tut (2025), his most recent book, follows experimental archaeologists who build ancient tools, cook ancient recipes, and even mummify human corpses to understand what life was really like thousands of years ago. The Disappearing Spoon: Young Listeners Edition (2018) adapts his debut for younger audiences.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Sam Kean Non-Fiction series?

There are eight books in the Sam Kean Non-Fiction series, published between 2010 and 2025.

What is the first book in the Sam Kean Non-Fiction series?

The first book in the Sam Kean Non-Fiction series is The Disappearing Spoon, published in 2010.

Which Sam Kean book should I read first?

The Disappearing Spoon (2010) is a good starting point. It was his first book, covers the periodic table through entertaining true stories, and gives a clear sense of his writing style. That said, each book covers a different subject, so you can start with whichever topic interests you most.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order