See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

11 used & new from £4.48
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Bad Science
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Bad Science (Paperback)

by Ben Goldacre (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (146 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


4 new from £4.84 7 used from £4.48
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback £8.99 £3.60 28 used & new from £2.87

Watch a Related Video
11:24

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Irrationality

Irrationality

by Stuart Sutherland
4.2 out of 5 stars (26)  £6.99
Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives

Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives

by Richard Wiseman
4.4 out of 5 stars (28)  £4.79
Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities

Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities

by Ian Stewart
3.9 out of 5 stars (14)  £5.49
Flat Earth News: An Award-winning Reporter Exposes Falsehood, Distortion and Propaganda in the Global Media

Flat Earth News: An Award-winning Reporter Exposes Falsehood, Distortion and Propaganda in the Global Media

by Nick Davies
4.2 out of 5 stars (35)  £6.29
Do Polar Bears Get Lonely?: And 101 Other Intriguing Science Questions

Do Polar Bears Get Lonely?: And 101 Other Intriguing Science Questions

by New Scientist
4.4 out of 5 stars (13)  £4.02
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd (1 Sep 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007240198
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007240197
  • Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 13.4 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (146 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,801 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
Bad Science
   www.BookFly.co.uk    Ben Goldacre Book Price Comparison Site 
  
 

Product Description

Review
'If you pick up one non-fiction book this year, you'd do well to make it this one.'
--Daily Mail

Review
`It is an important book and if you were to pick up just one non-fiction book this year you'd do well to make it this one.'


See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(42)
(37)
(29)
(29)
(26)
(18)
(18)
(17)
(6)
(5)
(4)
See all 47 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Bad Science
88% buy the item featured on this page:
Bad Science 4.6 out of 5 stars (146)
One Day
4% buy
One Day 4.9 out of 5 stars (16)
£6.49
Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives
3% buy
Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives 4.4 out of 5 stars (28)
£4.79
The Girl Who Played with Fire
3% buy
The Girl Who Played with Fire 4.5 out of 5 stars (77)
£3.86
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

146 Reviews
5 star:
 (115)
4 star:
 (17)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (146 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
254 of 266 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly excellent, 7 Oct 2008
A thoroughly excellent book from a practising doctor and medical researcher, who is also one of the few science journalists to actually understand scientific method. He is nearly a lone voice in the media, exposing the astonishing journey of 'health news' from the pages of academic journals to the tabloids and broadsheets, without passing through a critical brain in between. Thus, on a daily basis, the papers produce "X CAUSES/CURES CANCER" stories, based on very shaky understanding of experiments done in a petri dish. Whilst these stories may give false hope or fear to thousands of people, which is bad enough, in the case of MMR, they actually caused harm. He also explains how and why science fails to explain itself clearly and loudly in the face of emotionally charged 'my son has autism due to MMR' stories.

Goldacre also lays bare the facts about such 'complementary' therapies such as Homeopathy and Nutritionism, which when stripped of the accolades given them in the media, are revealed to be little more than eccentric ideas which somehow have gained unquestioning credence in the popular mind, and even, perversely, created a deep-rooted suspicion of maninstream medicine which is now taken at face value.

I thoroughly recommend this book, especially for journalists, but it is also essential reading for scientists, doctors and anyone who finds their mouth flapping when trying to put their friends / family straight on why spending 100 quid on dipping their feet in water and watching it go brown is a spectacular waste of money.

Final thoughts - if this book demonstrates how bad science reporting is, what else is being reported badly that we should know about? Finance? Politics? Help!! Also, why is there no organisation with teeth that can bring people to account for irresponsible reporting? A free press is central to our world of course, but not a wild press, trampling all over everyone and everything without so much as a backward glance.
Comment Comments (15) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
126 of 139 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable, 15 Sep 2008
By R. de Vries "half_arsed" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Like the very best popular science, this book is patient but fascinating in building up your knowledge of the subject area - in this case medical (and 'alternative' medical) research. However, it goes beyond this in building up to a damning indictment of the media's handling of the MRSA and MMR scares, as part of their wider crimes against the public understanding of science.

In the hands of a polemecist such as Micheal Moore, these frauds perpetrated against the public would be described at a pitch of white hot rage (lkely with almost EVERY WORD IN CAPS). However Dr Goldacre describes the frankly horrifying details of these scares in patient and methodical detail, and is all the more compelling for it.

This book is compulsory reading. It should be forcefully inserted onto every reading list prepared by anyone, for anything.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
102 of 119 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Collected Blogs, 2 Sep 2008
From previews on website Bad science, this is an essential read for those fed up of being told nonsense by the media about everything from health scares to cures for cancer.
Give it to your Daily Mail reading mother and vitamin pill popping sister for an early xmas present.
Amusing, and an easy read but a serious message.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book!
This should be compulsory reading for all 14-16 year olds. If the population of the UK walked around with the level of science knowledge and insight that this book imparts, then... Read more
Published 5 hours ago by Computer-Engineer-UK

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's hope some of the unconverted read this
This book makes some very serious points. Many of us scoff at the homeopaths and nutritionists but these 21st Century Shamen can affect public policy, to a frightening degree. Read more
Published 1 day ago by H. meiehofer

5.0 out of 5 stars Duck the Quacks
If I could compile a list of books to be issued to every schoolchild in the country it would surely include this one but I don't think I'd be thanked by those individuals and... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Steven Taylor

2.0 out of 5 stars Is it just me?
I seem to be the only one who doesn't find this book outstanding. I gave it two stars because it had a nice cover, the book's only redeeming feature. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Nightwatcher

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, funny, educational read.
Having recently got round to reading this, I am devastated I waited so long.

Ben Goldacre has taken his assault on cranks, snake oil sales men and dishonest... Read more
Published 2 days ago by Mr T Wake

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not buy from this supplier
This book has never arrived. I contacted the seller and got no response. This seller has consistently had extremely negative feedback and should be removed from Amazon.
Published 7 days ago by Marianne Paul

4.0 out of 5 stars Bad Science by Ben Goldacre
A fascinating book and impressively well researched. Ben Goldacre's energy has to be admired. His chapter on Bad Stats is especially helpful for those who find the concepts... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Dr. Michael Blackmore

4.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable read for most Brits
I won't repeat all the praise given in other reviews. It's definitely an interesting book to read.

I am not British and do not live in the UK, so I was unaware of... Read more
Published 13 days ago by Demarion

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be mandatory reading
Ben Goldacre can be excused for his tone of crusade -the book makes a great standing against superficial analysis and misleading reporting. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Adriana Reis Menezes

3.0 out of 5 stars More message less Mr Goldacre
The second-to-none important message in this book: "Enlightenment is the best thing that ever has happend to mankind" is delivered in a fragile vessel - a column writing witty... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Mermaid on the Dolphin's Back

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (2 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
64 less pages? 1 2 months ago
Finally! Who are your favorites in a similar style? 5 April 2009
› See all 2 discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

›More info on Wish Lists

  

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

›Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates