91É«ÇéƬ

Chris McManus’s Right Hand, Left Hand (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £7.99) won the Aventis science book prize this year. It’s well written, as you might expect, and full of interesting ideas. Many of us use different hands for different tasks. A left-handed writer may throw a ball right-handedly, for example. McManus explores this and many other fascinating puzzles with intelligence and enthusiasm.