An entire book about two biologists studying drab finches on a desert island? This Pulitzer Prize-winning work is an accessible look at the modern debate on the mode and rhythm of evolution-- using the story of Peter and Rosemary Grant and their field work on Daphne Major as an example. The Beak of the Finch is readable, illuminating and authoritative -- a classic example of great science writing.  (GPS08, $16.00)