DK Eyewitness Guides: Fossil - Dr. Paul Taylor
A very colourful and absorbing book which combines quality photographic illustrations with detailed information - well presented for all levels.
ISBN 0-86318-409-X Amazon

DK Eyewitness Guides: Prehistoric Life - William Lindsay
Another beautifully presented and illustrated, in-depth guide to the history of life on the Earth.
ISBN 0-7513-6024-4 Amazon

Spotlights: Prehistoric Life - Dougal Dixon
This is aimed at seven to eleven year-olds, with brilliant illustrations and a substantial amount of information, as well as a glossary.
ISBN 0-7500-1417-2 Amazon

FOR GROWN-UP KIDS AND THE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE

DK Pockets: Dinosaurs - Neil Clark and William Lindsay
An incredibly detailed, pocket-sized reference guide to dinosaurs, well laid-out and interesting.
ISBN 0-7513-5177-6 DK

Collins: Rocks and Fossils - assorted authors
Absolutely stunning pictures, text and presentation. Every page is a delight. Loads and loads of information.
ISBN 0-00-220070-8 Amazon

BBC: Walking with Dinosaurs - Tim Haines
The unique book to accompany the TV series presents the world of dinosaurs like a nature documentary, analysing their behaviour and evolution. An enjoyable book to flick through on a rainy day, with the sort of quality you'd expect from the Beeb.
ISBN 563-38449-2 Amazon

River out of Eden - Richard Dawkins
A beautifully simple description and explanation of the processes of evolution. I could not recommend this book any more even if they paid me.

The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins
A beautifully-written, rigorous and nearly flawless defence of neo-Darwinism. Dawkins shatters many creationist arguments and provides a coherent explanation for the development of life on Earth.

Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History - Stephen J Gould
A book of  essays on the nature of evolution, anatomy, human nature and with an extension on Darwin's origin of species.
ISBN 0-224-0376-1 Amazon

Life's Grandeur - Stephen J Gould
A book on evolution using the metaphors of horses and baseball to explain evolution and a dispelling of the myth that evolution is synonymous (sp?) with progression.
ISBN 0-224-04132-0

Dinosaur in a Haystack: Reflections in Natural History - Stephen J Gould
Another selection of essays explaining evolution, development and our perception of those subjects.
ISBN 0-224-04472-9

The Lying Stones of Marrakech: Penultimate Reflections in Natural History - Stephen J Gould
Essays about fossils, the development of the idea of evolution and the evolution of the ideas about development and human perception of palaeontology.
ISBN 0-224-05044-3

Evolution: The History of an Idea - Peter J Bowler
An essential text for anyone thinking of taking up palaeobiology or geology. A book more about the development of evolution as a science, rather than about evolution itself, but with useful insights along the way.
ISBN 0-520-23693-9 Amazon

FOR THE ENTHUSIAST

The Evolution and Extinction of Species - Niles Eldredge
The illustrations alone make this book worth buying. The depth, style and enthusiasm of the essays make it worth treasuring. The author defends some interesting but controversial deviations from standard neo-Darwinism.
ISBN 0-8109-3305-5 Amazon

The Voyage of the Beagle - Charles Darwin
This Wordsworth World Literature edition is currently the best available of Darwin's travel log. This book was written by Mr. Darwin as he travelled around the world on the Beagle, and includes fascinating insights into the culture, science and nature he saw from 1831 to 1836.
ISBN 1-85326-476-8 Amazon

The Descent of Man - Charles Darwin
Darwin had always been wary of discussing human evolution, a topic he avoided in the Origin because of its anti-biblical implications. He published this book knowing that it would upset a lot of people. Since then, much of his theory has been proven correct by fossils and other evidence. This edition is cheap and complete with his original illustrations. Highly recommended, of course.
ISBN 1-57392-176-9 Amazon