Gustafson, Jon M. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Handbook: The Professional Writer's Guide to Being Professional. 1995. Moscow, ID: Fat Puppy Press. No ISBN. [Highly Recommended; covers the business as well as the artsy side of writing. Only available by contacting the SFWA.]
Drexler, K. Eric. Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation. New York: John Wiley Interscience. 1992. ISBN:0-471-57518-6[WARNING: Highly technical book, but it does discuss what's feasible and what's likely to be problematic with this emerging technology.]
Forward, Robert L. Indistinguishable From Magic: Speculations and Visions for the Future. New York: Baen Books. 1995. ISBN:0-671-87686-4[excellent book. Discusses everything from black holes to antimattter from the context of where we are now . . . and where we're likely to be in the future. ]
Hartmann, William K. The Cosmic Voyage Through Time and Space. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company. 1992. ISBN:0-534-17376-4[chock full of information on the planets, moons, etc., of which our solar system is comprised; very glossy; nice pictures and tables]
Hecht, Jeff. Understanding Lasers: An Entry Level Guide, 2nd Edition. New York: IEEE Press. 1994. ISBN:0-7803-1005-5. [one of the few books on the subject that I could find; fairly readable, but does cover a lot of the technical side of lasers]
Kaku, Michio. Visions: How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century. New York: Doubleday. 1997. ISBN:0-385-48498-4 [What scientists have to say about the future. Highly recommended; very easy read. A good reference for stimulating SF story ideas]