Reddit reviews Relics of Eden: The Powerful Evidence of Evolution in Human DNA

I'll also add the booking I'm reading now as a reference. It talks in length about chromosomal similarities and differences between humans and other apes, how those differences likely came about, and how they present strong evidence for evolution: Relics of Eden: The Powerful Evidence of Evolution in Human DNA

>methodically state the case for why creation is most likely and/or why evolution is unlikely.

You will find lots and lots of the latter. Very little of the former.

>I'd also be happy to read GOOD anti-creation books as well, provided they meet the above criterion of not being mocking.

Those would just be science books based on the academic literature, wouldn't they?

Here is my reading list form the past few months. These would be pro-evolution (a.k.a science). Creationism is mentioned in a few of them, but almost in passing because Creationism is simply not a factor in legitimate scientific research, so it gets pretty much no consideration.

Knock yourself out. ;)

• Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin - Also, watch the three part series that aired on PBS hosted by Neil Shubin.
  
  
• Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Sean B. Carroll - An in depth look into developmental evolution.
  
  
• The Universe Within: Discovering the Common History of Rocks, Planets, and People by Neil Shubin
  
  
• The Link by Colin Tudge and Josh Young
  
  
• Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade
  
  
• Relics of Eden: The Powerful Evidence of Evolution in Human DNA by Daniel J. Fairbanks - This and the other Fairbanks book listed below are the only books on this list with the intent to refute what creationists contend. He does this not by presenting the creationist argument and then trying to refute. He does it by simply presenting the evidence that science has born out regarding human evolution and genetics.
  
  
• The Story of Earth by Robert Hazen - this is a cool book about the history of the Earth and life and how geology and biology worked in tandem with other factors to produce life from the point of view of a protein biologist.
  
  
• Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth by Richard Fortey - Good general overview of evolutionary and geologic history.
  
  
• The Cambrian Explosion: The Construction of Animal Biodiversity by Edwin Douglas - This is the most academic book in this list and, as such, is the most difficult to read. It is a concise look at what we know about the Cambrian Explosion from the scientific literature.
  
  
• Life's Ratchet by Peter Hoffmann - Very good book about how the chaos wrought inside cells by thermal motion at the molecular level leads to the ordered functioning of the machinery of life.
  
  
• What is Life? How Chemistry Becomes Biology by Addy Pross - Super interesting take on the question, "What is Life?" He comes to a very interesting conclusion which might have implications for abiogenesis research.
  
  
• The Machinery of Life by David S. Goodsell - A neat little book that gets you acquainted with what it's really like inside of cells. A good companion book to read with Life's Ratchet as they highlight different aspects of the same topic.
  
  
• Evolving by Daniel J. Fairbanks
  
  
• Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes by Svante Paabo - Very interesting book about the drama, blood, sweat and tears, Dr. Paabo shed to develop the techniques to sequence ancient DNA. You simply won't find books like this and Your Inner Fish above amongst Creationist literature because they simply don't do what these scientists do out in the field and in the lab.

Absolutely this. Relevant and highly recommended

I've been reading Relics of Eden. It's written by a religious geneticist and it provides evidence and explains genetic mutations in a very clear way. (You do need a certain basis of knowledge.)

More sciency tomes such as the Greatest Show on Earth by Dawkins are a bit dryer. I quite like the religious basis of the book (even though I am an Atheist) because it starts off at the basics and slowly builds a case on examples. It's not about religion, but it offers a thinking path from the strict (and factually untrue) religious hypothesis of creation to genes, gene mutations/drift to a final overview of evolution.

It's clear, well written, not too easy and absolutely scholarly, but with clear figures (graphical) and good concentric expansion of knowledge.

It will absolutely help you grasp the intricacies and quirks of evolution. It broadens your base knowledge, which allows you to delve deeper. Evolution is pretty strange, but just incredibly logical once it's explained well. At just shy of 300 pages I read it through in one go. I really recommend it.

Enjoy your exploration of this amazing science. It broadens your view. Take your time. I also think it's awesome you asked your question. There are no stupid questions and I'm glad you've received many great answers.

Have a nice day. You're already a gentleman, but on your way to be a fine scholar. Don't ever stop asking questions.

The links already given here are good reads. If you want something more in depth and you have some familiarity with biology, check out "Relics of Eden" by Daniel Fairbanks. http://www.amazon.com/Relics-Eden-Powerful-Evidence-Evolution/dp/1591025648

For a quick and dirty version of some of the genetic evidence, check out CDK007's evidence for evolution stuff: http://www.youtube.com/user/cdk007#p/u/45/TUxLR9hdorI