Five Kingdoms by Lynn Margulis and Karlene V Schwartz (1982, ISBN 0-7167-1212-1) Subtitle-- An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth.
This book provides brief descriptions of various species. The species chosen are examples of the various phylum covered. The Whittaker system, which divides life on earth into five kingdoms-- Monera, Protoctista, Fungi, Animalia, Plantae. There are 89 Phylum described. The book contains a description of a species from each Phylum with drawings, photos and a graphic indication of where these species can be found.

The Story of the World in 100 Species by Christopher Lloyd (2016, ISBN 978-1-4088-7638-1)

The book has sections like viruses, simple cells, symbiosis, sea life, etc. Covers the whole spectrum of life on earth. The first 50 species are examples of those species that made the world the way it is before humans became a powerful force. The last 50 species are those that have been modified by humans, for example, grasses like rice, wheat, maize. Also, covers some animals that humans have modified, for example, horses, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats.

Purchased new at Barnes and Noble, 30$, 2017-6-22.

The Biology Book by Michael C. Gerald and Gloria E. Gerald (2015, ISBN 978-1-4549-1068-8).
Subtitled: From the Origin of Life to Epigenetics 250 Milestones in the History of Biology.

250 topics, each gets one page of text and a picture. Seems like a good overview of Biology, but for the non-technical reader.

Purchased in December 2016 at Powell's books for 29.95$.

The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas (1974, ISBN 978-0-14-004743-1)
Subtitle-- Notes of a Biology Watcher.
This book contains a series of essays originally published by the New England Journal of Medicine. I enjoyed these essays, found interesting. A few time I found stuff that was out of date, nut that should be no surprise, since they were written more than 40 years ago. Was an xmas gift, xmas 2015.

The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins. 2004, ISBN 0-618-00583-8.
This is a fantastic book. I loved reading it. (The entry on wikipedia contains a lot of information about the book.) Highly recommended for those interested in learning something about how various living things are related. Since this is a non-fiction science book, information contained in it will change a bit as new discoveries are made, still much of the information is well establish, so this book should be a good introduction to evolution for the layman for many years to come.
Purchased new from the PSU bookstore on 2-23-2005 for $28.