For electronics, "The Art of Electronics" by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill is one of the best. Ramps up quickly, but starts from the basics. It's suitable for beginners, but also provides you the opportunity to explore advanced topics.

If you prefer a hands-on approach, consider supplementing your learning with its companion book, "Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course" by Thomas C. Hayes and Paul Horowitz.

For bio, Campbell Biology I guess (it does start from the basics, but it quickly gets really advanced)

Is this a book to merely read, or would you like one with lots of exercises?  Also, what background?  It's hard to find a textbook that requires seriously no background at all.

 Oh another one, if you're interested in causal inference: 

 (a nice read; if it's too easy, you could try the harder book by the same authors, 

If you're interested in some particular subject, I can recommend by that.  Those were just off the top of my head.

 Either casual read or exercises is fine, I’ll award double if you give both. As for background, if you can think of one that, provided a decent grasp of the english language, a reasonably intelligent person could understand with only the knowledge they would get from early schooling and general environment, that’s the sort of book I’m looking for.

Gödel, Escher, Bach - does that count? Very readable and certainly informative, building from basics...

Elements of Abstract Algebra by Allan Clarke. Very unique, problem-based introduction to group theory.

 I like textbooks for learning in general, I find them more efficient than anything barring classroom instruction, and the ones that require minimal prior knowledge are interesting in a cognitive standpoint. Sort of forcing you to adopt a new axiomatic system. Thank you for the recommendation, I’ll check that out. 

 Why textbooks? Seems like such a weird criteria. 

A little pocket textbook that’s a good read: Animal Eyes, by Land and Nilsson.

 Not particularly, just looking for an interesting read

Quality textbooks that require no prior knowledge to read, even very basic. (ie a calculus book that begins with the teaching of arithmetic)

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