He is the author of seven influential books in the history and philosophy of science. Among them are "Particles and Waves", which shared the prestigious Lakatos Award in 1993. This book is a study of methodological problems arising from three episodes in 19th century physics: the wave-particle debate about light, the development of the kinetic-molecular theory, and the discovery of the electron. In 2001, Achinstein published "The Book of Evidence", a philosophical and historical study of various concepts of evidence employed in the sciences. A volume of his important collected essays over the years, "Evidence, Explanation, and Realism", was published in the spring of 2010. A special volume honoring him, "Philosophy of Science Matters: The Philosophy of Peter Achinstein", was published in 2011. In 2013, Achinstein published "Evidence and Method: Scientific Strategies of Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell". The book "Speculation: Within and About Science", appeared in 2018. Three of his published papers have been selected for "Philosopher's Annual," the best 10 philosophy papers published that year.