2012.  According to some, the Mayans predicted the end of the world.  They didn't; December 21st, 2012 is just the date that their calendar rolls over to the next cycle, the same way Monday turns to Tuesday, February becomes March, and the world explodes (well, not that last one).

That doesn't stop people from coming up with all sorts of signs and portents indicating the End of Days (not Eric Walters', though).  One thing almost all of them can agree on is that it will be cataclysmic, violent, explosive, and more.  Hollywood and video games recognize that boys like big booms, so why not lets give them some books, too?

The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012 is a good start.  As always for this series, the book is accessible and simply written.  While it does tend to take the whole thing seriously, it is still a great entry point into the whole Mayan Apocalypse.

Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation into Civilization's End by Lawerence E. Joseph takes a deeper look at some of the scientific possibilities, including supervolcanoes, climate change, and changes in the magnetic field.  Again, the author takes the whole prediction thing seriously, but the information is still fascinating.

2012 and the End of the World by Matthew Restall and Amara Solari takes a more restrained look and traces the predictions to Western traditions and predictions.  This is a great door to other traditions such as Nostradamus and other European prophets of doom.

Of course, there is also lots of apocalyptic fiction the suits the theme of the end of the world, including the aforementioned End of Days, plus the Maze Runner trilogy and Life As We Knew It.  There is much more out there, though.

If you have other suggestions, we'd love to see them in the comments!