Selected and introduced by Richard Dawkins, The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing is a celebration of the finest writing by scientists for a wider audience - revealing that many of the best scientists have displayed as much imagination and skill with the pen as they have in the laboratory. This is a rich and vibrant collection that captures the poetry and excitement of communicating scientific understanding and scientific effort from 1900 to the present day. Professor Dawkins has included writing from a diverse range of scientists, some of whom need no introduction, and some of whose works have become modern classics, while others may be less familiar - but all convey the passion of great scientists writing about their science.
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'It is a real treasure trove of unexpected pleasures.' -- Sunday Telegraph, 13 April 2008
'It's a must-read that will surely make a major contribution to the public understanding of science.' -- BBC Focus, May 2008
'This is a superb collection' -- BBC Focus, May 2008
'It's a must-read that will surely make a major contribution to the public understanding of science.' -- BBC Focus, May 2008
'This is a superb collection' -- BBC Focus, May 2008
About the Author
Richard Dawkins is the first holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, and is a Fellow of New College, Oxford. His bestselling books include The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, River Out of Eden, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, and The Ancestor's Tale. Dawkins is a Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Literature.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
115 of 118 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a varied collection of articles by just about every great modern science writer you can think of. The articles range in size from about 8 pages to as little as half a page, and each is preceded by a short, interesting introduction by Dawkins.
I read a lot of popular science books so inevitably there were a few items which I had already read, but it was nice to be reminded of them, such as Haldane's delightful poem which begins with the words "I wish I had the voice of Homer, to sing of rectal carcinoma!" The items vary considerably in difficulty - some could be understood by a child, others require concentration - and some topics were familiar to me, others were not, so although all the articles are good it is inevitable that the reader will enjoy some articles much more than others. They also vary considerably in subject matter - some are about what science has discovered, others about how scientists work, or the philosophy of science, or amusing anecdotes.
I think anyone interested in Science should get a lot out of the book, and I have been stimulated to seek out more writing by some of the authors. Highly recommended.
I read a lot of popular science books so inevitably there were a few items which I had already read, but it was nice to be reminded of them, such as Haldane's delightful poem which begins with the words "I wish I had the voice of Homer, to sing of rectal carcinoma!" The items vary considerably in difficulty - some could be understood by a child, others require concentration - and some topics were familiar to me, others were not, so although all the articles are good it is inevitable that the reader will enjoy some articles much more than others. They also vary considerably in subject matter - some are about what science has discovered, others about how scientists work, or the philosophy of science, or amusing anecdotes.
I think anyone interested in Science should get a lot out of the book, and I have been stimulated to seek out more writing by some of the authors. Highly recommended.
50 of 53 people found the following review helpful
By Big Jim
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
This mighty tome makes excellent bedside reading. You are unlikely to have the musclepower to take this commuting or to the beach (need to wait for the paperback edition for that) but propped up in bed with a cup of cocoa/glass of whisky (delete as appropriate) by your side, this is an excellent book for dipping into and as a previous reviewer says, will encourage you to seek out the books the excerpts come from. In this regard may I be so bold as to recommend any of the books by Richard Feynman. Dawkins himself supplies witty and erudite introductions to each essay so all in all there is absolutely nothing to criticise in this book - unless you hate science that is and even then this book might convince you otherwise.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By C. A. Gallagher
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
An excellent collection of the writings of some of the greatest names in science of the last 100 years, or so. The excerpts are divided into four sections; 1. What scientists study; 2. Who scientists are; 3. What scientists think and 4. What scientists delight in. There is, perhaps understandably, a definite bias toward evolutionary and biological sciences but there should be enough breadth to entertain anyone who has an interest in science, whatever their preferred subject.
To lift a quote from Sagan's excellent The Demon-Haunted World, which I happen to own already; "Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.". A fact that will not be lost on anyone who reads this collection.
To lift a quote from Sagan's excellent The Demon-Haunted World, which I happen to own already; "Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.". A fact that will not be lost on anyone who reads this collection.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This selection by Richard Dawkins is full of wonder and magnificent prose. It also conveys the great sense of awe, excitement and sheer pleasure you encounter when exploring how the world works.
As a way of thinking the scientific method is probably the greatest invention of mankind. This collection of science papers makes me proud to be human and proud to be part of our never ending quest for knowledge.
As a way of thinking the scientific method is probably the greatest invention of mankind. This collection of science papers makes me proud to be human and proud to be part of our never ending quest for knowledge.
27 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By J. Blilie
Format:Hardcover
This is a wonderful book. The level of the writing and the subject matter chosen by Dr. Dawkins are truly great. This book has already "forced" me to purchase a number of other books there are excerpted in the text ...
I have read all of his other books and enjoyed them very much, so when I saw that Dr. Dawkins had a new book only available in the UK, I ordered it from Amazon UK for a scary shipping charge. I couldn't wait for the U.S. edition. It was well worth it! I've read many collections of non-fiction writing. This one is outstanding. Another coup for Dr. Dawkins in the effort to help the public understand science.
Each excerpt from longer pieces (mostly books) in this book is preceded by an interesting essay-let where Dr. Dawkins gives historical, literary, scientific, and sometimes personal setting for the piece. These, as always from Dr. Dawkins, are superbly well written.
Highly recommended, enjoy.
I have read all of his other books and enjoyed them very much, so when I saw that Dr. Dawkins had a new book only available in the UK, I ordered it from Amazon UK for a scary shipping charge. I couldn't wait for the U.S. edition. It was well worth it! I've read many collections of non-fiction writing. This one is outstanding. Another coup for Dr. Dawkins in the effort to help the public understand science.
Each excerpt from longer pieces (mostly books) in this book is preceded by an interesting essay-let where Dr. Dawkins gives historical, literary, scientific, and sometimes personal setting for the piece. These, as always from Dr. Dawkins, are superbly well written.
Highly recommended, enjoy.
46 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As one who is convinced that Spinoza's monism provides the philosophical basis for all the sciences, reading The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing and seeing Spinoza's view (that God and Nature are one and the same thing, under the dual aspects of thought and matter) confirmed over and over again was enthralling.
While reading it I repeatedly inserted markers into articles that I wished to re-read. In fact, I shall probably read the whole book again and refer to it repeatedly. What particularly fascinated me was the revelation that a quantum of energy appears to us under two aspects: as a wave or as a particle, but never both at the same time. This discovery accords perfectly with Spinoza's dual aspect theory.
My selection of five-star articles is as follows: 'Life Itself', by Francis Crick;`One Self: a Meditation on the Unity of Consciousness' by Nicholas Humphrey; `The Language Instinct', by Steven Pinker; `Avoid Boring People' by James Watson; `Consciousness Explained' by Daniel Dennett; `The Fantastic Combinations of John Conway's new solitaire game "Life"' by Martin Gardner; `Computing Machinery and Intelligence' by Alan Turing; `The Goldilocks Enigma' by Paul Davies; `The Elegant Universe' by Bryan Green, and `Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid' by Douglas Hofstadter.
Having been brought up in an evangelical environment, and having had a taste of Roman Catholicism as well, I can only say that there is no contest between the brilliance, lucidity, humility and open-mindedness of the scientists quoted in this anthology and the tendentious, hubristic, convoluted, ill-founded speculations of theologians - few of whom will have the courage to read this book.
The introductions by Richard Dawkins are excellent.... Read more ›
While reading it I repeatedly inserted markers into articles that I wished to re-read. In fact, I shall probably read the whole book again and refer to it repeatedly. What particularly fascinated me was the revelation that a quantum of energy appears to us under two aspects: as a wave or as a particle, but never both at the same time. This discovery accords perfectly with Spinoza's dual aspect theory.
My selection of five-star articles is as follows: 'Life Itself', by Francis Crick;`One Self: a Meditation on the Unity of Consciousness' by Nicholas Humphrey; `The Language Instinct', by Steven Pinker; `Avoid Boring People' by James Watson; `Consciousness Explained' by Daniel Dennett; `The Fantastic Combinations of John Conway's new solitaire game "Life"' by Martin Gardner; `Computing Machinery and Intelligence' by Alan Turing; `The Goldilocks Enigma' by Paul Davies; `The Elegant Universe' by Bryan Green, and `Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid' by Douglas Hofstadter.
Having been brought up in an evangelical environment, and having had a taste of Roman Catholicism as well, I can only say that there is no contest between the brilliance, lucidity, humility and open-mindedness of the scientists quoted in this anthology and the tendentious, hubristic, convoluted, ill-founded speculations of theologians - few of whom will have the courage to read this book.
The introductions by Richard Dawkins are excellent.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
This was a gift for my brother who wanted to learn a bit more about "science". Really great book by Dawkins
Published 1 month ago by Slizzle
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
This isn't the kind of book anyone would just pick up and read. However my son is into sciences and really enjoyed this book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Sammy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing..!! Mind boggling..!!
Hats off to Dawkins..!! Amazing..!! Mind boggling..!! Its like having watching amazing bits of lives of great scintists..! Thank you
Published 2 months ago by Adwait
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing science selections.
A large collection of content by many scientists over many years,some much more readable now and interesting than others. Read more
Published 17 months ago by G. Hodgson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!
Sharing the knowledge of science is a great way to capture attention to the subject. Wonderful writing from exquisite people that can transmit great passion about their work Truly... Read more
Published 17 months ago by A. Pedro
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Oxford book of Modern Science writing
A most interesting book for those who do not have the time or inclination to delve to deeply into science writing or who just dont know where to start. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Cherry Beaver
3.0 out of 5 stars
No modern science
I was a bit cautious buying something by Richard Dawkins, as he tends to spend most of the book praising his own view of life rather than looking at matters objectively. Read more
Published 19 months ago by JSuade
4.0 out of 5 stars
for those interested in science
I have only read the first part of this book yet, but beeing an engineer these first chapters have impressed me and my book club. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars
For the non Scientific.
This book is good for anyone who is not a scientist but who has curiosity about the world about them. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2011 by P Parkin
5.0 out of 5 stars
The shoulders of giants
In his role as Professor for Public Understanding of Science, Richard Dawkins provides a myriad of popular science pieces to whet the appetite of the interested layman. Read more
Published on 1 May 2011 by anozama
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