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Review
A book from which the love of science and the love of language shine. (Science )
An amalgamation of brilliant reads. (New Scientist )
Every school library should own a copy of this book; every person with even a passing interest in science should read it. (Jerry A. Coyne, Times Literary Supplement. )
Beautiful volume...A labour of love. (Steven Poole. The Guardian. )
A glorius celebration of literary scientists. (Harry Richie Mail on Sunday )
A brilliant collection... If you could only ever read one science book, this should probably be it. (New Scientist )
It is a real treasure trove of unexpected pleasures. (Sunday Telegraph. Kenan Malik )
An amalgamation of brilliant reads. (New Scientist )
Every school library should own a copy of this book; every person with even a passing interest in science should read it. (Jerry A. Coyne, Times Literary Supplement. )
Beautiful volume...A labour of love. (Steven Poole. The Guardian. )
A glorius celebration of literary scientists. (Harry Richie Mail on Sunday )
A brilliant collection... If you could only ever read one science book, this should probably be it. (New Scientist )
It is a real treasure trove of unexpected pleasures. (Sunday Telegraph. Kenan Malik )
BBC Focus, May 2008
'It's a must-read that will surely make a major contribution to the public understanding of science.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
111 of 115 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.
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful
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
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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 4 months ago by G. Hodgson
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 4 months ago by A. Pedro
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 4 months ago by Cherry Beaver
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 6 months ago by JSuade
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 9 months ago by Alexander
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 11 months ago by P Parkin
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 13 months ago by anozama
Dawkins
I enjoyed this book - as someone entirely non-scientist there was bits I didn't understand, but the range covered was impressive. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Stephen
Ok. But no more.
Didn't grab me as wildly as it appears to have done some of the other reviewers here and so was a little bit disappointed really. Expected more from Dawkins. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Charlie42
Muy buen libro
Libro muy interesante, donde Dawkins, recoge a las mejores mentes científicas del pasado siglo. Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2010 by Mario Colombo Canut
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