The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True

Richard Dawkins

Sep 2012 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

An elegant, text-only edition of the New York Times bestseller that’s been hailed as the definitive authority on…everything.

Richard Dawkins, bestselling author and the world’s most celebrated evolutionary biologist, has spent his career elucidating the many wonders of science. Here, he takes a broader approach and uses his unrivaled explanatory powers to illuminate the ways in which the world really works.

Filled with clever thought experiments and jaw-dropping facts, The Magic of Reality explains a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena: How old is the universe? Why do the continents look like disconnected pieces of a jigsaw puzzle? What causes tsunamis? Why are there so many kinds of plants and animals? Who was the first man, or woman?

Starting with the magical, mythical explanations for the wonders of nature, Dawkins reveals the exhilarating scientific truths behind these occurrences. This is a page-turning detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist as well.

Ratings and reviews

Fine read for a 12 to 15 year old, but it should be labeled as appropriate for young adults. If you have read Dawkin's earlier works like The Selfish Gene or more contemporary science literature like The Making of The Fittest ( Carroll), you will find this effort lacking in any new research, insights, or analysis. Not a bad book, just not one that would further the education of a high school junior or senior capable of grade level critical thinking.

Easy to follow and full of great information. More authors should write books like this that are intended for younger audiences but not patronizing at all. Would've loved this book when I was younger; I might gift it to my young cousin one day.

Dawkins clearly doesn't know what he is talking about in the book, and his arguments are extremely asinine.

About the author

Richard Dawkins is a Fellow of the Royal Society and was the inaugural holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair of Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He is the acclaimed author of many books including The Selfish Gene, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, The Ancestor’s Tale, The God Delusion, and The Greatest Show on Earth. Visit him at RichardDawkins.net.