Promotional Information

Dawkins is a high-profile author constantly in the public eye Several,previous books have been bestsellers Dawkins deals with the Great Questions: who, or what, are we, and where did we come from?

About the Author

Richard Dawkins studied under Niko Tinbergen at Oxford, was an assistant professor of Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, and has since 1995 been the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Reviews

There has been a fantastic level of interest in Richard's new book. The bookwas Blackwell's book of the month for February, the Sunday Times no 6 hardback Bestseller for two weeks and number 10 for a further week, and the number 5 hardback bestseller in Ireland. . The publicity campaign started with 3 pages of extracts in the Times with the article flagged in a banner headline on the front page of the paper. On 4th February a 45minute profile of Richard was broadcast on Nightwaves BBC Radio 3. Extracts from the book appeared in theGuardian Saturday Review, 8th February. Richard appeared on Start the Week BBC Radio 4 on the 10th and was also the subject of a critical but ultimately flattering profile by Simon Hattenstone in the Monday Guardian, flagged in a banner headline from the front of the paper. BBC 4 TV broadcast a profile of Richard on 24th February. On 12th February Richard appeared on national IrishRadio - RTE Radio. On 13th February Richard featured in You Ask The Questions in the Independent with his answers being published the next week. The Irish Times published extracts from the book on 17th February with Richard writing the A Little Night Reading column for the Sunday Times, 23rd February. Features on Richard appeared in the Glasgow Herald and Sunday Herald and Richard wrote an opinion piece on the Iraq war for the Independent on 1 March and Guardian on 22 March. Richard appeared on The Sunday Sequence, BBC Radio Ulster on March 16th. An interview was published in Heffers Bookstore Magazine in March. The book was recommended as a key book for 2003 in The Evening Standard,Irish Times and New Scientist Reviews have appeared in Nature, Focus, TLS, New Scientist, Sunday Times, The Observer, Times, GQ, Guardian Review, Sunday Telegraph, Spectator, Scotland on Sunday, Independent, Irish Times, Church Times, Morning Star, Money Week, Evening Standard, New Humanist, Time Out, Sunday Business Post and The Scotsman. '...a punchy collection of articles, reflections, polemics, book reviews, forwards, tributes and elegies...This is the best book of sermons I have read for years.'Richard Holloway, THE GUARDIAN '...intelligent, witty, forceful and at all turns a pleasure to read.'Mark Pagel, NEW HUMANIST '... Dawkins' optimism is a shot in the arm, and his genius for snatching mind-boggling possibilities out of the air provokes, well, yes, wonder.'John Carey, SUNDAY TIMES 'He brings a beautiful clarity to the most difficult of scientific concepts yet does so in a style akin to that of fine literature.'Dick Ahlstrom, IRISH TIMES 'A DEVILS'S CHAPLAIN is a rare treat and it comes in seven servings, each with an introduction by the author.'Roy Herbert, NEW SCIENTIST 'This collection of essays is a rattling good read.'Christopher Lambton, SCOTSMAN 'Whatever his topic Dawkins is always eloquent, passionate and persuasive. The man is a national treasure ...'Charles Fernyhough, SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'A series of brilliant analogies renders most of the science accessible to the non-specialist'Richard Harries, THE INDEPENDENT Richard and his wife Lalla Ward gave an extremely successful reading with over 900 people in attendance on 13th February at the Institute of Education as part of the Times/Foyles Literary Events series. Richard also spoke at the Royal Dublin Society, the Oxford Union at a Blackwell's event, the Aldeburgh LiteraryFestival, the Oxford Literary Festival and Edinburgh Science Festival . He is

Oxford don Dawkins is familiar to readers with any interest in evolution. While the late Stephen Jay Gould was alive, he and Dawkins were friendly antagonists on the question of whether evolution "progresses" (Gould: No, Dawkins: Yes, depending on your definition of "progress"). Dawkins's The Selfish Gene has been very influential, not least for his introduction of the "meme," sort of a Lamarckian culturally inherited trait. In this, his first collection of essays, Dawkins muses on a wide spectrum of topics: why the jury system isn't the best way to determine innocence or guilt; the vindication of Darwinism (or what he insists is properly called neo-Darwinism) in the past quarter-century; the fallacy in thinking that individual genes, for instance a "gay gene," can be directly linked to personality traits; what he sees as the dangers of giving opponents the benefit of the doubt just because they wrap their arguments in religious belief; several sympathetic pieces on Gould; and a final section on why we all can be said to be "out of Africa." Fans of Dawkins's earlier books should snap up this collection. Readers new to him may find that the short format (many of these essays were originally forewords to books, book reviews or magazine pieces) doesn't quite do his reputation justice. Dawkins will antagonize some readers by his attacks on religion: his tone in these essays may fall just short of intellectual arrogance, but he certainly exhibits an intellectual impatience not always beneficial to his argument. Still, Dawkins's enthusiasm for the diversity of life on this planet should prove contagious. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.