An Appetite For Wonder: The Making of a Scientist
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Transworld Publishers Ltd
Published:24th Apr '14
Should be back in stock very soon
An early memoir from the world's most famous atheist, and scientist.
Born to parents who were enthusiastic naturalists, and linked through his wider family to a clutch of accomplished scientists, the author was bound to have biology in his genes. But what were the influences that shaped his life? This book tells his personal journey.
Born to parents who were enthusiastic naturalists, and linked through his wider family to a clutch of accomplished scientists, Richard Dawkins was bound to have biology in his genes. But what were the influences that shaped his life? And who inspired him to become the pioneering scientist and public thinker now famous (and infamous to some) around the world?
In An Appetite for Wonder we join him on a personal journey from an enchanting childhood in colonial Africa, through the eccentricities of boarding school in England, to his studies at the University of Oxford’s dynamic Zoology Department, which sparked his radical new vision of Darwinism, The Selfish Gene. Through Dawkins’s honest self-reflection, touching reminiscences and witty anecdotes, we are finally able to understand the private influences that shaped the public man who, more than anyone else in his generation, explained our own origins.
Most geeks cannot write; this one can... Equipped with an undoubted gift for expression, Dawkins the writer comes with a unique pedigree -- Richard Fortey * Guardian *
This eloquent, witty and instructive book reveals the true Richard Dawkins. It's a great read. * A.C. Grayling *
Throughout and as usual, Dawkins's writing is graceful, sparkling with anecdotes and wit * Eugenie Scott, Nature *
Dawkins is a fascinating man and as a writer he is nothing less than essential... he is a man who has influenced or changed the way people think. His story needs to be read. * Simon Barnes, The Times *
Richard Dawkins's memoirs are, like their author, honest, perceptive, sometimes ingenuous, always rational and deeply humane. * Matt Ridley *
Lyrical... [Dawkins's] appetite for wonder is beguiling * Evening Standard *
Enjoyable from start to finish, this exceptionally accessible book will appeal to science lovers, lovers of autobiographies—and, of course, all of Dawkins’s fans, atheists and theists alike. * Library Journal starred review *
Well-written, captivating, and filled with fascinating anecdotes * Publishers Weekly *
Richard Dawkins is a hero of mine, so being able to read about how he became the man and the thinker he is, was a particular delight for me. How his life formed from an inchoate, primordial soup and then never wavered from sound, scientific principles made for a huge page turning experience; he’s also a great writer, so that helps. Some people get their kicks from Superman’s origin story, or Batman’s origin story… or Jesus’. But for me, it was Richard Dawkins. * Bill Maher *
Skepticism and atheism do not arrive from revelation or authority. In our culture it's a slow thoughtful process. But, in the beginning there was Dawkins, moving that process along for many of us, with information and inspiration. For the modern skeptical/atheist movement, in the beginning -- there was Dawkins and he was wicked good. Appetite for Wonder shows us this beginning. * Penn Jillette, author of God No! and Every Day is an Atheist Holiday *
ISBN: 9780552779050
Dimensions: 197mm x 127mm x 22mm
Weight: 276g
352 pages