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The Selfish Gene

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The Selfish Gene

By: Richard Dawkins
Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
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About this listen

 Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life.In his internationally bestselling, now classic volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene. The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature. Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk.This 30th anniversary edition of Dawkins' fascinating book retains all original material, including the two enlightening chapters added in the second edition. In a new Introduction the author presents his thoughts thirty years after the publication of his first and most famous book, while the inclusion of the two-page original Foreword by brilliant American scientist Robert Trivers shows the enthusiastic reaction of the scientific community at that time. This edition is a celebration of a remarkable exposition of evolutionary thought, a work that has been widely hailed for its stylistic brilliance and deep scientific insights, and that continues to stimulate whole new areas of research today.©1989 Richard Dawkins (P)2011 Audible, Inc. Biological Sciences Evolution Evolution & Genetics Genetics Science Thought-Provoking

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Editor reviews

The internationally best-selling The Selfish Gene, is written by renowned author Richard Dawkins and narrated in this unabridged 30th Anniversary audiobook edition by the author himself alongside Lalla Ward. Darwin’s theory on natural selection are revisited in this absorbing book that aims to explain why nature is selfish in its instincts for survival. Dawkins also reveals those selfless acts to protect others that are occasionally seen in nature and tries to explain why they occur in the animal kingdom irrespective of conscience. It includes the original foreword by Scientist Richard Trivers and a new introduction by the author. Available now from Audible.

Critic reviews

"Dawkins first book, The Selfish Gene, was a smash hit.... Best of all, Dawkins laid out this biology - some of it truly subtle - in stunningly lucid prose. (It is, in my view, the best work of popular science ever written.)" (H. Allen Orr, Professor of Biology, University of Rochester, in The New York Review of Books)
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Makes you feel like a genius as you read it, brilliantly narrated, would highly recommend!!

Brilliant

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After struggling with the scientific language it was worth every moment of my time

Wow, this took some work to grasp

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This book is fascinating. From the early chapters that explain how life can begin in a primordial soup, through to the final chapters about the extended effects of genes, it made me reevaluate so many things that I thought I already understood. I really wish I’d read this book a lot earlier in life.

I thought I already understood evolution. I was wrong

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I thought I had a fair grasp of evolution until this book. Dawkins explains just how deep it can go when you are investigating evolution, and he does it using excellent examples that make it simple to understand.
Very well written, & maintains your interest throughout. Highly recommend.

I thought I had a good grasp of evolution... Superb!

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Excellent informative book with brilliant narration. very well set out and while a challenging subject, was perfectly understandable.

Excellent informative with brilliant narration

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This book is still fascinating even though it is decades old. The analogies are well thought out and examples of real world life cases are plenty. I am a Christian and despite Dawkins' few atheist comments and conclusions, I very much enjoyed and learned from this book.

Still fascinating

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The book itself is incredibly informative and well written. The audio adaptation is a quality production as you might expect.

Fantastic

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Great start to finish. Interesting, approachable and well performed. I will be getting further books by Dawkins.

Excellent

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My problem was the airport author comments and justification, made me feel like I could not understand for myself,

I would rather have an option to turn it off, it’s distracting from the original content

One of the best books

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It is not hard to see how this book continues to be so successful as it approaches the 50th anniversary of its original publication date. As someone who has entered the field of biology via a non-conventional pathway, Dawkins' The Selfish Gene really provided the perfect background and helped to dispell the many misconceptions that are so prevalent in the public's understanding of ecology and evolution. The book is fabulously written in a way that makes it suitable for all audiences without dumbing down the subject in any way. I get what other reviewers have said about the amount of endnotes - they are numerous in every chapter - but I believe they are absolutely necessary to explain what are at times very complex concepts to understand otherwise. Dawkins' and his ex-wife's narration of the book helps to break up the monotony, not that I find Dawkins' voice monotonous in any way, but it makes it easier to swallow. Highly recommended to anyone with any interest in biology!

What a book! Revolutionary...

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