Dawkins, Richard 1941-

The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins ( Book )
105 editions published between 1976 and 2011 in 14 languages and held by 3,671 libraries worldwide
In this revised edition of his classic, Richard Dawkins demonstrates how cooperation can evolve even in a basically selfish world. Contains two new chapters and a wealth of new insights into the biological world.--From publisher description.

The God delusion by Richard Dawkins ( Book )
72 editions published between 2006 and 2010 in 17 languages and held by 3,523 libraries worldwide
A preeminent scientist asserts the irrationallity of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society from the Crusades to 9/11. He critiques God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign (but still illogical) Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry, and abuses children, buttressing his points with historical and contemporary evidence. In so doing, he makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just irrational, but potentially deadly. Dawkins has fashioned an impassioned, rigorous rebuttal to religion, to be embraced by anyone who sputters at the inconsistencies and cruelties that riddle the Bible, bristles at the inanity of "intelligent design," or agonizes over fundamentalism in the Middle East--or Middle America.--From publisher description.

The blind watchmaker by Richard Dawkins ( Book )
89 editions published between 1985 and 2010 in 13 languages and held by 2,964 libraries worldwide
A defense of Darwin's theory of evolution, which "identifies those aspects of the theory which people find hard to believe and removes the barriers to credibility one by one."--Back cover.

The greatest show on Earth : the evidence for evolution by Richard Dawkins ( Book )
19 editions published between 2009 and 2010 in 3 languages and held by 2,578 libraries worldwide
Sifting through rich layers of scientific evidence, Dawkins' "The Greatest Show on Earth" is a stunning counterattack on advocates of "Intelligent Design," explaining the evidence for evolution while exposing the absurdities of the creationist "argument."

River out of eden : a Darwinian view of life by Richard Dawkins ( Book )
20 editions published between 1995 and 2001 in 3 languages and held by 2,144 libraries worldwide
How did the replication bomb we call "life" begin and where in the world, or rather, in the universe, is it heading? Writing with characteristic wit and an ability to clarify complex phenomena (the New York Times described his style as "the sort of science writing that makes the reader feel like a genius"), Richard Dawkins confronts this ancient mystery. Dawkins has been named by the London Daily Telegraph "the most brilliant contemporary preacher of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution." More than any other contemporary scientist, he has lent credence to the idea that human beings - indeed, all living things - are mere vehicles of information, gene carriers whose primary purpose is propagation of their own DNA. In this new book, Dawkins explains evolution as a flowing river of genes, genes meeting, competing, uniting, and sometimes separating to form new species. Filled with absorbing, at times alarming, stories about the world of bees and orchids, "designed" eyes and human ancestors, River Out of Eden answers tantalizing questions: Why are forest trees tall - wouldn't each survive more economically if all were short? Why is the sex ratio fifty-fifty when relatively few males are needed to impregnate many females? Why do we inherit genes for fatal illnesses? Who was our last universal ancestor? Dawkins suggests that it was more likely to have been an Adam than an African Eve. By "reverse engineering," he deduces the purpose of life ("God's Utility Function"). Hammering home the crucial role of gradualism in evolution, he confounds those who argue that every element of, say, an eye has to function perfectly or the whole system will collapse. But the engaging, personal, frequently provocative narrative that carries us along River Out of Eden has a larger purpose: the book illustrates the nature of scientific reasoning, exposing the difficulties scientists face in explaining life. We learn that our assumptions, intuitions, origin myths, and trendy intellectual and cultural "isms" all too often lead us astray.

Climbing mount improbable by Richard Dawkins ( Book )
21 editions published between 1996 and 2008 in 4 languages and held by 2,125 libraries worldwide
How do species evolve? Richard Dawkins, one of the world's most eminent zoologists, likens the process to scaling a huge, Himalaya-size peak, the Mount Improbable of his title. An alpinist does not leap from sea level to the summit; neither does a species utterly change forms overnight, but instead follows a course of "slow, cumulative, one-step-at-a-time, non-random survival of random variants"--a course that Charles Darwin, Dawkins's great hero, called natural selection. Illustrating his arguments with case studies from the natural world, such as the evolution of the eye and the lung, and the coevolution of certain kinds of figs and wasps, Dawkins provides a vigorous, entertaining defense of key Darwinian ideas.

The ancestor's tale : a pilgrimage to the dawn of evolution by Richard Dawkins ( Book )
12 editions published between 2004 and 2008 in English and Turkish and held by 2,083 libraries worldwide
The renowned biologist and thinker Richard Dawkins presents his most expansive work yet: a comprehensive look at evolution, ranging from the latest developments in the field to his own provocative views. Loosely based on the form of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Dawkins's Tale takes us modern humans back through four billion years of life on our planet. As the pilgrimage progresses, we join with other organisms at the forty "rendezvous points" where we find a common ancestor. The band of pilgrims swells into a vast crowd as we join first with other primates, then with other mammals, and so on back to the first primordial organism. Dawkins's brilliant, inventive approach allows us to view the connections between ourselves and all other life in a bracingly novel way. It also lets him shed bright new light on the most compelling aspects of evolutionary history and theory: sexual selection, speciation, convergent evolution, extinction, genetics, plate tectonics, geographical dispersal, and more. The Ancestor's Tale is at once a far-reaching survey of the latest, best thinking on biology and a fascinating history of life on Earth. Here Dawkins shows us how remarkable we are, how astonishing our history, and how intimate our relationship with the rest of the living world.

Unweaving the rainbow : science, delusion, and the appetite for wonder by Richard Dawkins ( Book )
19 editions published between 1998 and 2009 in English and held by 1,757 libraries worldwide
"Dawkins takes up the most important and compelling topics in modern science, from astronomy and genetics to language and virtual reality, and combines them in a landmark statement of the human appetite for wonder."--Jacket.

The Oxford book of modern science writing ( Book )
11 editions published between 2008 and 2009 in English and held by 1,381 libraries worldwide
Boasting almost one hundred pieces, The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing is a breathtaking celebration of the finest writing by scientists--the best such collection in print--packed with scintillating essays on everything from "the discovery of Lucy" to "the terror and vastness of the universe."

A devil's chaplain : reflections on hope, lies, science, and love by Richard Dawkins ( Book )
11 editions published between 2003 and 2009 in English and Spanish and held by 1,009 libraries worldwide
Presents a collection of essays that explore such topics as religion, mysticism, moden educational methods, pseudoscience, Africa, and late colleagues Douglas Adams and Stephen Jay Gould.