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This is the 2016, revised edition of this fabulous book. In this edition, Richard Dawkins is a co-author with Yan Wong. This is a very hefty tome, just under 800 pages. It is a marvelously inventive, masterful look at evolution, as seen from the point of view of homo sapiens travelling backwards in time, back to the dawn of life. Each time the route of evolution reaches a branch point with another species, it is called a Rendezvous; there are 40 rendezvous altogether. The book is extremely inter
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What an interesting way to look at evolution, from the present back into the past in the format of & a homage to Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. He chose 40 major stops along the journey & told some great tales. Thankfully, these were usually from his perspective so there wasn't any foolishness, but he was entertaining.
I found the backward format a really good way of cementing various relationships into my mind better. There was a lot of new (to me) & fascinating material about how evolution wor ...more
I found the backward format a really good way of cementing various relationships into my mind better. There was a lot of new (to me) & fascinating material about how evolution wor ...more
After finishing The Selfish Gene, I rushed out to the store to buy another of Dawkins' books. While the size of this tome was quite intimidating, I found the premise utterly fascinating. The narrative traces humans' evolutionary ancestry, from primates to "concestor zero," or the beginning of life on Earth.
Dawkins' knowledge of zoology shines as he gives examples of the fascinating animals that share some of our genes. Readers will undoubtedly learn about plants and animals they had never heard ...more
Dawkins' knowledge of zoology shines as he gives examples of the fascinating animals that share some of our genes. Readers will undoubtedly learn about plants and animals they had never heard ...more
Written in the enjoyable Dawkin's style. Very informative and clearly spells out what in "known" and what is still needing research.
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I think he was successful in writing a science book that reads like a very good novel. Highly recommend it to anyone, and especially those interested in an intro to evolution.
Apr 11, 2008
Waldtochter
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