Synopses & Reviews
Master science writer Richard Dawkins and celebrated illustrator and designer Dave McKean’s groundbreaking graphic science book is now in paperback.Richard Dawkins, the world’s most famous evolutionary biologist, has spent his career elucidating the wonders of science for adult readers. But now, in a dramatic departure, he has teamed up with acclaimed artist Dave McKean and used his unrivaled explanatory powers to share the magic of science with readers of all ages.
Packed with clever thought experiments, dazzling illustrations, and jaw-dropping facts, The Illustrated Magic of Reality explains a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena. What is stuff made of? Why do the continents look like disconnected pieces of a puzzle? Why are there so many kinds of plants and animals? Who was the first man, or woman? This is a page-turning, graphic detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes readers to think like scientists as well.
This is a treasure trove for anyone who has ever wondered how the world works. Dawkins and McKean have created an illustrated guide to the secrets of our world—and the universe beyond—that will entertain and inform for years to come.
Review
"I wanted to write this book but I wasn't clever enough. Now I've read it, I am"
—Ricky Gervais
Review
“Exhilarating. The clearest and most beautifully written introduction to science I've ever read. Again and again I found myself saying "Oh! So that's how genes work!" (or stars, or tectonic plates, or all the other things he explains). Explanations I thought I knew were clarified; things I never understood were made clear for the first time. My favourite adjective of praise has always been "clear", and this book has clarity all the way through.”
—Philip Pullman, author of The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ and the His Dark Materials trilogy
Review
“I am often asked to recommend good books on science for young people. From now on, I will not have to hesitate.
The Magic of Reality provides a beautiful, accessible and wide ranging volume that addresses the questions that all of us have about the universe, separating often too-little known facts from too-frequently believed fictions. For this reason it should be a powerful resource for people of all ages, written with the masterful and eloquently literate style of perhaps the best popular expositor of science, Richard Dawkins, and delightfully illustrated by Dave McKean. What more could anyone ask for?”
—Lawrence Krauss is Foundation Professor and Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University and the author most recently of Quantum Man, and A Universe from Nothing
Synopsis
Master science writer Richard Dawkins and celebrated illustrator and designer Dave McKean s groundbreaking graphic science book is now in paperback.
Magic takes many forms. Supernatural magic is what our ancestors invoked in order to explain the world before they developed the scientific method. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting that a goddess swallowed the sun. The Vikings believed a rainbow was the gods bridge to earth. Aside from these extraordinary tales, there is another kind of magic that lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions. It is the magic of reality science.
Packed with dazzling illustrations and jaw-dropping facts, The Magic of Reality explains a wide range of natural phenomena. Having spent his career elucidating the wonders of science for adult readers, Richard Dawkins has now teamed up with acclaimed artist Dave McKean to share the magic of science with readers of all ages: What is stuff made of? How old is the universe? Why are there so many kinds of plants and animals? Who was the first man, or woman? This is a stunning, illustrated guide to the secrets of our world and the universe beyond."
Synopsis
Magic takes many forms. Supernatural magic is what our ancestors invoked in order to explain the world before they developed the scientific method. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting that a goddess swallowed the sun. The Vikings believed a rainbow was the godsand#8217; bridge to earth. Aside from these extraordinary tales, there is another kind of magic that lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions. It is the magic of realityand#8212;science. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Packed with dazzling illustrations and jaw-dropping facts, The Magic of Reality explains a wide range of natural phenomena. Having spent his career elucidating the wonders of science for adult readers, Richard Dawkins has now teamed up with acclaimed artist Dave McKean to share the magic of science with readers of all ages: What is stuff made of? How old is the universe? Why are there so many kinds of plants and animals? Who was the first man, or woman? This is a stunning, illustrated guide to the secrets of our worldand#8212;and the universe beyond.
About the Author
RICHARD DAWKINS, is an evolutionary biologist, best selling author and outspoken atheist. He has established himself as a guru of evolution with the publication of books detailing and expanding upon Darwinian theory. Until his retirement this year, he was the Charles Simonyi Professor For The Understanding Of Science at Oxford University. He is the author most recently of
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution. His other books include
The Selfish Gene, The Extended Phenotype, The Blind Watchmaker, River out of Eden (ScienceMasters Series),
Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, The Devil's Chaplain, The Ancestor's Tale, and
The God Delusion. Dawkins was Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2001.The Galaxy British Book Awards named him Author of the Year in 2006 for The God Delusion, and in 2008 his TV program 'The Genius of Charles Darwin' won Best Documentary Series at the British Broadcast Awards. He was listed as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2007.
In his role as the Charles Simonyi Professor For The Understanding Of Science at Oxford University, Dawkins regularly talked to the public regarding his views on the wonders of science. DAVE MCKEAN has illustrated many award winning comics and books, including The Big Fat Duck Cookbook (Heston Blumenthal), What's Welsh For Zen (John Cale), Varjak Paw (SF Said), The Savage and Slog’s Dad (David Almond), Arkham Asylum (Grant Morrison), The Homecoming (Ray Bradbury), Wizard and Glass (Stephen King), The Graveyard Book, Wolves in the Walls, Coraline, Mr. Punch, Signal to Noise and Crazy Hair (all by Neil Gaiman).
He has written and illustrated the graphic novel Cages and short story collection Pictures That Tick, and is working on a new novel (Caligaro) and second volume of short stories.
He has designed and illustrated well over a hundred cd covers for artists as diverse as Michael Nyman, Rolling Stones, John Cale, Alice Cooper, Bill Laswell, Bill Buford, Counting Crows, Iain Ballamy, Tori Amos and Frontine Assembly.
He has designed a Broadway Musical (Lestat), creatures for the Harry Potter films, advertising campaigns for Kodak, Nike, Smirnoff, BMWMini and the British Government, and exhibited in Europe, America and Japan.