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The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing

By Richard Dawkins

(9)

| Others | 9780199216819

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Book Description

Boasting almost one hundred articles and book excerpts, The Oxford Book of
Modern Science Writing is a breathtaking celebration of the finest writing by
...

Critics

The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing by Richard Dawkins

Popular science is a huge field nowadays, populated by both writers who turn to science and scientists who took to writing. The collection I have the pleasure of reviewing contains samples of writing by scientists, most of it at least illuminating, s ... (read full critics)

thebookbag published on Fri, 1 Oct 2010

A Bouquet of Science

Paramount Pictures/Photofest Jerry Lewis as Professor Julius Kelp in The Nutty Professor (1963) Sometime in 1976 I was asked to be a judge for the 1975 National Book Awards for the category “The Sciences.” I was not particularly enthusiastic about ac ... (read full critics)

nybooks published on Fri, 27 Aug 2010

2 Reviews

An anthology worth treasuring and returning to

While I don't totally agree with Dawkins's selections (some articles I just didn't enjoy reading), there are gems that are so radiant that the anthology on the whole shines out in brilliance. There are excerpts that inform (e.g. Martin Rees's "Just Six Numbers"); there are excerpts that fascinate ( ... (continue)

While I don't totally agree with Dawkins's selections (some articles I just didn't enjoy reading), there are gems that are so radiant that the anthology on the whole shines out in brilliance. There are excerpts that inform (e.g. Martin Rees's "Just Six Numbers"); there are excerpts that fascinate (e.g. Steven Pinker's "The Language Instinct"); there are excerpts that entertain (e.g. Douglas Hofstadter's "Godel, Escher, Bach"); there are excerpts that captivate (e.g. Primo Levi's "The Periodic Table"); and there are excerpts that inspire (e.g. Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot"). As a result, this collection is one well worth treasuring and returning to.
Sadly, to many people, science writing is synonymous with dry, specialized writing full of jargons and equations. This book proves that it is not so. By collecting the best writings from the best scientists, Dawkins gives us a peek of the wonderful wide world of science. And thanks to the scientists' insights and wisdom, we realize that science is definitely not at odds with the arts or humanities or even religion. Science is as much a pilgrimage for truth and beauty as any other pursuits.

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Holmes said on May 7, 2012 | Add your feedback

This book is a collection of short science essays from the 20th century, and is an excellent compendium. Each essay is preceded by an introduction by Dawkins. Whilst all the main areas of science are covered, I found this was slightly skewed in favour of biology, personally I would have preferred m ... (continue)

This book is a collection of short science essays from the 20th century, and is an excellent compendium. Each essay is preceded by an introduction by Dawkins. Whilst all the main areas of science are covered, I found this was slightly skewed in favour of biology, personally I would have preferred more physics.
The level of complexity within the essays varies, and I won't claim to have fully understood everything I read. That said, it is a very enjoyable read and is the type of book you can easily pick up and put down again.
Also the hardback is a very sturdy volume...

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LeeMarshall said on Aug 6, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback