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The Selfish Gene | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard Dawkins
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
Buy New: £3.58
You Save: £5.41 (60%)
New (31) Used (16) from £3.58
Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 235
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3rd Revised edition
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0199291152
Dewey Decimal Number: 576.5
EAN: 9780199291151
ASIN: 0199291152
Publication Date: March 16, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. Shipped from UK Mainland. Delivery is usually 2 - 3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Richard Dawkins is a great teacher October 14, 2006
M. de Boer (Zuidlaren, Drenthe, The Netherlands)
54 out of 58 found this review helpful
As far as evolutionary biology's concerned I'm very interested, but nevertheless a layman. Richard Dawkins has however the rare ability to explain any scientifically difficult subject to practically everybody. His style is easy to read, very understandable, sometimes funny, and he uses very good examples to explain. Anybody having difficulties to understand evolution (and there are many out there) should read Dawkins' The Selfish Gene. A very good book: convincing, informative, readable book.
Fascinating, and an utterly compelling read June 28, 2006
D. P. G. Bellinger (London)
64 out of 71 found this review helpful
While you might expect Dawkins' classic to be terrifically interesting (and you'd be right), you'd probably expect it to be a bit of a slog. In this respect you'd be completely mistaken - it flows beautifully, and is seriously difficult to put down. And the whole way through you have the wonderful sense that you're being educated as well as entertained.
The book starts right from first principles, describing a plausible theory for the origin of life, and explaining how more and more complex molecules could have formed in the 'primaeval soup'. Eventually a molecule arose that could replicate itself, and life has never looked back. Dawkins goes on to define a gene, which turns out to be quite an important step (I thought I knew what the word meant already, but I was wrong), and relates how genes have indirect control over what he calls 'gene machines', i.e. living things. Subsequent chapters then detail various survival strategies, 'altruism' and how it can be explained genetically, tensions between sexes and generations, and a new replicator, the 'meme'.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is the way that Dawkins draws on game theory to assess mathematically the most sensible way for a gene machine to act. In particular, the sections on 'the Prisoner's Dilemma' (a specific game theory scenario which crops up all over the place in nature) are, to me at least, a radical new way of thinking of many problems in (human) life, and how we should approach them. It could have ramifications for politics, social policy, economics, and the environment, to name only a few. Like all the difficult concepts in this book, Dawkins explains this simply and thoroughly, and the reader never feels patronised. And if you ever feel a bit stuck, a captivating, and often extremely bizarre, illustration is selected from the animal kingdom to clarify the point. Dawkins is also refreshingly willing to state that certain aspects of this theory are +the truth+, a brave claim in our muddled, PC society.
I would therefore thoroughly recommend this book to the general reader. It's stuffed with hugely stimulating concepts (Dawkins' own 'meme', or replicating idea, is a paricularly rich one), and wonderful snapshots of the animal kingdom. Be warned though, it may take over your life for a while - personally I feel tempted to jack everything in and go and take a bilogy degree!
an inspirational piece of work October 21, 2006
Mike J. Wheeler (Kingswinford, England)
71 out of 79 found this review helpful
This is a landmark piece of writing without any doubt. This was in fact the book that sparked a whole genre. Until the success of 'The Selfish Gene' popular science writing was spectacularly under-read. After this popular science sections became noticeable in every self-respecting bookshop.
The book itself tackles what in essence could be a very difficult subject (the level at which natural selection acts) but it articulates it so well. Many since have tried to contribute to the debate but none have the prose skills of Dawkins nor the ability to put over a difficult subject with the reader seeing it as outstandingly obvious and common sense. Dawkins also initiates the idea of the meme as a unit of cultural evolution here for the first time. In the long run this may turn out to be Dawkins biggest original contribution to science and it has spawned many books on the subject since.
I have a particular fondness for this book. It was having read this and 'The Blind Watchmaker' which sent me back to full-time education at the age of 29 to read Genetics and subsequently develop a career in science myself. Truly an inspirational piece of work - one of the outstanding books of the Twentieth Century.
Absolutely Brilliant February 2, 2006
O. Arnold (Herts United Kingdom)
37 out of 41 found this review helpful
This is a very well written, logical, and important book. Perfectly, understandable to those who have little or no familiarity with biology, yet captivating to those who do. I picked up this book for no other reason than its appealing title. Dawkins does not tie the reader up in jargon or fuzzy logic that makes other scientific books inaccessible to all but the experts. It remains one of my favourite books.I rarely write book reviews, but I was so impressed with the content (it literally is a gripping read all the way through). I’m only sorry they didn’t make us read this while I was at school.
Selfish Gene Revisited October 31, 2003
Dr Rio Peckham (London, England)
19 out of 21 found this review helpful
This is one of the great classics of science writing, and re-reading it again recently I was deeply impressed by its freshness, the quality of Dawkins logic, the engaging style, and the trenchant, confident approach to this aspect of genetics.This is a book to be read by any person, young or old, who wishes to learn more about biology. But it is also an important book of general interest which people with no particular scientific background should read. It is essential for a rounded, modern education.
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