Promotional Information

A stunning collaboration between a world-famous scientist and outstanding illustrator

About the Author

Richard Dawkins is the former Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University (1995-2008). His many bestsellers include The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion.

Dave McKean has illustrated many award winning books and graphic novels, including Coraline by Neil Gaiman, and the Newberry and Carnegie Medal winning The Graveyard Book. He has created hundreds of album, comic and book covers, and has designed characters for two of the Harry Potter films. He has also directed two feature films, MirrorMask and Luna.

Reviews

It's 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
*Philip Pullman*

I wanted to write this book but I wasn't clever enough. Now I've read it, I am
*Ricky Gervais*

The Magic of Reality provides a beautiful, accessible and wide ranging volume that addresses the questions that all of us have about the universe...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, author of Quantum Man, and A Universe from Nothing*

From the first sentence it reads with the force and fluency of a classic ... a luminous, authoritative prose that transcends age differences
*The Times*

A charming and free-ranging history of science
*The Sunday Times*

Dawkins's (evolutionary biology, emeritus, Oxford Univ.; The God Delusion) new, heavily illustrated (almost graphic novel-like) book addresses the most basic topics in science, the kind that children most often ask questions about. Each chapter focuses on one of these primary questions, with Dawkins exploring first the myths that once provided an answer, falsely but beautifully, and then using science to answer the same question, now truthfully and with equal (if not greater) beauty. Several full-color pictures and many black-and-white illustrations appear extensively throughout the book. Among the subjects covered: What is an earthquake? What is a miracle? What is the sun? What is a rainbow? Are we alone? When and how did everything begin? Verdict This is a book designed to appeal to young adults, younger children, and parents who want to instill an interest in science in their children. An intriguing introduction to science that will attract a wide audience.-Gloria Maxwell, Metropolitan Community Coll.-Penn Valley Lib., Kansas City, MO (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.