Book

The Oxford book of modern science writing / [edited by] Richard Dawkins.

Dawkins, Richard, 1941- (Added Author).

Summary:

Boasting almost one hundred pieces, The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing is a breathtaking celebration of the finest writing by scientists--the best such collection in print--packed with scintillating essays on everything from "The Discovery of Lucy" to "The Terror and Vastness of the Universe."Edited by best-selling author and renowned scientist Richard Dawkins, this sterling collection brings together exhilarating pieces by a who's who of scientists and science writers, including Stephen Pinker, Stephen Jay Gould, Martin Gardner, Albert Einstein, Julian Huxley, and many dozens more. Readers will find excerpts from bestsellers such as Douglas R. Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach, Francis Crick's Life Itself, Loren Eiseley's The Immense Journey, Daniel Dennett's Darwin's Dangerous Idea, and Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us. There are classic essays ranging from J.B.S. Haldane's "On Being the Right Size" and Garrett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons" to Alan Turing's "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" and Albert Einstein's famed New York Times article on "Relativity." And readers will also discover lesser-known but engaging pieces such as Lewis Thomas's "Seven Wonders of Science," J. Robert Oppenheimer on "War and Physicists," and Freeman Dyson's memoir of studying under Hans Bethe.

Record details

ISBN: 9780199216802 :
ISBN: 0199216800
Physical Description: xviii, 419 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press, 2008.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

(Excerpts) -- Mysterious Universe / James Jeans -- Just Six Numbers / Martin Rees -- Creation Revisited / Peter Atkins -- Ant And The Peacock / Helena Cronin -- Genetical Theory Of Natural Selection / R. A. Fisher -- Mankind Evolving / Theodosius Dobzhansky -- Adaptation And Natural Selection / G. C. Williams -- Life Itself / Francis Crick -- Genome / Matt Ridley -- 'Theoretical Biology In The Third Millennium' / Sydney Brenner -- Language Of The Genes / Steve Jones -- 'On Being The Right Size' / J. B. S. Haldane -- Explanation Of Organic Diversity / Mark Ridley -- 'The Importance Of The Nervous System In The Evolution Of Animal Flight' / John Maynard Smith -- Man In The Universe / Fred Hoyle -- On Growth And Form / D'Arcy Thornpson -- Meaning Of Evolution / G. G. Simpson -- Trilobite! / Richard Fortey -- Mind Machine / Colin Blakemore -- Mirrors In Mind / Richard Gregory -- 'One Self: A Meditation On The Unlty Of Consciousness' / Nicholas Humphrey -- From The Language Instinct And How The Mind Works / Steven Pinker -- Rise And Fall Of The Third Chimpanzee / Jared Diamond -- Life Of The Robin / David Lack -- Curious Naturalists / Niko Tinbergen -- Social Evo Lution / Robert Trivers -- Open Sea / Alister Hardy -- Sea Around Us / Rachel Carson -- How Flowers Changed The World' / Loren Eiseley -- Diversity Of Life / Edward O. Wilson --

Expanding Universe / Arthur Eddington -- Foreword To G. H. Hardy's A Mathematician's Apology / C. P. Snow -- Disturbing The Universe / Freeman Dyson -- 'War And The Nations' / J. Robert Oppenheimer -- 'A Passion For Crystals' / Max F. Perutz -- 'Said Ryle To Hoyle' / Barbara Gamow and George Gamow -- 'Cancer's A Funny Thing' / J. B. S. Haldane -- Identity Of Man / Jacob Bronowski -- 'Science And Literature, 'Darwin's Illness, 'the Phenomenon Of Man, The Postscript To 'Lucky Jim, and 'D'arcy Thompson and Growth and Form' / Peter Medawar -- Self7made Man / Jonathan Kingdon -- Origins Reconsidered / Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin -- Lucy / Donald C.johanson and Maitland A. Edey -- 'Worm For A Century, And All Seasons' / Stephen Jay Gould -- Life Cycles / John Tyler Bonner -- Uncle Tungsten / Oliver Sacks -- 'Seven Wonders' / Lewis Thomas -- Avoid Boring People / James Watson -- What Mad Pursuit / Francis Crick -- Unnatural Nature Of Science / Lewis Wolpert -- Essays Of A Biologist / Julian Huxley -- 'Religion And Scjence' / Albert Einstein -- Demon-haunted World / Carl Sagan --

Character Of Physical Law / Richard Feynman -- Erwin Schrodinger From What Is Life? / Erwin Schrodinger -- Darwin's Dangerous Idea And Consciousness Explajned / Daniel Dennett -- Growth Of Biological Thought / Ernst Mayr -- 'The Tragedy Of The Commons' / Garrett Hardin -- Geometry For The Selfish Herd And Narrow Roads Of Geneland / W. D. Hamilton -- How Nature Works / Per Bak -- Fantastic Combinations Of John Conway's New Solitaire Game 'life' / Martin Gardner -- Mathematics For The Million / Lancelot Hogben -- Miraculous Jar / Ian Stewart -- Mathematical Theory Of Communication / Claude E. Shannon and Warren Weaver -- Computing Machinery And Intelligence / Alan Turing -- 'What Is The Theory Of Relatlvity?' / Albert Einstein -- Mr Tompkins / George Gamow -- Goldilocks Enigma / Paul Davies -- Time And Space Of Uncle Albert / Russell Stannard -- Elegant Universe / Brian Greene -- Brief History Of Time / Stephen Hawking --

Truth And Beauty / S. Chandrasekhar -- Mathematician's Apology / G. H. Hardy -- Dreams Of A Final Theory / Steven Weinberg -- Life Of The Cosmos / Lee Smolin -- Emperor's New Mind / Roger Penrose -- Godel, Escher, Bach: The Eternal Golden Braid / Douglas Hofstadter -- Geons, Black Holes, And Quantum Foam / John Archibald Wheeler and Kenneth Ford -- Fabric Of Reality / David Deutsch -- Periodic Table / Primo Levi -- Life: An Unauthorized Biography / Richard Fortey -- Meaning Of Evolution / George Gaylord Simpson -- Little Men And Flying Saucers / Loren Eiseley -- Pale Blue Dot / Carl Sagan