Born to parents who were enthusiastic naturalists, and linked through his wider family to a clutch of accomplished scientists, the author was bound to have biology in his genes. But what were the influences that shaped his life? This book tells his personal journey.

Richard Dawkins is the worlds most famous atheist and evolutionary biologist. He is an undimmed firebrand for the cause of atheism and award winning science writer whose books, in the words of the New York Times, make the reader feel like a genius. His first book, The Selfish Gene, called the best work of popular science ever written by the New York Review of Books, caused a seismic shift in the study of evolutionary biology by proffering the gene-centric view of evolution. This was not only a paradigm shattering look at genetics, but a book that, since its publication in 1976, has sold more than a million copies around the world, and completely transformed the landscape of genetic research. The Selfish Gene also coined the term meme, a unit of cultural evolution, which has itself become a mainstay in contemporary culture. Then in 2006, Dawkins transformed the worlds cultural and intellectual landscape once again with The God Delusion, a takedown of religious faith, which has sold millions of copies around the world — nearly one million in the United States alone. He has since used his celebrity to further the cause of secular thought and provoke public debate. In this, his first memoir, characterized by Dawkins trademark vicious wit and dazzling eloquence, he tells the fascinating story of how this hugely influential man learned to think, to ask questions, and to forge great ideas. From his idyllic childhood in colonial Kenya to the raucous debates at Berkeley and Oxford, Dawkins shares here, for the first time, the details of his intellectual awakening and the thrilling path to the creation of The Selfish Gene.

Magic takes many forms. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting that the goddess Nut swallowed the sun. The Vikings believed a rainbow was the gods' bridge to earth. The Japanese used to explain earthquakes by conjuring a gigantic catfish that carried the world on its back — and earthquakes occurred each time it flipped its tail. These are magical, extraordinary tales. But there is another kind of magic, which lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions. It is the magic of reality — science. Packed with inspiring explanations of space, time, evolution and clever thought experiments, The Magic of Reality explains a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena. What is stuff made of? How old is the universe? What causes tsunamis? Who was the first man, or woman? This is a page-turning, inspirational detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist too. In this special text-only edition of the original colour illustrated hardback, Richard Dawkins' own inimitable clarity and exuberance can be especially appreciated as he elucidates the wonders of the natural world to all ages.

How could such an intricate object as the human eye — so complex and so precise — have come about by chance? In this masterful piece of popular science, Richard Dawkins builds a powerful and carefully reasoned argument for evolutionary adaptation as the force behind all life on earth. The metaphor of 'Mount Improbable' represents the combination of perfection and improbability that we find in the seemingly 'designed' complexity of living things. And through it all runs the thread of DNA, the molecule of life, responsible for its own destiny on an unending pilgrimage through time. Evocative illustrations accompany Dawkins' eloquent descriptions of astonishing adaptations in the living world.