Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution

(Hardback)

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Description

Richard Dawkins on how nature and humans have learned to overcome the pull of gravity and take to the skies. 'A masterly investigation of all aspects of flight, human and animal... A beautifully produced book that will appeal across age groups' Alexander McCall Smith 'Dawkins has always been an extraordinarily muscular, persuasive thinker. What feels new here is that he writes with such charm and warmth' The Times Have you ever dreamt you could fly Or imagined what it would be like to glide and swoop through the sky like a bird Do you let your mind soar to unknown, magical spaces Richard Dawkins explores the wonder of flight: from the mythical Icarus, to the sadly extinct but spectacular bird Argentavis magnificens, from the Wright flyer and the 747, to the Tinkerbella fairyfly and the Peregrine falcon. But he also explores flights of the mind and escaping the everyday through science, ideas and imagination. Fascinating and beautifully illustrated, this is a unique collaboration between one of the world's leading scientists and a talented artist.

Reviews

Richard Dawkins writes with admirable clarity and Jana Lenzova illustrates in much the same way... A masterly investigation of all aspects of flight, human and animal. This is a beautifully produced book that will appeal across age groups' -- Alexander McCall-Smith
Dawkins writes with such an irresistible combination of mastery of the subject, delight in it, and vividness. A total pleasure -- Michael Frayn
Dawkins's prose feels as if it were cut with a laser ... Dawkins has always been an extraordinarily muscular, persuasive thinker. What feels new here is that he writes with such charm and warmth. Genial Uncle Richard, for me, is the most likeable Dawkins yet' * Sunday Times *
He has made Darwinism cooler than it has any right to be * Sunday Times *
PRAISE FOR RICHARD DAWKINS: 'Written with all the clarity and elegance of which Dawkins is a master. It should have a place in every school library especially in the library of every 'faith' school' Philip Pullman, on The God Delusion. 'One of the best non-fiction writers alive today' -- Steven Pinker

Author Bio

Richard Dawkins is one of the world's most eminent writers and thinkers. He is the award-winning author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The God Delusion and a string of other bestselling science books, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Society of Literature. Jana Lenzov born and raised in Bratislava, Slovakia, is an illustrator, translator and interpreter. After Jana had been commissioned to translate The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins into Slovak, she began contributing to his books as an illustrator.