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Richard Dawkins
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The Selfish Gene First Edition

by Richard Dawkins (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 52 ratings
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There is a newer edition of this item:

The Selfish Gene: 40th Anniversary Edition (Oxford Landmark Science)
The Selfish Gene: 40th Anniversary Edition (Oxford Landmark Science)
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The Selfish Gene
Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0199291152
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0198575191
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 1976
  6. Language
    English
  7. Print length
    224 pages
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 019857519X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (January 1, 1976)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199291152
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198575191
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 52 ratings

About the author

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Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins

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Richard Dawkins taught zoology at the University of California at Berkeley and at Oxford University and is now the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, a position he has held since 1995. Among his previous books are The Ancestor's Tale, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, and A Devil's Chaplain. Dawkins lives in Oxford with his wife, the actress and artist Lalla Ward.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
52 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2022
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I understand why my wife who has a big and me who has a tiny family have issues
One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars take time to concentrate and think about Dawkin's concepts...wow
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2019
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Opened up a new way of thinking and seeing the world and our tiny place in it...
Idea that the DNA inside each cell is evolution.. Not the outward body ...
Everything is at a quantum level of energy and beingness.....It's a challenge to
comprehend and understand...Helpful in eliminating one's giant ego !!
2 people found this helpful
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Mel C.
5.0 out of 5 stars classic book and good read for everyone
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2020
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bought this for a gift.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The Selfish Gene
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2017
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Book arrived within date range, in right condition (even better than expected), and overall was as ordered. Great experience; thanks!
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Phillip A Conklin
5.0 out of 5 stars Replicators!
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2016
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Chapter 2 allowed me to truly understand evolution and life in general. Great chapter!
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Junkbondman
1.0 out of 5 stars Bad condition. Old and yellowed
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2020
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Book very old and yellowed. Would not have bought

Not worth returning. Waste of time.
One person found this helpful
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hizzle230
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2016
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Nice
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Nishka
3.0 out of 5 stars Time to retire
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2018
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So I had to read this for my Moral Development class. And I suppose if you're just reading to find out what a breakthrough evolutionary theory looked like 50 years ago, then it's a good read. Don't get me wrong, this book was brilliant in its time, and it's likely to entertain you. However, nothing is ever as simple as Dawkins tries to make it out to be, evolution least of all. Gene-driven evolution is, to this day, considered to be an umbrella all other evolution research must fall under, and that is the crux of the problem. Some of the more recent research involving gene expression, has to work much harder than it should, in order to fall under this umbrella. Worse, genuine breakthroughs like Masatoshi Nei's "Mutation Driven Evolution" will often get sidelined because Dawkins presented mutation as secondary to natural selection. It's hard to take this book at face value when you discover research that presents locusts and a dozen species of grasshoppers having exactly the same genetic material, expressing itself differently solely based on serotonin levels. It's even harder to take it seriously when he claims that we must teach our children altruism, for it is certainly not to be found in their genetic material. To a scientist, these types of proclamations are ghastly. There is no experiment that has been performed, or can be performed, that would validate such a claim. Just because we haven't discovered an empathy gene, this can't be a proof of its nonexistence. Dawkins builds his work on scientists who came before him, drawing heavily and often on their research when it suits him. When it doesn't, such as Mendel's experiments with manipulating traits of bees and his inadvertent creation of a vicious breed that he had to exterminate, Dawkins conveniently ignores the obvious. He saves himself, more than once, by specifying that his theories are not meant to be applied to human beings, However, his language makes it clear that this is something he'd intended, before validity and reliability of his statements got in the way.

All in all, my frustration is mainly with the insistence of treating this book as anything other than what it is. A brilliant work from 50 years ago that is long past its due date, and still being peddled to those who need a simple explanation of evolution, one where little science is needed. And David Dobbs rightly called it out: "The gene-centric model survives because simplicity is a hugely advantageous trait for an idea to possess."
73 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

lecrust
5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest book since The Origin of Species
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2012
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The most thought provoking book I have ever read. This should be taught in all schools. Dawkins arguments are clear and easily understood. It is not an exaggeration to say that it has changed my perception of the world around me. I have now read all Dawkins books. I would also recommend (particularly for people new to popular science) his latest book The Magic of Reality. He is a truly inspirational person who works tirelessly to defeat ignorance and has helped many people to cast the dogma of religious mumbo jumbo.
4 people found this helpful
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Palmer Eldritch
1.0 out of 5 stars Very poor
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2023
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Book not as described, was a paper back not the hardcover first edition as advertised.
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