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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
This book is the perfect introduction to science for younger readers--perhaps 9-15 years old. Since I found it in the adult nonfiction section of my library, I assumed it was interesting to older readers too. And it was, but it clearly wasn't written for adults, and now I can only suspect it was shelved where its intended audience wouldn't have access to it due to its author. It was very interesting, but there wasn't much new for me.
It's worth a read anyhow--there were a few tidbits of information I hadn't heard elsewhere, Dawkins' writing is enjoyable, and McKean's illustrations are absolutely beautiful and well worth the cover price on their own. I'm sad I have to give the book back to the library, because I'd love to own such a beautiful book. Most chapters started with a set of myths; these were very interesting, and I hadn't heard many of them. The science is, of course, the more beautiful explanation for everything in the book. Get it for yourself if you're interested in refreshing your science knowledge (or mythological knowledge, for that matter), but otherwise leave it to the older children and younger teenagers.
I enjoyed the science parts, but would have enjoyed it more without all the myths and digs on religion.
An excellent 'family book'. The app of the book, which contains the full text and interactive elements, is a fabulous means to engage older elementary and middle school children in scientific thinking. With emphasis on logic and seeking evidence to understand our reality, Dawkins offers a pragmatic look at a variety of topics, which include evolution, the seasons, light, etc.
While I enjoyed this book and it was well done because it's Dawkins, it clearly wasn't intended for me. In fact, the audience for this book seems to be people with shockingly little education as almost all the information contained in it is stuff a person should learn by the end of high school, stuff like "what is an earthquake?", "what is a rainbow?", the basics of evolution and gravity and other stuff like that. The fact that this book has to exist at all for adults is quite sad.
When I first started this it seemed like a repeat of his last two books, then the subjects broadened. Each chapter introduced with mythological explanations of the topic, rainbows, evolution, earthquakes, seasons, and then the reality of it is explained. I listened to the audio version read by Richard and his wife Lala, I'd like to flip through the hard copy to see the illustrations.
I didn't know I would love it, but I loved it. Richard Dawkins absolutely convinced me that the truth is just as magical as fiction; that science can be just as awe-inspiring as myths and legends.
Let me begin by saying that I did not, to my knowledge, read the best edition of the book. The edition I read was a small mass-market paperback, and Dave McKean's doubtlessly beautiful artwork was reduced to smudged greyscale thumbnails that would not have done justice to Martínez's Ecce Homo. It is the only major flaw I can find in the book.
The Magic of Reality is written for a pre-teen audience, which is reflected in the language. However, the simple, handholding approach works for an older reader as well, especially in the case of some of the more complex concepts.
Here, Dawkins walks the reader through such myriad basic science topics as evolution, genetics, the change of seasons and motion of the planets. Most of the content was already familiar to me, but I am not a scientist, so even there my understanding was deepened. To me, the big thing in the book was the explanation of the function of the spectroscope, redshifting and how the date of the Big Bang was arrived to. Fascinating stuff.
Dawkins also displays humility in the occasional admission that this or that thing is outside of his area of expertise and even he does not understand it. Quantum physics springs to mind. However, he commits a significant linguistic gaffe by listing the languages of Romansch, Galician, Occitan and Catalan as dialects, which is linguistically suspect and comes with enough political baggage to choke a horse. Hell, Romansch is an official language in Switzerland, fulfilling even the armey un flot definition. Not much of a flot, admittedly, but it exists.
Each chapter of the book opens with a series of mythical tales from around the world, illustrating the history of attempts to explain where we come from, where we're going, or what's that big shiny thing up there in the sky. These are occasionally interesting, but by and large, it is my feeling that Dawkins is at his best when he stays out of the humanities and in the hard sciences, where his expertise lies.
All told, The Magic of Reality is a quick, entertaining and educational read. Just get the full-colour edition, because doing this to Dave McKean is a crime against art.
The Magic of Reality is written for a pre-teen audience, which is reflected in the language. However, the simple, handholding approach works for an older reader as well, especially in the case of some of the more complex concepts.
Here, Dawkins walks the reader through such myriad basic science topics as evolution, genetics, the change of seasons and motion of the planets. Most of the content was already familiar to me, but I am not a scientist, so even there my understanding was deepened. To me, the big thing in the book was the explanation of the function of the spectroscope, redshifting and how the date of the Big Bang was arrived to. Fascinating stuff.
Dawkins also displays humility in the occasional admission that this or that thing is outside of his area of expertise and even he does not understand it. Quantum physics springs to mind. However, he commits a significant linguistic gaffe by listing the languages of Romansch, Galician, Occitan and Catalan as dialects, which is linguistically suspect and comes with enough political baggage to choke a horse. Hell, Romansch is an official language in Switzerland, fulfilling even the armey un flot definition. Not much of a flot, admittedly, but it exists.
Each chapter of the book opens with a series of mythical tales from around the world, illustrating the history of attempts to explain where we come from, where we're going, or what's that big shiny thing up there in the sky. These are occasionally interesting, but by and large, it is my feeling that Dawkins is at his best when he stays out of the humanities and in the hard sciences, where his expertise lies.
All told, The Magic of Reality is a quick, entertaining and educational read. Just get the full-colour edition, because doing this to Dave McKean is a crime against art.
I really enjoyed reading this. Between the myths and the scientific information that Dawkins provides, this book was extremely informative. Dave McKean's illustrations are amazing as well - they're partly why I bought the book to begin with. Every page is engaging and makes reading this that much more fun.
I have a few of Dawkin’s books and I’m glad I started with this one: if I’d have read it after others (which seem a lot more in depth and aimed at a more adult audience) I think I would’ve found this less engaging.
The Magic of Reality is an amuse-bouche of the main pillars of scientific discovery whilst at the same time a fervent debunker of mythologies and faux-sciences propagated by religious and science fiction tendencies of human society.
This particular version is an illustrated copy by Dave Mackean and I’d like to state emphatically that illustrated non-fiction books are wonderful things (despite artistic license here occasionally spilling over into unnecessary illustrations). Most drawings enhanced the reading of the book however and created a useful visualisation of key concepts. As I’ve already alluded to, the level of science is perhaps more suited to a younger audience but it was still a decent read and overview of the main discoveries of our small time here on Earth. Being devoutly non-religious I was a bit surprised to feel that the underlining of the fallacies of beliefs to describe phenomena, was a little too insistent but Dawkins is a passionate scientist and exponent of critical thought and if this is indeed for younger readers, a message to question everything one is told, is not a bad thing. (For a great read on this topic of the importance of critical thought incidentally, Carl Sagan’s ‘Demon Haunted World’ is incredible.) All in all, ‘The Magic of Reality’ did it’s job and gets a 3/5.
The Magic of Reality is an amuse-bouche of the main pillars of scientific discovery whilst at the same time a fervent debunker of mythologies and faux-sciences propagated by religious and science fiction tendencies of human society.
This particular version is an illustrated copy by Dave Mackean and I’d like to state emphatically that illustrated non-fiction books are wonderful things (despite artistic license here occasionally spilling over into unnecessary illustrations). Most drawings enhanced the reading of the book however and created a useful visualisation of key concepts. As I’ve already alluded to, the level of science is perhaps more suited to a younger audience but it was still a decent read and overview of the main discoveries of our small time here on Earth. Being devoutly non-religious I was a bit surprised to feel that the underlining of the fallacies of beliefs to describe phenomena, was a little too insistent but Dawkins is a passionate scientist and exponent of critical thought and if this is indeed for younger readers, a message to question everything one is told, is not a bad thing. (For a great read on this topic of the importance of critical thought incidentally, Carl Sagan’s ‘Demon Haunted World’ is incredible.) All in all, ‘The Magic of Reality’ did it’s job and gets a 3/5.