This is a very good book which is both informative on the subject of genes themselves, but also serves as a kind of historical overview of changing ideas, and why they were discarded or affirmed.

Dawkins, as always, is given to digressions that could be considered by some, to be tedious. Even so, a bit of patients is rewarded well by way of learning.

All in all... Excellent.

this book is not light in content, so even though Dawkins does an exception job in explaining things with clarity, it is not for someone looking to kill a bit of time. Attention is required to get the most of this book.

Great read, but I didn't like the way the reader kept switching between Dawkins and Ward. Sometimes it seemed like they almost switched mid-sentence. I wish Dawkins has just read the whole thing.

I've enjoyed listening to this book tremendously. I'm totally new to this topic but still found it easy to understand. Can't wait to read (listen to) his other books.

Up there with the best, it puts what I have seen in nature into a context that allows greater understanding of why nature goes to extremes.

Some sections required a second listen, the understanding to flow is worth the effort.

Not that sort of book.

I could not listen to it in one sitting, it required concentration, but the quality of writing made the subject easier, it is great to feel comfortable with my level of understanding now, but I suspect very few people could get a good understanding in one sitting. Like a complex movie, the second time around is just as revealing as the first.

This is one of those special cases where the audiobook has features that are better than reading a printed book. This is an updated version (after more than 30 years) of an important and controversial work, and the newer revisions are read by a different narrator, so the newer material is always distinct from the original. The copious footnotes are read as they occur, so you hear them seamlessly in context, and without the constant page-flipping that is required if you read a print version. Both narrators are a pleasure to listen to, and since one of them is Dawkins himself you have the added pleasure of having the author speaking directly to you.

It brought clarity to my understanding of the beginnings and developments of life.
I would recommend this book to everyone.

The alternation between voices was a good way of adding notes
and breaking up sections clearly.
Both Dawkins and Ward have pleasant voices.

Dawkin's arrogance is matched only by his brilliance. I find it hard to listen to him, but his ideas are so compelling that you can't not listen. I decided to ignore his persona and stick with the content. This is a seminal book and should be viewed as a companion to the Origin of the Species. Dawkins lays out the framework of evolution through the unit of information called the gene (which has a special definition in this work--not quite what we think of as a "gene" today). I decided to read the Selfish Gene after reading James Gleick's wonderful book "The Information," which has a chapter that draws on Dawkin's theory in The Selfish Gene. While Gleick gives you the essential high points, there is no substitute for following Dawkins through his tight-nit, intellectually disciplined, and detailed support for his theory. I am glad I listened to this book, but it took more commitment than other science audiobooks. I suppose that is because unlike many books that try to popularize science or treat it as historical biography, The Selfish Gene is itself a scientific work in which Dawkins sets out his theory of the gene as the fundamental unit of evolution.

Well, I don't exactly know how to describe this book. It's profundity is beyond anything I am capable of putting into words. I basically had to listen to it two times because I needed to rewind it in order to grasp all of the rather complex ideas being shot out. I would say that I have an okay grasp of biology, but there are a whole lot of concepts that require a double take or a double listen because all of the ideas are so important. I must say however that if I had tried to read the book, I probably wouldn't have finished it because there are some boring and complex components, and I don't do all that well with reading stuff compared to listening. I would have fallen asleep after reading for five minutes. But it would be nice to have a picture reference for some of the stuff in the book. Maybe a 16 hour video narrative of the book with computer graphics demonstrating all of the concepts like the game theory stuff that would be appropriate and really help to understanding everything contained within this book. That would be a project. Heck that could comprise a college course on this subject. Really, to deeply understand all of the concepts that are touched on in this book you would probably need a college course or two on every chapter.

When I listened I got a sense of the rightness of evolutionary theory. This is why the book was so profound and life changing for me. The idea that life has evolved one little molecule at a time. Every little molecular change of a protein segment of DNA has caused the world to be what it is, is a profound idea, and this book explains this idea and all of the corresponding evidence so well that the truth becomes almost undeniable.

I don't know whether God exist or not. After reading this book a person comes to seriously doubt the existence or need for God. I don't suppose it really matters. The whole paradigm of the gene being the final determinant and driving force of life on earth simply is too good of an idea, as if there was any such thing, and in that sense the gene in all of its selfishness is God, but once the idea of a selfish gene takes hold of a persons mind it doesn't let go. That is why I say that this is the most important book I have ever read.

This is an interesting book on genes and evolution. Although I thought I knew about this kind of thing I still found I could learn some things. Most of the time I find authors disappointing as readers but Dawkins and Ward both read really well so it's a comfortable listen. I think this "edition" was particularly good with Dawkins' recent updates and reflections added in with the text.
My only disappointment was when I got to the final chapter. This is a summary of the later book The Extended Phenotype. He says that is the work he is most proud of and recommends to switch to that rather than just read the summary. I was looking forward to doing just that but discovered Extended Phenotype doesn't seem to have an audiobook yet. Bring it on!

Each chapter is full of brilliant ideas. The argumentation methods are state-of-the-art. Such a pleasure to listen to. WOW!!!

I quite liked the fact that Dawkins didn't rewrite the book for this edition but added footnotes and explanations. May take a couple minutes of listening to get used to this, but will be certainly worth it. This will give you a flavor of how science is made. And you will have a true genius as your guide.