Narration: excellent, the switching between Richard and Lalla keeps the story fresh. They both understand what they read and have nice voices to listen to.

Story: science explained, and although this book is from 1976, endnotes from 1989 and 2011 update some aspects based on current insights. But they are rare, indicating the truth and value of the original work.

This book outlines why genes are the ultimate survivors, and all organisms mainly vehicles for the protection, survival en reproduction of genes. That this leads to a multifaceted world in which even behavior can be explained scientifically, is desribed wonderfully.

Well worth the read if you are interested in understanding the origins and perpetuation of life.

It is among the best.

I thought the use of the game theory to understand evolution was very revealing. Also the idea that whenever altruism shows up, there is selfishness to take advantage of it.

Both are great readers and are just fun to listen to.

I think the idea of tit for tat as the most successful strategy in evolution.

I highly recommend this book.

i didn't expect to be so grossly engaged in a scientific book when i chose this one. but Dawkins writing and narration set an exciting, satisfying unfolding of concepts from the simple to the complex. it's hard to fault this book (except for maybe the discomfort it make cause the more the religious-inclined).

To hear excerpts and end notes in Dawkin's own voice leads this audiobook to be even more engaging than mere reading alone. To hear him discuss things he wish he could change after 30 years since the book's original publication or that he is glad he did not change when he originally wrote the book made this listen extraordinarily enjoyable.

I recall being very excited after I listened to The Blind Watchmaker (last year I think) and very much looking forward to re-visiting this book. After all, it was this book that sparked the debate about evolution that has flared for decades, now. I think I got too excited.
By the time I listened to this production, the novelty of the Dawkinses' reading of Richard Dawkins' text didn't have the same sparkle for me. In fact, I thought the exchange of his and Lalla Ward's voices wasn't used enough (as opposed to my view about it when employed in The Blind Watchmaker). There was more than one occasion that I was not sure if I was in the 1989 footnote or back in the original text. I had to check the hardcopy more than once. Still, Dawkins' reading is infectious in its enthusiasm and it is hard to fault Lalla Ward's lovely voice.
Also, because of the many advances since the book was first published in the mid '70s and since I first read it in the mid 1980's, some of the original thesis seemed a bit dated. Of course that can hardly be laid at the author's door. It would be unfair indeed to accuse him of being too successful in the promotion of debate, investigation and the development of his Darwinian based theories. I guess I (unfairly) expected the book to have evolved, too.
In one way, the book has evolved. The two new (to me at least) Chapters, particularly the last one, came as a very pleasant surprise. They have provoked me to go in search of The Extended Phenotype. I can't find it in Audible (I understand it is quite long - 300+ pages - from the Amazon reference), but it really seems very interesting if the last Chapter is a fair precise of its content. I look forward to its addition to Audible's collection!
In summary, if you haven't read Dawkins before, you might want to skip this seminal work and move to the more recent writings, many of which summarise this book. I enjoyed it because I enjoy the way Dawkins writes, reasons and argues a case. You don't have to agree with his argument, but you need to be particular dull not to understand it. For me it remains a classic treatment of his basic arguments. It was worth the re-listening and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to study good argumentative writing and wants to understand something about natural selection.

I have several people that recommended reading this book. I am glad I listened to it. Great book.

I didn't realize the book was decades old. Even the update is the 80's. A lot has changed in this field.

The book doesn't agree with many of my priors (beliefs, assumptions, etc.) about the world but I found the arguments pretty insightful and compelling. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the author (and he is as committed a Darwinist as they come), it is well worth the read even though I found it's implications to be somewhat depressing. I would have liked to think that elephants, trees, humans, etc. are more than just an efficient mechanism to propagate elephant, tree, and human DNA.

Author states that any philosophy of man's place in the universe before Darwin's 1859 "Origin of Species" will be incomplete. The book fully supports that statement. His metaphors for understanding genes and evolution are the best you'll ever come across. He explains the science so that even I can understand it.

I warn you, if you listen to this Dawkins book, you will listen to all of his others. I have and I am much wiser for it.

Truly mind altering

None other. It stands alone in any field related to this subject matter. Other books may well be compared to it, however...

This narration is excellent. The use of alternating narrators is very helpful when switching from primary text, to footnotes, to updated revision notes, etc.

This was my first Dawkins book. I have since begun to search out and listen to others. His clear thinking and deep insight make any topic, even one with which I am modestly familiar, even more interesting.