The Magic of Reality

How We Know What's Really True

By: Richard Dawkins

Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward

Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Richard Dawkins, the world’s most famous evolutionary biologist, presents a gorgeously lucid, science book examining some of the nature’s most fundamental questions both from a mythical and scientific perspective.

Science is our most precise and powerful tool for making sense of the world. Before we developed the scientific method, we created rich mythologies to explain the unknown. The pressing questions that primitive men and women asked are the same ones we ask as children. Who was the first person? What is the sun? Why is there night and day? The myths that address these questions are beautiful, but in every case their beauty is exceeded by the scientific truth.

With characteristic clarity and verve, Dawkins answers these big questions. Looking first at some of the myths that arose to answer the question, he then, dazzles us with the facts. He looks at the building blocks of matter, the first humans, the sun - explaining the life and death of stars; why there’s a night and a day - ranging from our solar system to the inner workings of our planet; what a rainbow really is—going from the rainbow in your backyard to the age of the universe; and finally, he poses a question that still baffles scientists: When did everything begin?

©2011 Richard Dawkins, Ltd. (P)2011 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"I wanted to write this book but I wasn't clever enough. Now I've read it, I am." (Ricky Gervais)

“Exhilarating. The clearest and most beautifully written introduction to science I've ever read. Again and again I found myself saying 'Oh! So that's how genes work!' (or stars, or tectonic plates, or all the other things he explains). Explanations I thought I knew were clarified; things I never understood were made clear for the first time. My favourite adjective of praise has always been "clear", and this book has clarity all the way through.” (Philip Pullman, author of The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ and the His Dark Materials trilogy)

I am often asked to recommend good books on science for young people. From now on, I will not have to hesitate. The Magic of Reality provides a beautiful, accessible and wide ranging volume that addresses the questions that all of us have about the universe, separating often too-little known facts from too-frequently believed fictions. For this reason it should be a powerful resource for people of all ages, written with the masterful and eloquently literate style of perhaps the best popular expositor of science, Richard Dawkins, and delightfully illustrated by Dave McKean. What more could anyone ask for?” (Lawrence Krauss is Foundation Professor and Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University and the author most recently of Quantum Man, and A Universe from Nothing)

Built for beginners, but a great summary for the rest of us!

A great summary of some of the most scientifically astounding discoveries we've made over the years, and the myths that came before our true explanations.

Seems to be written for people unfamiliar with many scientific concepts or younger audiences, but it's a great review for those who might already have a general understanding of these concepts - Dawkins is always good at putting things into perspective with a different way of looking at something!

EASY LISTENING OF BASIC KNOWLEDGE

If you could sum up The Magic of Reality in three words, what would they be?

Essential Easy Interesting

Any additional comments?

Dawkins and Ward are good readers and they work very well as a team. Dawkins's writings are all stimulating and you can always find food for thought, even in basic just above high school knowledge as the one that is in this book. I recommend it to young listeners or to curious people who are not familiar with science.

A Real Way to Understand our Magical World

Where does The Magic of Reality rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

For non-fiction audiobooks I've listened to I would have to rank this one toward the top. I truly enjoyed it and never really found a spot where I became bored or just forced my way through listening to it. A minor thing that bothered me was that there were at least a dozen times where a topic would be mentioned only for the narrator to say something along the lines of "we will get to that in a later chapter." For some reason it just seemed like he brought it up so many times that it got annoying. This was just a minor thing and entirely tolerable since the main content of the book was fun and engaging.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Magic of Reality?

I can't pick a particular moment, but I enjoyed how most chapters started out

What about Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward ’s performance did you like?

I am always a fan when the author of a book narrates it to me. I thought both performed well although I thought when Lalla Ward would kind of just step in and start talking it would throw me off a little bit. I would have preferred to just have Richard Dawkins narrate everything.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Real Science for Magic Secrets

Any additional comments?

I've never read or listened to book by Richard Dawkins but it seems like this one was a great book to get a taste of what he is about. I will likely be trying out some of his other books.

Worth a listen

I liked it. it didnt blow me away or open my eyes to anything new... but I liked it.

Wonderful book detailing the magic of reality

The book does an excellent job showing the beauty of the world around us. It's appropriate as an introduction to science and scientific theory, but also a refreshing recap for adults revisiting science years after school.

A Dawkins Book.....FOR KIDS

I mean this book is "for kids" in the best way possible, because I would actually buy it for MY kid. It's good for adults too, but pretty much sums up Dawkins' other books. I always feel a few IQ points smarter when I read his books. This one makes GREAT analogies that allows the listener to easily understand some of the more complicated subjects. Highly recommend for anyone new to Dawkins.

Nothing new here

Any additional comments?

I'll disclaim that I only read about half the book, giving it a solid try because I've liked other books by Dawkins. But this just had nothing that interesting or new for someone with a even cursory science education.

sharp, smart, and sometimes funny

Where does The Magic of Reality rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a very informative explanation of basic scientific principles and some theory. The examples and explanations are memorable. I can't wait to explain why we will never find the base of a rainbow.

Any additional comments?

If you are committed to a religious interpretation of nature you will likely bristle at the author's insistence that all myths and legends be regarded equally. This is a even-handed analysis of supernatural explanations for reality and those who cling to the miraculous will probably have difficulty with it.

A new Myth - Dawkins could explain the ineffible!

Would you listen to The Magic of Reality again? Why?

Yes! To help my grand-children understand so much in a most delightful way.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Is it coincidence that

Have you listened to any of Richard Dawkins, and Lalla Ward’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. Their delivery is impeccable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I pursue Truth and Beauty and within this fascinating book, I discovered both. My definition of God is that which inspires awe. The Universe is indeed awesome in the extreme!

Any additional comments?

I read this book cover to cover today, soon after buying it. It is a

The science is basic.

the point of how to understand the universe religious beliefs vs evidence base science is over repeated.