In the original dust jacket. Cream cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

We provide an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available

• Note: This book carries a £5.00 discount to those that subscribe to the F.B.A. mailing list 

For conditions, please view the photographs.

Magic takes many forms. Supernatural magic is what our ancestors used in order to explain the world before they developed the scientific method. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting the goddess Nut swallowed the sun. The Vikings believed a rainbow was the gods’ bridge to earth. The Japanese used to explain earthquakes by conjuring a gigantic catfish that carried the world on its back—earthquakes occurred each time it flipped its tail. These are magical, extraordinary tales. But there is another kind of magic, and it lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions. It is the magic of reality—science. Packed with clever thought experiments, dazzling illustrations and jaw-dropping facts, The Magic of Reality explains a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena. What is stuff made of? How old is the universe? Why do the continents look like disconnected pieces of a puzzle? What causes tsunamis? Why are there so many kinds of plants and animals? Who was the first man, or woman? This is a page-turning, graphic detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist as well.

Review: Dawkins here seeks to enthuse young minds about science: not only with its discoveries but as an approach to the world that is far more thrilling and fascinating – not to say productive – than the idle stories and easy answers of myth and religion. Indeed, it is inherently an encouragement to learn and to challenge one’s intellect, rather than to remain ignorant. Each chapter addresses a question about the world: What are things made of? What is a rainbow? Dawkins commences in each case by recounting myths from around the world. He acknowledges that these stories are enjoyable and interesting, but he does not need to work hard to show their inadequacies as explanations. (Dawkins bundles in the myths of current religions with those of ancient or ‘minor’ ones, which is perfectly legitimate, if a tad mischievous; but he does not hammer the reader over the head with that angle: the word “atheist”, for instance, does not appear.)

Then follows the scientific view of the phenomenon in question, carefully and clearly articulated. Although generally well pitched for an audience entering their teenage years, his prose is sometimes a little demanding:

“The Chumash people believed that they were created on their island (it obviously wasn’t called Santa Cruz then, because that is a Spanish name) from the seeds of a magic plant by the Earth goddess Hutash, who was married to the Sky Snake (what we know as the Milky Way, which you can see on a really dark night in the country, but not if you live in a town where there is too much light pollution).” Somebody should have told him not to squeeze two or three sentences into one! Such lapses are rare, however, and the text is a thoroughly engaging read. Of course, it’s only half the story. It scarcely does justice to Dave McKean’s contribution here to say that he “illustrated” The Magic Of Reality: he has designed the book from cover to cover, winding the text in and out of the art, playing visual games, creating pictures in ethnic styles corresponding to the cultures whose myths are under discussion, and eloquently illustrating the scientific ideas. Admirable as the text is, it would form a far less lively book without this consummate, diverse and colourful graphic enrichment. Putting both together, this is a splendid celebration. It may be an unusually large slab of non-fiction for the average teenager, but those with the appetite for it will be amply rewarded.

Richard Dawkins, the world’s most famous evolutionary biologist and one of science education’s most passionate advocates, has spent his career elucidating the wonders of science for adult readers. But now, in a dramatic departure, he has teamed up with acclaimed artist Dave McKean and used his unrivaled explanatory powers to share the magic of science with readers of all ages. This is a treasure trove for anyone who has ever wondered how the world works. Dawkins and McKean have created an illustrated guide to the secrets of our world—and the universe beyond—that will entertain and inform for years to come.

Dave McKean has illustrated and designed many award-winning comics and books as well as CD covers, a Broadway musical, and creatures for the Harry Potter films.