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A first printing of the true first edition, published in 1976. The book was soon reprinted with corrections in the same year, and again in 1977 and copies of the first printing are now quite scarce. ***Very good in black cloth-covered boards, with gilt titles to the spine. The gilt is still beautifully bright, having been protected by the dustwrapper. The boards are clean and unmarked, with just some light creasing at the top and tail of the spine. No other bumps or creases. Corners sharp. The edges of the page block are quite heavily foxed, but hardly affecting the interior pages - just a few spots in the fore-edge margins. Internally the book is also very good, with the original owner's name 'P. D. Morant' in ink at the top of the front free endpaper. A loosely inserted postcard mentions that the owner was Environmental Scientist Patricia Digby Morant. No creases or tears to the pages. ***In a near fine dustwrapper, with the fabulous wraparound surrealistic illustration taken from the painting 'The Expectant Valley' by Desmond Morris. The dustwrapper has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of £2.95 net, and is complete, with hardly any faults. No chips, tears or creasing, and none of the usual fading to the colour on the spine. Dustwrapper bright and clean. ***224 pages including a Bibliography, Index and Key to bibliography at the back of the book. 222mm x 140mm. ***'Richard Dawkins FRS FRSL (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. An atheist, he is well known for his criticism of creationism and intelligent design. Dawkins first came to prominence with his 1976 book "The Selfish Gene", which popularised the gene-centred view of evolution and introduced the term meme. With his book "The Extended Phenotype" (1982), he introduced into evolutionary biology the influential concept that the phenotypic effects of a gene are not necessarily limited to an organism's body, but can stretch far into the environment. In 2006, he founded the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. In "The Selfish Gene", the author builds upon the principal theory of George C. Williams's "Adaptation and Natural Selection" (1966). Dawkins uses the term "selfish gene" as a way of expressing the gene-centred view of evolution (as opposed to the views focused on the organism and the group), popularising ideas developed during the 1960s by W. D. Hamilton and others. From the gene-centred view, it follows that the more two individuals are genetically related, the more sense (at the level of the genes) it makes for them to behave cooperatively with each other.' [Wiki] ***'Four thousand million years ago molecules with the power to make copies of themselves first appeared in the sea. What was the fate of these ancient replicators? They did not die out: they are masters of the survival arts. But do not look for them floating loose in the sea; they gave up that cavalier freedom long ago. Now they swarm in huge colonies, safe inside gigantic lumbering robots, manipulating the outside world by remote control. They are in all of us; they created us, body and mind; and their preservation is the sole reason for our existence. They have come a long way, those replicators. Now they go by the name of genes, and we are their survival machines.' (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper) ***A true first printing of this most famous work of genetic science, in the original near fine dustwrapper. Richard Dawkins' first published book. Scarce now in the first printing, especially in such a nicely preserved dustwrapper! ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.
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