Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution

Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution

by Richard Dawkins
Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution

Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution

by Richard Dawkins

Paperback

$17.99 
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Overview

Richard Dawkins on how nature and humans have learned to overcome the pull of gravity and take to the skies.

'A masterly investigation of all aspects of flight, human and animal... A beautifully produced book that will appeal across age groups' Alexander McCall Smith

'Dawkins has always been an extraordinarily muscular, persuasive thinker. What feels new here is that he writes with such charm and warmth' The Times

Have you ever dreamt you could fly? Or imagined what it would be like to glide and swoop through the sky like a bird? Do you let your mind soar to unknown, magical spaces? Richard Dawkins explores the wonder of flight: from the mythical Icarus, to the sadly extinct but spectacular bird Argentavis magnificens, from the Wright flyer and the 747, to the Tinkerbella fairyfly and the Peregrine falcon. But he also explores flights of the mind and escaping the everyday – through science, ideas and imagination. Fascinating and beautifully illustrated, this is a unique collaboration between one of the world's leading scientists and a talented artist.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781838937867
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 03/07/2023
Pages: 304
Product dimensions: 5.10(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range: 14 - 18 Years

About the Author

About The Author
Richard Dawkins is one of the world's most eminent writers and thinkers. He is the award-winning author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The God Delusion and a string of other bestselling science books, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Society of Literature.

Jana Lenzová born and raised in Bratislava, Slovakia, is an illustrator, translator and interpreter. After Jana had been commissioned to translate The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins into Slovak, she began contributing to his books as an illustrator.
Richard Dawkins is one of the world's most eminent writers and thinkers. He is the award-winning author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The God Delusion and a string of other bestselling science books, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Society of Literature.

Jana Lenzová born and raised in Bratislava, Slovakia, is an illustrator, translator and interpreter. After Jana had been commissioned to translate The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins into Slovak, she began contributing to his books as an illustrator.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Dreams of Flying 3

Chapter 2 What is Flight Good for? 12

Chapter 3 If Flying is so Great, Why do Some Animals Lose Their Wings? 47

Chapter 4 Flying is Easy if You Are Small 72

Chaster 5 If You Must Be Large and Fly, Increase Your Surface Area Out of Proportion 89

Chapter 6 Unpowered Flight: Parachuting and Gliding 106

Chapter 7 Powered Flight and How it Works 123

Chapter 8 Powered Flight in Animals 144

Chapter 9 Be Lighter Than Air 173

Chapter 10 Weightlessness 193

Chapter 11 Aerial Plankton 203

Chapter 12 'Wings' for Plants 215

Chapter 13 Differences Between Evolved and Designed Flying Machines 235

Chapter 14 What is the Use of Half a Wing? 251

Chapter 15 The Outward Urge: Beyond Flying 273

About the Author & Illustrator 284

Acknowledgements 286

Picture Credits 287

Index 288

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