In this hugely entertaining sequel to the New York Times bestselling
memoir An Appetite for Wonder, Richard Dawkins delves deeply into his
intellectual life spent kick-starting new conversations about science,
culture, and religion and writing yet another of the most audacious and
widely read books of the twentieth century--The God Delusion.
Called "one of the best nonfiction writers alive today" (Stephen Pinker)
and a "prize-fighter" (Nature), Richard Dawkins cheerfully,
mischievously, looks back on a lifetime of tireless intellectual
adventure and engagement. Exploring the halls of intellectual inquiry
and stardom he encountered after the publication of his seminal work,
The Selfish Gene; affectionately lampooning the world of academia,
publishing, and television; and studding the pages with funny stories
about the great men and women he's known, Dawkins offers a candid look
at the events and ideas that encouraged him to shift his attention to
the intersection of culture, religion, and science. He also invites the
reader to look more closely at the brilliant succession of ten
influential books that grew naturally out of his busy life, highlighting
the ideas that connect them and excavating their origins.
On the publication of his tenth book, the smash hit, The God Delusion,
a "resounding trumpet blast for truth" (Matt Ridley), Richard Dawkins
was catapulted from mere intellectual stardom into a circle of celebrity
thinkers dubbed, "The New Atheists"--including Christopher Hitchens, Sam
Harris, and Daniel Dennett.
Throughout A Brief Candle in the Dark, Dawkins shares with us his
infectious sense of wonder at the natural world, his enjoyment of the
absurdities of human interaction, and his bracing awareness of life's
brevity: all of which have made a deep imprint on our culture.
