The very scarce sequel to 'The Selfish Gene'

Dawkins, Richard ~ The Extended Phenotype : The Gene as the Unit of Selection

W. H. Freeman and Company, Oxford and San Francisco : 1982

The First UK Printing published by W. H. Freeman and Company, Oxford and San Francisco in 1982. Large 8vo., bright green boards lettered in silver to upper cover and spine, with ISBN to lower board; together in the original black and green printed wrapper; The BOOK is a near-fine, fresh copy, with a neat previous owner's name in ink to the front blank end-paper ; some light spots to the outer edges of text block and one very small stain to the final endpaper; in a fresh WRAPPER which is in Very Good++ or better condition with only minor toning and shelf-wear, and a small area of loss and rubbing to the upper front flap fold. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. In 1976, the controversial evolutionary biologist and fervent atheist Richard Dawkins published 'The Selfish Gene', in which he built upon George C. Williams’s theory of Natural Selection as a way of expressing a gene-centered view of evolution. The book rocketed Dawkins to fame, with this, his sequel, following six years later. In it, he introduces a new biological concept: arguing that phenotype (the set of observable characteristics of an organism) should not be limited simply to biological processes such as tissue growth, but extended out to include the effects that a gene has upon its environment, both inside and outside the body of an organism. Although primarily intended for professional biologists, it was Dawkins’s hope that the work could also be read by the layperson not well versed in evolutionary biology, and as such he includes a glossary of technical terms to the rear of the text. Despite this fact, it was still overtly technical both in tone and density, and therefore published in much smaller numbers than 'The Selfish Gene'. First editions in this condition, therefore, which have not been read or used in a practical setting, are becoming increasingly scarce. The Extended Phenotype is now considered to be one of Dawkins’s principal contributions to the field of evolutionary biology.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine
JACKET: Very Good++