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Hello and welcome to Spectator's Book Club podcast. I'm Sam Leith, the literary editor for The Spectator.

And this week I'm very pleased indeed to be joined by Professor Richard Dawkins, whose new book is called Books Do Furnish a Life, Reading and Writing Science. And it's a collection of his essays, some interviews,

reviews, are sort of miscellaneous pieces. But it feels like it has a shape, Richard. I'm

interested in asking you about the shape of this book. You've sort of put it in five chunks.

What was the thought behind that? Well, I have to pay tribute to Gillian Somerskales, who actually did the editing of it.

She did the editing into chunks.

I mean, I'm all for it. I approve of what she's done.

But it was her thinking, not mine, and I shouldn't claim credit for it.

As you said, the book is somewhat miscellaneous, but it is all about books.

Unlike my previous collection, which was called Science in the Soul, which was past essays

of a more general nature, this one is pretty much concerned about books, forwards,

reviews, afterwards, that kind of thing. Plus, as you said, these additional

interviews, conversations with people. Obviously, you know, reading and writing science,

I'd start by talking about writing science. What is it, do you think, that makes science writing,

particularly science writing, addressed to a general audience of the sort that you've spent a lot of time on.

What is it that makes it work and what are the, you know, what are you aiming to achieve and what are the sort of limitations of the form?

What are the difficulties you face?

I think science is inherently fascinating and so we need to be clear we need to sell science as being

something wonderful and something really terrific that's something marvelous that people should

...