Will We Ever Speak Dolphin? by Mick O'Hare
| Will We Ever Speak Dolphin? by Mick O'Hare | |
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| Category: Popular Science | |
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Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
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| Summary: Another brilliant offering from New Scientist, bringing fascinating questions and answers to every interested person. Highly recommended as a stimulating treat, or as a Christmas present for anyone with half a brain. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 224 | Date: October 2012 |
| Publisher: Profile | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1781250266 | |
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The annual New Scientist book is becoming a bit of a ritual for me, and I hope it is for you too. Each year, they collate the best questions and answers from their Last Word column, and each year I heartily recommend that you pick it up, or give it to someone as a Christmas present. This year is no exception, as we find out whether we'll ever speak dolphin, all the ins and outs of James Bond's vodka martini, and - most importantly - detailed information from a dishwasher expert about how to deal with tinned spinach.
Will We Ever Speak Dolphin? feels like an old friend. Having read the previous offerings, you'll be picking up where you left off, with more of the same. The quest for knowledge continues, and the answers (many offered by Jon Richfield, Somerset West, South Africa) are informed, informative and varied. It's interestingly written and smartly collated. It's pitched at anyone with an intellectual curiosity - never stuffy or dense, but equally never dumbed down.
If you've not yet discovered the joys of these Last Word books, you can pick up Will We Ever Speak Dolphin? and then work backwards. Each is absolutely fine as a standalone offering, but put them together on your bookshelf and you'll have a delightful collection of stimulating trivia. I'd heartily recommend them to anyone with even a passing interest in the workings of our world.
Looking ahead to Christmas, Will We Ever Speak Dolphin? makes for a great present for that awkward relative who you're not quite sure what to get. It's a high quality read, and something they'll happily dip into as they digest their overindulgence, whilst being broad enough to tick a fair few of their boxes, whatever their area of interest might be. If you can't wait until then, you'd do well to pick it up and enjoy it now.
Highly recommended.
Other great popular science reads include From 0 to Infinity in 26 Centuries by Chris Waring and Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Will We Ever Speak Dolphin? by Mick O'Hare at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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