Cover star

The Blind Watchmaker cover features a wireframe model of an insect, while Climbing Mount Improbable features a wireframe shell design. Unweaving the Rainbow bears the design of light wavelengths.

The re-issue is supported by Mount Probable, an interactive microsite that uses a rewritten version of an algorithm created by Dawkins 30 years ago to simulate Darwinian selection. The website interface was designed by Penguin’s Creative Technology team and enables visitors to create their own wireframe models.

‘Because the creatures breed in a computer, you can whistle through many generations of creatures in a matter of minutes,’ says Dawkins. ‘A few minutes of playing with this program gives you a hands-on, vivid feel for how Darwinian selection works,’ says Dawkins.