CHAPTER 1 The Dream of Flight
CHAPTER 2 Where is a good place to fly?
CHAPTER 3 If flight is so great, why did some animals abandon their wings?
CHAPTER 4: Small is Easy to Fly
CHAPTER 5 If you need to fly while being large, you need to increase your surface area by a higher ratio.
CHAPTER 6 Unpowered Flight: Falling and Gliding
CHAPTER 7 POWERED FLIGHT AND HOW IT WORKS
CHAPTER 8 Animal-Powered Flight
CHAPTER 9 Becoming Lighter Than Air
CHAPTER 10 Zero Gravity
CHAPTER 11 Airborne Creatures
CHAPTER 12 The 'Wings' of Plants
CHAPTER 13 The Difference Between Evolved and Designed Flying Machines
CHAPTER 14 What Use Are Half-Wings?
CHAPTER 15 Extraverted Impulse: Beyond Flight

About the Author
About the artist
Acknowledgements
Translator's Note
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From extinct pterosaurs to the first powered aircraft
All the amazing and fascinating stories about flying

In this book, Richard Dawkins covers nearly every major story of gravity-defying creatures, from the myth of Icarus, who soared into the sky with wings, to the pterosaurs, the largest creatures that were extinct but could fly, to the Wright brothers' first powered airplane.
These diverse examples make this book not simply a dry and difficult science book, but rather a comprehensive encyclopedia filled with surprising stories that stimulate the imagination.
The most notable feature of this book is that it starts with an incident or question that arouses curiosity, and then continues with a friendly explanation based on scientific principles, continuously stimulating the reader's imagination.


The author also clearly explains why birds and man-made aircraft share similarities and why the two objects cannot help but resemble each other.
Whether birds or man-made aircraft, all things that fly are subject to the same physical laws, such as gravity and fluid dynamics.
Therefore, despite the fundamental differences between living and non-living things, the solutions to the problem are bound to be similar.
In addition, it introduces one by one the amazing secrets of evolution that were developed and advanced for flight.


An incredible leap forward in evolution, beyond gravity

Dawkins counters the creationist argument that half a wing is unnecessary, explaining that even a quarter, a tenth, or even a half wing is better than none.
The snake glides between branches by extending its ribs to create something like wings.
The squirrel's bushy tail, which can be considered a half-wing, allows it to leap to further branches.
Both snakes and squirrels were able to fly slightly further than their similar species competitors, allowing them to escape predators and pass on their genes to future generations.
While the author introduces the valuable advantages of these half-wings, he also presents several hypotheses about how these intermediate wings evolved into the final wings we see today.

Detailed and colorful illustrations that support the author's explanations add to the value of this book.
This book, brimming with scientific knowledge and boundless imagination, is a wonderful collaboration between the world's greatest scientists and a talented artist, and can rightfully be called another masterpiece by Richard Dawkins.


“Richard Dawkins is one of the world’s greatest writers.”
Steven Pinker

“This book is rich in pictures, classy, ​​and has a pleasant fragrance.
Although it is written in a plain style, it also feels sharp as if it was cut with a laser.
What is new about this book is that it presents its arguments in a fascinating and gentle way, with extraordinary insight.
“This warm Uncle Richard is the Dawkins I like the most.”
Sunday Times