The selfish gene at 30: the origin and career of a book and its title
The 30th anniversary of Richard Dawkins's The selfish gene coincides with the opening for historical scholarship of the production files of the book's first edition at the archives of Oxford University Press. Using the information collected in the files, the essay reconstructs the Press history of the book, the author's and his enthusiastic editor's pre-publication expectations, and the early reception and subsequent career of the book, which made an impact on the scientific debate on behaviour and evolution as well as on the popular market. It also reflects on the changing notions of popularization and the place of The selfish gene in those debates.