{"title":"Matt Ridley","description":"\u003cp\u003eMatt Ridley explores the intersection of science, nature, and human progress with remarkable clarity and insight. His works delve into topics ranging from evolutionary biology and genetics to the mechanisms behind innovation and economic development, offering a thoughtful perspective on the forces shaping our world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect engaging narratives grounded in scientific research, enriched by a keen understanding of business and entrepreneurship. Whether examining the origins of life or the drivers of prosperity, Ridley’s writing invites reflection on how knowledge and creativity propel society forward.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"how-innovation-works","title":"How Innovation Works","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\nMatt Ridley, in \u003cem\u003eHow Innovation Works\u003c\/em\u003e, presents a fascinating exploration into the nature of innovation, chronicling its history and outlining how it disrupts and enhances our world. Building on his bestseller \u003cem\u003eThe Rational Optimist\u003c\/em\u003e, Ridley delves into the mechanism behind innovation, arguing persuasively for a shift in our understanding of the subject.\n\nInnovation is the engine of the modern age, driving dramatic improvements in our living standards while simultaneously bringing about unsettling societal changes. It is poised to shape the twenty-first century in unprecedented ways. Despite its critical importance, innovation remains an elusive and misunderstood process, one that policymakers and business leaders often struggle to grasp fully.\n\nRidley makes a compelling case that innovation is an incremental, bottom-up process that thrives on human exchange and interaction. Contrary to the common belief that innovation happens in a top-down, planned manner, Ridley asserts that it is fundamentally a product of chance, collaboration, and the cumulative efforts of many individuals. Innovation, distinct from invention, involves transforming new ideas into practical, affordable solutions that benefit society. Its progress is not uniform; it can accelerate in some fields while stagnating in others.\n\nRidley's argument extends to highlight how innovation cannot be effectively modelled by economists, although it can be easily stifled by political interference. He contends that we are not facing an overabundance of innovation but, on the contrary, we may be approaching a period of innovation scarcity.\n\nThrough engaging stories of numerous innovations—from the steam engine to the search engine—Ridley illustrates how innovations begin, why some succeed while others falter, and the indispensable role of trial and error in the process. He paints a vivid picture of innovation as a communal journey rather than the triumph of solitary genius.\n\n\u003cem\u003eHow Innovation Works\u003c\/em\u003e is an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the true nature of innovation and its profound impact on our world. Ridley's insights not only enlighten but also serve as a clarion call for fostering an environment where innovation can thrive unimpeded.\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45686066413804,"sku":"9780008334840","price":26.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780008334840.jpg?v=1725460712"},{"product_id":"the-rational-optimist-by-matt-ridley-9780007267125","title":"The Rational Optimist","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShortlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction 2011.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLife is on the up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe are wealthier, healthier, happier, kinder, cleaner, more peaceful, more equal and longer-lived than any previous generation. Thanks to the unique human habits of exchange and specialisation, our species has found innovative solutions to every obstacle it has faced so far.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Rational Optimist\u003c\/em\u003e, acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley comprehensively refutes the doom-mongers of our time and reaches back into the past to give a rational explanation for why we can—and will—overcome the challenges of the future, such as climate change and the population boom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBold and controversial, it is a brilliantly confident assertion that the 21st century will be the best for humankind yet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46504901542124,"sku":"9780007267125","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/15591153482190.jpg?v=1748659180"},{"product_id":"viral-by-matt-ridley-9780008487539","title":"Viral","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUnderstanding how Covid-19 started is more important than we know for the future of humankind.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetermining whether the virus came from nature or from a lab will help us to safeguard against the next pandemic.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis disease will forever punctuate modern history. It has led to the deaths of millions, sickened hundreds of millions, and affected the lives of almost every person on the planet. We now know that Covid is here to stay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGenetic engineering expert Dr Alina Chan and renowned science writer Matt Ridley examine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, using their formidable skills to scrutinise arguments and rigorously analyse the sprawling data. \u003cem\u003eViral\u003c\/em\u003e is a fascinating account that takes in pangolins, horseshoe bats, internet sleuths, and misleading scientific papers. It details the evidence and investigates hypotheses for the virus origin, chief among them a potential laboratory leak or a natural spillover.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eScience has made great strides over the last decades. Chan and Ridley give an insight into the proliferating pathogen research and virus hunting around the world. Whatever the source of the virus, the world needs to adopt new policies and strategies to prevent or mitigate future outbreaks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSet in the caves and mineshafts, food markets and wildlife smugglers’ stores, laboratories and databases of China and elsewhere, \u003cem\u003eViral\u003c\/em\u003e is a page-turner that reads like a detective novel and goes deeper into the deepest mystery of the day than any other work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the book on the search for the origin of Covid-19.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46518229696748,"sku":"9780008487539","price":23.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/27795293482190.jpg?v=1748953483"},{"product_id":"birds-sex-and-beauty-by-matt-ridley-9780008645533","title":"Birds, Sex and Beauty","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn his new book, acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley looks to the peculiar mating rituals of birds to better understand the rich origins and ongoing significance of Darwin's sexual selection theory.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFASCINATING\u003c\/em\u003e The Times\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Matt Ridley is one of our finest science writers … A treat for bird lovers and evolutionary biologists alike’\u003cstrong\u003e Richard Dawkins\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnimals rarely treat sex as a simple or mutually beneficial transaction. Choosing a mate is often a transcendent event to be approached with reverence, suspicion, angst and quite a bit of violence. For Matt Ridley, nowhere is this more acute than in birds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a freezing hide on the Pennine moors at dawn, Ridley closely studies the rare Black Grouse. He is there for the lek – an elaborate courtship ritual of squabbling and strutting males. They dance and sing for hours each day to attract a mate over several months. With most males leaving exhausted and unsuccessful, Ridley looks at how females make their choice to cast fresh light on how such rituals have evolved and why.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHis pursuit follows five generations of biologists from Darwin and Wallace to the present day, uncovering how they have grappled with the implications of sexual selection as an eccentric, gonzo form of evolution. While most Victorian scientists found it impossible to believe female birds could select mates, Darwin was obsessed with the idea of sexual as well as natural selection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on his own lifelong passion, Ridley eavesdrops on the elaborate displays of bird species around the world, from the complex art installations made by Bowerbirds in Australia to the bubbling calls of Curlews in the UK’s declining moorlands. In a wonderful blend of nature writing and elegant exploration of recent evolutionary theory, \u003cem\u003eBirds, Sex and Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e shows not only how mate choice has shaped the natural world, including humans, but how the song and plumage of birds can be thrillingly, breathtakingly beautiful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Clear and entertaining … Ridley explains all this history with lucidity and wit’\u003cstrong\u003e \u003cem\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Most of this fascinating and accessible book is about birds … Ridley, very clearly, loves birds — and the enthusiasm is infectious’\u003cstrong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘This is a fascinating story told with wit, scholarship and the passion of a true conservationist. Lord Ridley writes in the best tradition of great British naturalists’ \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCountry Life\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBirds, Sex \u0026amp; Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e is a good read. It is a compelling history of sexual selection, rather than a synthesis that moves the field forwards’\u003cstrong\u003e \u003cem\u003eNature\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46631576731884,"sku":"9780008645533","price":36.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/1289443482191.jpg?v=1751974008"},{"product_id":"birds-sex-and-beauty-by-matt-ridley-9780008645564","title":"Birds, Sex and Beauty","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn his new book, acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley looks to the peculiar mating rituals of birds to better understand the rich origins and ongoing significance of Darwin's sexual selection theory.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'FASCINATING' \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Matt Ridley is one of our finest science writers … A treat for bird lovers and evolutionary biologists alike’\u003cstrong\u003e Richard Dawkins\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnimals rarely treat sex as a simple or mutually beneficial transaction. Choosing a mate is often a transcendent event to be approached with reverence, suspicion, angst and quite a bit of violence. For Matt Ridley, nowhere is this more acute than in birds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a freezing hide on the Pennine moors at dawn, Ridley closely studies the rare Black Grouse. He is there for the lek – an elaborate courtship ritual of squabbling and strutting males. They dance and sing for hours each day to attract a mate over several months. With most males leaving exhausted and unsuccessful, Ridley looks at how females make their choice to cast fresh light on how such rituals have evolved and why.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHis pursuit follows five generations of biologists from Darwin and Wallace to the present day, uncovering how they have grappled with the implications of sexual selection as an eccentric, gonzo form of evolution. While most Victorian scientists found it impossible to believe female birds could select mates, Darwin was obsessed with the idea of sexual as well as natural selection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on his own lifelong passion, Ridley eavesdrops on the elaborate displays of bird species around the world, from the complex art installations made by Bowerbirds in Australia to the bubbling calls of Curlews in the UK’s declining moorlands. In a wonderful blend of nature writing and elegant exploration of recent evolutionary theory, \u003cem\u003eBirds, Sex and Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e shows not only how mate choice has shaped the natural world, including humans, but how the song and plumage of birds can be thrillingly, breathtakingly beautiful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Clear and entertaining … Ridley explains all this history with lucidity and wit’ \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Most of this fascinating and accessible book is about birds … Ridley, very clearly, loves birds — and the enthusiasm is infectious’ \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘This is a fascinating story told with wit, scholarship and the passion of a true conservationist. Lord Ridley writes in the best tradition of great British naturalists’ \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCountry Life\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBirds, Sex \u0026amp; Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e is a good read. It is a compelling history of sexual selection, rather than a synthesis that moves the field forwards’ \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNature\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47480682643692,"sku":"9780008645564","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780008645564-birds-sex-and-beauty.jpg?v=1775619692"},{"product_id":"viral-by-matt-ridley-9780008487508","title":"Viral","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUnderstanding how Covid-19 started is more important than we know for the future of humankind.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetermining whether the virus came from nature or from a lab will help us to safeguard against the next pandemic.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis disease will forever punctuate modern history. It has led to the deaths of millions, sickened hundreds of millions and affected the lives of almost every person on the planet. We now know that Covid is here to stay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGenetic engineering expert Dr Alina Chan and renowned science writer Matt Ridley examine the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, using their formidable skills to scrutinise arguments and rigorously analyse the sprawling data. \u003cem\u003eViral\u003c\/em\u003e is a fascinating account that takes in pangolins, horseshoe bats, internet sleuths and misleading scientific papers. It details the evidence and investigates hypotheses for the virus origin, chief among them a potential laboratory leak or a natural spillover.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eScience has made great strides over the last decades. Chan and Ridley give an insight into the proliferating pathogen research and virus hunting around the world. Whatever the source of the virus, the world needs to adopt new policies and strategies to prevent or mitigate future outbreaks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSet in the caves and mineshafts, food markets and wildlife smugglers’ stores, laboratories and databases of China and elsewhere, \u003cem\u003eViral\u003c\/em\u003e is a page-turner that reads like a detective novel and goes deeper into the deepest mystery of the day than any other work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the book on the search for the origin of Covid-19.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47487752175852,"sku":"9780008487508","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780008487508-viral.jpg?v=1775755464"},{"product_id":"genome-by-matt-ridley-9780060894085","title":"Genome","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRidley leaps from chromosome to chromosome in a handy summation of our ever increasing understanding of the roles that genes play in disease, behaviour, sexual differences, and even intelligence.\u003c\/em\u003e He addresses not only the ethical quandaries faced by contemporary scientists but the reductionist danger in equating inheritability with inevitability. -- \u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe genome's been mapped. But what does it mean? Matt Ridley's \u003cem\u003eGenome\u003c\/em\u003e is the book that explains it all: what it is, how it works, and what it portends for the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eArguably the most significant scientific discovery of the new century, the mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome—our complete set of DNA—raises almost as many questions as it answers. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, longevity, and free will. Questions that will affect the rest of your life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this work of popular science, \u003cem\u003eGenome\u003c\/em\u003e offers extraordinary insight into the ramifications of this incredible breakthrough. By picking one newly discovered gene from each pair of chromosomes and telling its story, Matt Ridley recounts the history of our species and its evolution from the dawn of life to the brink of future medicine. From Huntington's disease to cancer, from the applications of gene therapy to the horrors of eugenics, Ridley probes the scientific, philosophical, and moral issues arising as a result of the mapping of the genome. It will help you understand what this scientific milestone means for you, for your children, and for humankind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis landmark book in science writing illuminates:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Human Genome Explained:\u003c\/strong\u003e Journey through all twenty-three pairs of human chromosomes as Ridley unpacks the story and purpose of a single gene from each.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHuman Origins:\u003c\/strong\u003e Discover how our DNA acts as a historical document, revealing the story of our species and its ancestors from the dawn of life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGenes, Disease, and Free Will:\u003c\/strong\u003e Explore the profound scientific and philosophical questions raised by our genetic code, from the roots of disease to the nature of free will.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Future of Medicine:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gain extraordinary insight into the future of medicine, from the applications of gene therapy to the complex moral questions of eugenics.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48051696271596,"sku":"9780060894085","price":52.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780060894085-genome.jpg?v=1785456973"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/matt-ridley.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}