With his sharpness, tremendous insight, and captivating prose, this 'missionary who writes like an angel' takes us on a journey through the most evocative topics of contemporary science with his latest book: from astronomy to genetics, and from language to virtual reality, Dawkins unfolds an intelligent appreciation of what is - and what is not - science, formulating a position that is extremely fascinating: we praise science not because it is useful to us, but because it elevates us and stimulates our imagination just as poetry does... (From the book's presentation)

The title of my book comes from Keats, who believed that Newton, by breaking down the rainbow into the colors of the spectrum, destroyed all its poetic qualities. Keats could not have been more wrong, and my aim is to lead to the opposite conclusion all those who are tempted by a similar perspective. Science is, or should be, an inspiration for great poetry. However, I do not possess the talent to provide compelling, true arguments, so I must rely on more pedestrian persuasion.

The unveiling of the rainbow by Newton led to spectroscopy, which seems to have been the key to much of our current knowledge of the universe.