Review special : Original altruist

In The Narrow Roads of Gene Land (W. H. Freeman/ Spektrum,
£20/$25.95, ISBN 0 7167 4530 5), theoretical biologist W. D.
Hamilton presents his collected papers on kinship theory, sociobiology and
social behaviour. His introductions to these papers—among the most famous
in modern biology—provide fascinating glimpses into how science is done.
The acknowledgment to those who have helped him suggests the mischievous notion
of naming the enemies whose opposition to his ideas often inspired some of his
best work. Sadly for the reader, he resists the temptation.