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More copies of this ISBN:

The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History

by John M Barry

The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History Cover

ISBN13: 9780143036494
ISBN10: 0143036491
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In the winter of 1918, at the height of WWI, history's most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide. It killed more people in twenty-four weeks than AIDS has killed in twenty-four years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. But this was not the Middle Ages, and 1918 marked the first collision of science and epidemic disease. Magisterial in its breadth of perspective and depth of research, John M. Barry weaves together multiple narratives, with characters ranging from William Welch (founder of Johns Hopkins Medical School) to John D. Rockefeller and Woodrow Wilson. Ultimately a tale of triumph amid tragedy, this crisis provides a precise and sobering model for our world as we confront AIDS, bioterrorism, and other, as yet unknown, diseases.

Review:

Monumental... powerfully intelligent... not just a masterful narrative... but also an authoritative and disturbing morality tale. (Chicago Tribune) Easily our fullest, richest, most panoramic history of the subject. (The New York Times Book Review)

Synopsis:

At the height of WWI, historys most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide. It killed more people in twenty-four months than AIDS killed in twenty-four years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. But this was not the Middle Ages, and 1918 marked the first collision of science and epidemic disease. Magisterial in its breadth of perspective and depth of research and now revised to reflect the growing danger of the avian flu, The Great Influenza is ultimately a tale of triumph amid tragedy, which provides us with a precise and sobering model as we confront the epidemics looming on our own horizon.

About the Author

'John M. Barry is the author of four previous books, including the highly acclaimed and award- winning Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It ChangedAmerica.'

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
UnofficialRose, March 15, 2009 (view all comments by UnofficialRose)
This book not only tells the story of the great influenza, but places it in historical context, so that you understand _why_ the flu was so hard to find, and how it spread to kill so many people so quickly -- plus the follow-on effects that we're feeling to this day. Within this sweeping history, it's the tiny, fascinating details that pull the reader into the action. You'll leave this book with a better understanding of medical history, early 20th-century life, PR and marketing ... it all interconnects in this utterly fascinating story.
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Taynb, January 17, 2008 (view all comments by Taynb)
If you have ever were curious about infectious diseases, you will be interested in this. The book is based on the 1918 influenza epidemic, that seemed to have no end because it seemed to be misdiagnosed in so many people. It was hard hit among the young and old but also spread through soldiers during WWI. Seemed to spread through troop movement and when soldiers came back home. It tended to get a little repetitive in the last 100 pages but still a good read.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780143036494
Subtitle:
The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History
Author:
Barry, John M
Author:
Barry, John M.
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Subject:
Medicine
Subject:
History
Subject:
Modern - 20th Century
Subject:
Infectious Diseases
Subject:
General History
Subject:
Influenza Epidemic, 1918-1919
Subject:
Influenza Epidemic, 1918-1919 - United States
Edition Description:
Revised
Publication Date:
October 2005
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
546
Dimensions:
8.50x5.46x1.19 in. 1.15 lbs.

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