Upon its original publication, Plagues and Peoples was an immediate critical and popular success, offering a radically new interpretation of world history as seen through the extraordinary impact--political, demographic, ecological, and psychological--of disease on cultures. From the conquest of Mexico by smallpox as much as by the Spanish, to the bubonic plague in China, to the typhoid epidemic in Europe, the history of disease is the history of humankind. With the identification of AIDS in the early 1980s, another ...
Read More
Upon its original publication, Plagues and Peoples was an immediate critical and popular success, offering a radically new interpretation of world history as seen through the extraordinary impact--political, demographic, ecological, and psychological--of disease on cultures. From the conquest of Mexico by smallpox as much as by the Spanish, to the bubonic plague in China, to the typhoid epidemic in Europe, the history of disease is the history of humankind. With the identification of AIDS in the early 1980s, another chapter has been added to this chronicle of events, which William McNeill explores in his new introduction to this updated editon. Thought-provoking, well-researched, and compulsively readable, Plagues and Peoples is that rare book that is as fascinating as it is scholarly, as intriguing as it is enlightening. A brilliantly conceptualized and challenging achievement (Kirkus Reviews), it is essential reading, offering a new perspective on human history.
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Cocked Spine. Creases on Cover and/or Spine. Worn Corners and/or Page Edges (Possibly Bent). The cover has visible markings and wear. Purchasing this item from Goodwill provides vocational opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 368 p. Audience: General/trade. VERY NICE COPY--TEXT CLEAN AND TIGHT--VERY SLIGHT SHELF WARE--GIFT--LOTS OF GREAT READS LEFT
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used books may not include companion materials, some shelf wear, may contain highlighting/notes, and may not include cd-rom or access codes. Customer service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used books may not include companion materials, some shelf wear, may contain highlighting/notes, and may not include cd-rom or access codes. Customer service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used books may not include companion materials, some shelf wear, may contain highlighting/notes, and may not include cd-rom or access codes. Customer service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used books may not include companion materials, some shelf wear, may contain highlighting/notes, and may not include cd-rom or access codes. Customer service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used books may not include companion materials, some shelf wear, may contain highlighting/notes, and may not include cd-rom or access codes. Customer service is our top priority!
Great book for anyone interested in disease, society, culture, world civilization, and most of all - history. Plagues and Peoples is a tale of the oppressor and the oppressed, the host and the victim. The book is wonderful in helping understand both separate historical events and the general trends that shaped human history, especially in its early stages. Reading the book also raises one's appreciation for various cultures and societies that have existed in various corners of the globe, with their own little ways of dealing with life, overshadowed by deadly pathogens they had no idea about.
McNeill is particularly good at describing the social nature of disease. Plague and pestilence will never simply be the random ravages of a nasty germ having read this book. Epidemics follow predictable patterns and exact damage in a systematic manner that is not be overlooked by a student of society.
Disease is not just thickly woven into histories of nations, but is also uniquely understood by those that encounter it. The religious, philosophic, and poetic grappling with hellish affliction is a sight to behold.
A classic that deserves the title.
