Plagues and Peoples
Plagues and Peoples by William McNeill, published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on October 11, 1977, is a comprehensive exploration of the profound effects of disease on human history. This first edition, comprising 368 pages, presents a unique interpretation of world events through the lens of disease, examining its political, demographic, ecological, and psychological impacts on various cultures.
Readers will find a detailed analysis of significant historical events influenced by disease, such as the smallpox epidemic during the conquest of Mexico and the bubonic plague in China. McNeill’s work delves into the intricate relationship between health issues and societal development, making connections that span across time and geography. This edition also includes an introduction that reflects on the implications of AIDS, further enriching the discussion on how diseases shape human experiences.
Official synopsis Publisher
The history of disease is the history of humankind: an interpretation of the world as seen through the extraordinary impact—political, demographic, ecological, and psychological—of disease on cultures.
“A book of the first importance, a truly revolutionary work.” —The New Yorker
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, Plagues and Peoples is “a brilliantly conceptualized and challenging achievement” (Kirkus Reviews). Upon its original publication, Plagues and Peoples was an immediate critical and popular success, offering a radically new interpretation of world history. With the identification of AIDS in the early 1980s, another chapter was added to this chronicle of events, which William McNeill explores in his introduction to this edition.
Thought-provoking, well-researched, and compulsively readable, Plagues and Peoples is essential reading—that rare book that is as fascinating as it is scholarly, as intriguing as it is enlightening.
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “Plagues and Peoples” about?
Who is the author of “Plagues and Peoples”?
When was “Plagues and Peoples” published?
What is the ISBN for “Plagues and Peoples”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
