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) ...
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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.
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Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by Page Avenue Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ann Arbor, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1976 by Anchor Books.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Signed by previous owner. Exterior has wear, bumps, faint stains and foxing. Po signature on 1st pg, no other marks. Glued binding. xiii, 340 p. Audience: General/trade.
Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $2.16, very good condition, Sold by The Maryland Book Bank rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from baltimore, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Anchor Books.
Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $2.16, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books Company rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lynden, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Anchor Books.
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Book is in good condition and may contain underlining or highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include library labels. May not contain miscellaneous items (toys, dvds, etc). We offer 100% money back guarantee and fast customer support.
Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $2.33, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Anchor Books.
Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $2.88, good condition, Sold by Good Books Will Follow rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Blue Springs, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Anchor Books.
Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $2.95, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Anchor Books.
Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $2.95, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Anchor Books.
Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $3.05, very good condition, Sold by Good Books Will Follow rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Blue Springs, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Anchor Books.
Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $3.38, very good condition, Sold by Red's Corner rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tucker, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Anchor Books.
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Very good. All orders ship by next business day! This is a used paperback book. Has wear on cover and/or pages. Book has no markings on pages. For USED books, we cannot guarantee supplemental materials such as CDs, DVDs, access codes and other materials. We are a small company and very thankful for your business!
Add this copy of Plagues and Peoples to cart. $3.81, like new condition, Sold by Solr Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Skokie, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1977 by Anchor Books.
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.
