Abi D. (abilee30) reviewed Armies of Pestilence: The Impact of Disease on History on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I really wanted to like this book... but I found it very dry and overly factual(more a spewing of facts, rather than recreating them to tell a story.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
As an entomologist who also loved history, I used to write and lecture about how insects affected history. This was mostly due to the diseases they vectored. As such, I was asked to write the section on "Insects and History" for the four-volume Encyclopedia of Entomology.
But I also became interested in diseases not vectored by insects, which also affected mankind's history, and did a lot of reading in that area too.
I already have a copy of this book in my library. If you are looking for a thrilling, novel-like story, this isn't the book for you. But if you are interested in how diseases affected history, this book is a good start.
But I also became interested in diseases not vectored by insects, which also affected mankind's history, and did a lot of reading in that area too.
I already have a copy of this book in my library. If you are looking for a thrilling, novel-like story, this isn't the book for you. But if you are interested in how diseases affected history, this book is a good start.
A historical review of the major disease epidemics and outbreaks. Well researched and documented with a very good bibliography. Should be of interest to anyone wanting to know more about how infectious diseases have impacted various groups of people during peace and war over the course of written history. Written by a doctor but you do not need a medical background to find this book an interesting read.
