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The Little Book of Pandemics
As the world waits once again to see if the latest virus will decimate the population, The Little Black of Pandemics looks at the greatest natural killers of all time.
This concise and intelligent look at the most deadly viral and bacterial diseases includes expert opinion on likely future outbreaks, method of contagion, identification of systems, and likelihood of survival.
Includes influenza, smallpox, West Nile virus, AIDS, Ebola, SARS, plague, typhus, cholera, tuberculosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, leprosy, meningitis, vCJD, hepatitis, yellow fever, Lassa fever, and many more.
This concise and intelligent look at the most deadly viral and bacterial diseases includes expert opinion on likely future outbreaks, method of contagion, identification of systems, and likelihood of survival.
Includes influenza, smallpox, West Nile virus, AIDS, Ebola, SARS, plague, typhus, cholera, tuberculosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, leprosy, meningitis, vCJD, hepatitis, yellow fever, Lassa fever, and many more.
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Peter Moore
119 books80 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Pete Moore is an English science writer, author, speaker and facilitator. His work aims to convey scientific concepts in layman's terms to enable public debate. Many of his books look at aspects of what it is to be human, and how the technological implementation of scientific discoveries will affect us. His writings cover a wide range of areas including science, philosophy, theology and history, and much of his writing aims to show the history behind ideas as well as revealing their strengths and weaknesses. His business, ThinkWrite, provides a tested and structured method for writing complex or long documents clearly and successfully.
Pete Moore is an English science writer, author, speaker and facilitator. His work aims to convey scientific concepts in layman's terms to enable public debate. Many of his books look at aspects of what it is to be human, and how the technological implementation of scientific discoveries will affect us. His writings cover a wide range of areas including science, philosophy, theology and history, and much of his writing aims to show the history behind ideas as well as revealing their strengths and weaknesses. His business, ThinkWrite, provides a tested and structured method for writing complex or long documents clearly and successfully.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 5, 2022
This little 2007 gem is one of my favorites to dip into when I have ten minutes to kill and nothing handy to read. This book was pandemics before pandemics were cool.
Fifty short chapters, about three pages each, helpfully organized by transmission vector:
-Caught from animals (excluding other humans)
-From eating
-From breathing
-From bangin'
Refreshing to be reminded of the world pre-Covid, when our big concerns were bush meat, rabid squirrels, weepy discharges after that ill-advised Christmas Party liason and pesky mosquitos while kicking back on your exotic tropical isle.
This predates not only Covid but Zika as well. It covers fifty of the main nasties that (smallpox excepted) we haven't been able to eradicate, and gives a nice summary of the origins, transmission vector, symptoms/progression and treatments. It also, oddly, contains a section for each disease describing how easy / effective it would be to weaponize. Perhaps this came out shortly after some Anthrax attacks or similar scare.
A great, tiny little book you can keep in your overhead bag as a reference next time you're in a malarial, tubercular, rat-infested tropical paradise. Or just keep it on your coffee table for guests to review while you're in the kitchen coughing onto the hors d'ouvres.
Fifty short chapters, about three pages each, helpfully organized by transmission vector:
-Caught from animals (excluding other humans)
-From eating
-From breathing
-From bangin'
Refreshing to be reminded of the world pre-Covid, when our big concerns were bush meat, rabid squirrels, weepy discharges after that ill-advised Christmas Party liason and pesky mosquitos while kicking back on your exotic tropical isle.
This predates not only Covid but Zika as well. It covers fifty of the main nasties that (smallpox excepted) we haven't been able to eradicate, and gives a nice summary of the origins, transmission vector, symptoms/progression and treatments. It also, oddly, contains a section for each disease describing how easy / effective it would be to weaponize. Perhaps this came out shortly after some Anthrax attacks or similar scare.
A great, tiny little book you can keep in your overhead bag as a reference next time you're in a malarial, tubercular, rat-infested tropical paradise. Or just keep it on your coffee table for guests to review while you're in the kitchen coughing onto the hors d'ouvres.
August 28, 2012
This book is pretty good for what it is: a quick and dirty layman's guide to not just pandemic diseases, but to most of the bugs you might expect to see in a typical news headline. The gamut runs from the well known to the obscure, from the annoying to the ultra deadly, from the waterborne to the STDs. Each disease has a world map of distribution, its scientific name, when it was first recorded, and a description of symptoms and treatment as well as a picture of where symptoms might occur. A glossary and a list of useful websites follow.
Rating: 4 stars (I like it, but I don't love it). It's a useful quick reference guide and will serve anyone well to have it on their shelf. That being said, the book is more descriptive than narrative, and those seeking a history of the people and discoveries associated with these maladies will need to look elsewhere.
Rating: 4 stars (I like it, but I don't love it). It's a useful quick reference guide and will serve anyone well to have it on their shelf. That being said, the book is more descriptive than narrative, and those seeking a history of the people and discoveries associated with these maladies will need to look elsewhere.
April 9, 2008
Quick, easy read. Despite a missing paragraph in my edition around page 35 and the misspelling of the word "illness"...this books is worth having. Top 50 pandemics ranked on the likelihood of contracting, severity of illness, likelihood of killing you and threat as a bio-terror weapon.
The illustrations are pretty useless, I'd rather see ACTUAL photos of the illnesses (when possible)...anyone have a recent photo of someone with Bubonic Plague?
Don't read on a full stomach. You may not be able to hold your food down!
The illustrations are pretty useless, I'd rather see ACTUAL photos of the illnesses (when possible)...anyone have a recent photo of someone with Bubonic Plague?
Don't read on a full stomach. You may not be able to hold your food down!
April 5, 2021
The Little Book of Pandemics by Dr. Peter Moore is a non-fiction book about diseases. In this book, Moore lists and explains 50 infectious diseases from airborne illnesses to animal-borne ones. I don't really know how to write about a plot for a non-fiction book.
I liked this book because it accurately describes the diseases it entails. However, I didn't like the spelling error in the Cholera section on page 81: it says "il" when it should be "ill". I would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by diseases.
I liked this book because it accurately describes the diseases it entails. However, I didn't like the spelling error in the Cholera section on page 81: it says "il" when it should be "ill". I would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by diseases.
August 6, 2011
This is just a fun little book on pandemics. What I took from this is that basically there are only about three diseases in the Western world that will really kick your ass. I found myself wishing that there was even more history and case studies on the different diseases, but then it would be more like a volume and not a handbook. All-in-all a really quick and dirty way to wrap your brain around the pandemics du jour.
February 6, 2012
I learned from this book that you catch hep A from eating poop so don't eat poop.
you should also get vaccinated, avoid drinking water (beer's better anyway), avoid air conditioners, and never see other people or bugs.
happy dying!
p.s I had this at work and a couple people picked it up and got all freaked by it. good times.
you should also get vaccinated, avoid drinking water (beer's better anyway), avoid air conditioners, and never see other people or bugs.
happy dying!
p.s I had this at work and a couple people picked it up and got all freaked by it. good times.
August 14, 2017
Just a little light reading, haha! But, seriously, this is a great introduction to a long line of infectious diseases. If you're just wanting and overview of some of the most deadly, the most infectious, or the ones that could best be used as a bio-weapon, you've come to the right place. As for me, I picked this up after finishing The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story, and was tickled to see that I technically knew more about leishmaniasis than Peter Moore did (for the record, there is a third type: mucosal, which causes the nose and lips to fall off (Gross!)
While I wouldn't call this a fun read, I would certainly say it was educational. And if you're anything like me, educational is generally fun.
While I wouldn't call this a fun read, I would certainly say it was educational. And if you're anything like me, educational is generally fun.
March 22, 2020
I borrowed this book online from Archive.org.
The cover is catchy, but the title is a little bit misleading since the book doesn't talk exclusively about pandemics.
In my opinion, a more descriptive title could've been "The Little Book of Infectious Diseases".
I found it very informative, though reading it now in 2020 while being published in 2007, some of the information is outdated.
"O Allah! I seek refuge in You from vitiligo, madness, leprosy, and evil diseases".
The cover is catchy, but the title is a little bit misleading since the book doesn't talk exclusively about pandemics.
In my opinion, a more descriptive title could've been "The Little Book of Infectious Diseases".
I found it very informative, though reading it now in 2020 while being published in 2007, some of the information is outdated.
"O Allah! I seek refuge in You from vitiligo, madness, leprosy, and evil diseases".
February 20, 2016
This was a very broad overview of various infectious diseases that have caused pandemics. It didn't go into depth, and I learned nothing new. It was an easy read, and for anyone unfamiliar with these infections, it would be a good primer.
The author is British, and perhaps it was British understatement, but a few comments struck me as odd. He writes about septic shock as something unpleasant that you really want to avoid. Septic shock is one of the most serious things a patient can face, and is often lethal.
Nothing struck me as erroneous, but it didn't go into depth at all about the microorganisms and their virulence factors or physical effects.
The author is British, and perhaps it was British understatement, but a few comments struck me as odd. He writes about septic shock as something unpleasant that you really want to avoid. Septic shock is one of the most serious things a patient can face, and is often lethal.
Nothing struck me as erroneous, but it didn't go into depth at all about the microorganisms and their virulence factors or physical effects.
August 10, 2009
This is a slim, interesting, easy to browse basic guide to pandemic diseases throughout the world. It doesn't go very in-depth, but it has plenty of information for its size and an interested party can always do further reading on any specific illness. The author lists a lot of websites in the back for a reader to check out too. One complaint: the book had more than its share of typos.
March 6, 2010
A book of 50 short synopses on various diseases throught the world. Each has a scale of infectivity, severity of illness, likelihood to die and bioterror threat. It describes symptoms and history (briefly) of each disease. Interesting but not a lot of depth.
May 31, 2013
Someone needs a better editor, filled with horrible spelling errors and grammatical issues. Not only that but on more than one occasion an entire sentence just ended mid-sentence like it was supposed to flip to the next page but nothing.
Besides that it was a very interesting read.
Besides that it was a very interesting read.
August 2, 2012
I have a new respect and fear of Chlamydia and have come away from this book with the firm belief that anyone who refuses to vaccinate their child for whooping cough should be flogged.
June 15, 2013
Scary little book that will make you never want to travel again.
May 5, 2014
a fun and (a bit) morbid little book. I learned a lot.
November 24, 2014
Brief yet engaging
October 27, 2016
interesting quick read!
April 5, 2017
The information is pretty good. nothing new for me considering the number of books I've read about infectious diseases, but a good concise look.
The bars at the top of each entry are basically useless, though. He calls chicken pox "one of the most contagious diseases known to man" and then rates infectivity at less than a quarter of the bar. Similarly, tuberculosis is called "one of the most deadly" but the likelihood of dying is just a sliver of the bar. Really inconsistent with these on general.
The bars at the top of each entry are basically useless, though. He calls chicken pox "one of the most contagious diseases known to man" and then rates infectivity at less than a quarter of the bar. Similarly, tuberculosis is called "one of the most deadly" but the likelihood of dying is just a sliver of the bar. Really inconsistent with these on general.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews