The Ghost Map
The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · October 2, 2007
A National Bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book, and an Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year from the author of Extra Life “By turns a medical thriller, detective story, and paean to city life, Johnson's account of the outbreak and its modern implications is a true page-turner.” —The Washington Post “Thought-provoking.” —Entertainment Weekly It's the summer of 1854, and London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world.
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- Who it’s for
- A gripping history links a cholera outbreak to urban life and the practice of scientific inquiry.
- Themes
- Cholera epidemic, Rise of modern cities, Scientific inquiry
- Pacing
- Fast
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A National Bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book, and an Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year from the author of Extra Life “By turns a medical thriller, detective story, and paean to city life, Johnson's account of the outbreak and its modern implications is a true page-turner.” —The Washington Post “Thought-provoking.” —Entertainment Weekly It's the summer of 1854, and London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world.
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But lacking the infrastructure-garbage removal, clean water, sewers-necessary to support its rapidly expanding population, the city has become the perfect breeding ground for a terrifying disease no one knows how to cure. As the cholera outbreak takes hold, a physician and a local curate are spurred to action-and ultimately solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time. In a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, Johnson illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry, offering both a riveting history and a powerful explanation of how it has shaped the world we live in.
Disease Meets City
A gripping history links a cholera outbreak to urban life and the practice of scientific inquiry.
Come here for
- A medical mystery grounded in the history of disease and city growth
- A vivid account of how scientific inquiry can reshape understanding
Expect
- A sustained narrative of London’s 1854 cholera outbreak
- Connections between disease, city life, and the modern world
Where it sits
| Epidemiology | 40% |
|---|---|
| Infectious Diseases | 25% |
| Medical History | 21% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Contagious Diseases
- British History
- History of Science
- Authors
- Steven Johnson
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Published
- October 2, 2007
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Cholera epidemic · Rise of modern cities · Scientific inquiry
- Reading lane
- Contagious Diseases