The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World Spiral-Bound | October 2, 2007

Steven Johnson

★★★☆☆+ from 50,001 + ratings

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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. 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.
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1594482691
Item Weight: 0.6 lbs
Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
Customer Reviews: 3 out of 5 stars 50,001 + ratings
“Fascinating.” —The New York Times Book Review

Thrilling.” —GQ

Vivid.” —The New Yorker

Thought-provoking.Entertainment Weekly

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

Marvelous... as was Dava Sobel's Longitude. Yet The Ghost Map is a far more ambitious and compelling work... Mr. Johnson is never less than lively and beguiling.” —The Wall Street Journal

Steven Johnson tells the tale with verve, spicing his narrative with scenes of Dickensian squalor and the vibrant street life surrounding that squalor. But in Johnson's hands, The Ghost Map morphs into something more than mere history.” —The San Diego Union-Tribune

Johnson adds a new and welcome elementold-fashioned storytelling flair... to his fractal, multifaceted method of unraveling the scientific mysteries of everyday life.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

Steven Johnson gives us history at its best: colorful, connected and compelling. At the core is a medical mystery, or what today would be called an epidemiological detective story... A masterpiece of historical writing.” —The Seattle Times

This is more than a great detective story. It's the triumph of reason and evidence over superstition and theory, and Johnson tells it in loving detail.” —Chicago Tribune
Steven Johnson is the bestselling author of eleven books, including Where Good Ideas Come From, Wonderland, and Extra Life. He's the host and co-creator of the Emmy-winning PBS/BBC series How We Got To Now, and the host of the podcast American Innovations. He lives in Brooklyn and Marin County, California with his wife and three sons.