Plagues upon the Earth

Disease and the Course of Human History

Kyle Harper

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Hardback

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English

Princeton University Pres
01 December 2021

History; Infectious & contagious diseases

Series: The Princeton Economic History of the Western World

How deadly germs and pandemics have shaped history — and why they are products of our success as a species.

Plagues upon the Earth is a monumental history of humans and their germs. Weaving together a grand narrative of global history with insights from cutting-edge genetics, Kyle Harper explains why humanity’s uniquely dangerous disease pool is rooted deep in our evolutionary past, and why its growth is accelerated by technological progress. He shows that the story of disease is entangled with the history of slavery, colonialism, and capitalism, and reveals the enduring effects of historical plagues in patterns of wealth, health, power, and inequality. He also tells the story of humanity’s escape from infectious disease — a triumph that makes life as we know it possible, yet destabilises the environment and fosters new diseases.

Panoramic in scope, Plagues upon the Earth traces the role of disease in the transition to farming, the spread of cities, the advance of transportation, and the stupendous increase in human population. Harper offers a new interpretation of humanity’s path to control over infectious disease—one where rising evolutionary threats constantly push back against human progress, and where the devastating effects of modernisation contribute to the great divergence between societies. The book reminds us that human health is globally interdependent — and inseparable from the well-being of the planet itself.

Putting the COVID-19 pandemic in perspective, Plagues upon the Earth tells the story of how we got here as a species, and it may help us decide where we want to go.

'Well-conceived...[Kyle] Harper combs through the literature of history, economics, epidemiology, and other disciplines to deliver a solid study of the role of infectious disease in the human story... Harper’s long-view study is a welcome addition to the spate of recent books on epidemic disease.' — Kirkus Reviews

By: Kyle Harper
Imprint: Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780691192123
ISBN 10: 069119212X
Series: The Princeton Economic History of the Western World
Pages: 704
Publication Date: 01 December 2021
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Kyle Harper is professor of classics and letters at the University of Oklahoma. His books include The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire (Princeton) and From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality in Late Antiquity. He lives in Moore, Oklahoma. Website kyleharper.net Twitter @Oklahomaharper

Reviews for Plagues upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History

A New Statesman Essential Non-Fiction Book of 2021 Well-conceived. ... [Kyle] Harper combs through the literature of history, economics, epidemiology, and other disciplines to deliver a solid study of the role of infectious disease in the human story. ... Harper's long-view study is a welcome addition to the spate of recent books on epidemic disease. * Kirkus Reviews *