From the Spanish Flu of 1917 onwards to the Zika outbreak of 2015, humanity has been wracked by a series of pandemics. In this book Honigsbaum considers each in turn and relates the people and the research that contained them. First published in 2019 the final summary is chilling in its prediction of another global pandemic and the reasons why - this was written before the Covid-19 situation and yet is completely accurate in its logic.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even if we were not going through a global pandemic now, the science and stories are amazing. The section on the discovery of coronaviruses is apt and the idea that pandemics are spread because of increased travel is explained clearly. Although I suspect that a certain amount of knowledge of biology is needed to understand the details this is still an erudite and intelligent book

Such an informative read and written in a way that was easy for a lay person (me) to understand. I have so much more understanding of different viruses after reading this. You don’t need to posses a medical background to enjoy this book.

I was super disappointed that there was no chapter on Covid-19. I thought the updated edition would include something (anything) on this virus. Maybe because it’s not run it’s course yet, but still I felt let down it wasn’t mentioned.

This is such an interesting and well detailed read. Full of detail and knowlege that by the end I felt like I could reel off facts about most pandemics that our world has faced. This is an educational book but also very easy to read and isn't dry like some non fiction books can be.
I reccomend this to anyone who wants to understand better about cause and effects
of pandemics. Fascinating.

Upon finishing this book, I had to take a moment to reflect on the sheer scale of research, scientific evidence and anecdotal inclusions that have contributed to its 464 pages. I have learnt so much from reading it; certainly enhanced that at the time of writing this we are living through a global pandemic, and if the past 100 years have taught us anything it’s that, “Pandemics are one of the most certain uninsured risks in the world today.” This book covers a century of infectious diseases (Plague, SARS, Legionella, AIDS, Ebola, Zika and others) yet covers them in a way that is succinct and accessible, featuring a perfect blend of hard fact and storytelling. I especially loved the focus on hubris as a factor demonstrating why we are so slow to respond effectively to breakouts of infectious diseases.

Combining popular science, history, policy and socioeconomic factors, this was an engrossing and chilling read. It’s totally unlike anything I would normally pull down from the shelf, but I’m so glad I diversified my genre for how much knowledge I have taken away from it. My only criticism is it was slightly difficult to follow in certain parts due to some clunky paragraphs, especially given the scientific jargon. However, it’s superbly timely and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested to learn more about pandemics, not only when they’re worldwide news but the devastating after-effects they leave in their wake.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the book’s publishers for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book has obviously been very well researched. It is an interesting and informative read. It is heavy going in places but I feel that it is a worthwhile read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is a great read for those interested in understanding past, present, and future dangers. Mark Honigsbaum is one of the best science writers I have come across and one of the reasons for that is that he tackles complex subjects in a way that most people will find accessible.

If you are worried about the world after Covid-19, this is the book for you.

An interesting and informative book, and of course, very topical. I found this wasn't a light easy read, but it was very worthwhile, and I learned a lot. I would thoroughly recommend this book.

Excellent book which is well-worth reading as we work through the current Covid-19 pandemic. I now know a lot more about viruses and how they spread; and how each of the preceding pandemics in the 20th century was detected and surpressed.

Brilliantly well researched and, although a pretty depressing read, interesting insights into medical history and what we may be able to learn from history (but rarely do).

It is quite amazing the things that are left out of history lessons and, for me, this book does a very good job of filling in some gaps that I actually did not know existed. Like many folk, I had heard about Spanish Flu and that it killed a lot of people but never knew why it was called Spanish Flu or the reality of the many tens of millions that it killed and the Flu's excruciating symptoms. On the other hand, I am guessing that not many of us can say we have ever heard of a Psittacosis pandemic and what the fall out from it was. Overall, this is a very readable and fascinating book that covers a part of history I am pleased to have discovered. Just a pity that the last chapter on COVID-19 was missing from my Kindle copy as I feel sure it would have been as enlightening as the rest of this book.

Obviously this book is right on topic now. It provides a great insight into the human race, looking at what and how we cope.

Obviously incredibly timely and interesting! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about the diseases that have threatened us in the last century and am looking forward to being able to read Honigsbaum's account of Covid 19 some time in the future. The most important take-home message, which needs to be widely disseminated, has to do with the ways in which so-called human progress makes us more and more vulnerable to diseases spiralling out of control.. Globalisation, urbanisation and increasing disparities between rich and poor are highlighted, but what's most important is how human interference in the ecosystems we live in may be what leads to our downfall. Nature's way of reducing our numbers, I guess.

Not 100% sure reading this during the current pandemic was the smartest of moves but learning how labs and scientists locate new viruses and diseases then work to control & prevent them was fascinating. Politics in a pandemic is nothing new it seems

Did not finish reading. I found it quite hard going probably more suitable to some who is studying virology and medicine.

An incredibly relevant and timely book, looking across time at the diseases that plagued our world. It’s incredibly daunting to read of the sheer number of these viral phenomenons, and how we are literally waiting for the next big one to come along. Really informative and insightful!!

In places eerily prescient, Pandemic Century is a comprehensive and timely account of the series of public health crises which have struck the world since the end of the 19th century. A valuable primer in public and governmental response: accessible and authoritative..

I have wanted to read a straightforward book that helps me understand pandemics. Honigsbaum covers the perfect balance in this educational and interesting book. He is a medical historian and journalist and succeeds to educate without entangling the reader with complicated scientific explanations.
The book doesn't cover the Coronavirus, but you do gain a considerable understanding of the circumstances required for these diseases to achieve pandemic status.
I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing and author Mark Honigsbaum for a copy to review.

Thanks for allowing me a preview of this timely book. It was a fascinating insight into how pandemics have developed and played out over the last century. I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets which laid out how man made impacts, deforestation etc have contributed to the spread of disease. Everyone should read those sections. As a non-scientist I did at times find myself getting bogged down in some of the details. Overall I found it fascinating and I have found myself quoting some of the statistics at people. An essential read for anyone interested in this subject.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy of this publication in return for an unbiased review.
I've no medical training or extensive knowledge, so firstly let me admit that a lot of the in depth medical terminology went over my head and in parts I flicked through it. This book has however opened my eyes to the real precarious position the world has always faced in the face of diseases and potential pandemics. Has there ever been a more relevant time to read something such as this. The last century seems to have faced one pandemic after another and it would appear that the frequency of outbreaks is increasing.
We have so much to thank those at the forefront of research together with those in the medical profession for placing themselves in danger to protect mankind.
Whilst I don't profess to now be able to give detailed descriptions of every disease we have faced I certainly have developed a far greater understanding of them.
A good read for anyone remotely interested in learning about pandemics.

The Pandemic Century is such a timely read for the current circumstances, recently released with an additional section on Covid-19. I was fascinated to read about the surprisingly large history of pandemics the world has witnessed in the past 100 years alone, from the Spanish Flu in 1918 to the more recent outbreaks of Ebola and Zika virus. For someone interested in general knowledge or scientific history and progress, this book will continue to feed your curiosity.

Each chapter, focussing on a different pandemic, was written with clear expertise and well structured to give a defined chronological overview of events. Occasionally these recounts could be bogged down in the detailing of minor developments, therefore the pacing was relatively slow. I had also expected more of a focus on the social aspect of pandemics, whereas the book gives decidedly more time to the science and governmental policies used to overcome the outbreaks. These were interesting perspectives, but they seemed to depersonalise the events in certain chapters, making these stories of great targedy feel very matter-of-fact. Of course, this is a science book at heart, and therefore this is much more of a personal preference than a detriment to the book itself.

Reading this book in a period of pandemic helps to put Covid-19 into a historical and scientific context, whilst also giving some vital insight into the dos and don'ts of disease management. A great read for anyone with an interest in social or scientific history.