The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World

The Ghost Map, written by Steven Johnson, the dynamic thinker often likened to James Gleick, Dava Sobel, and Malcolm Gladwell, is an engrossing page-turner about Dr. John Snow, a real-life historical hero. In the summer of 1854, London is beginning to take shape as one of the world's first modern cities. However, since the city lacks the facilities—clean water, sewage, and waste collection—necessary to maintain its quickly growing population, it has turned into the ideal environment for the spread of a horrifying illness that is now incurable. A doctor and a local priest are inspired to act as the cholera epidemic spreads, and they eventually find the solution to the most important medical conundrum of their day. Johnson offers both a compelling history and a compelling explanation of how it has shaped the world we live in. In a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, he illuminates the interwoven histories and interconnectedness of the spread of disease, contagion theory, the rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry.