Microbe Hunters: The Classic Book on the Major Discoveries of the Microscopic World

by Paul de Kruif, F. Gonzalez-Crussi (Introduction)

Overview

An international bestseller, translated into 18 languages, Paul de Kruif's classic account of the first scientists to see and learn about the microscopic world continues to fascinate audiences.

This is a timeless dramatization of the scientists, bacteriologists, doctors, and medical technicians who discovered the microbes and invented the vaccines to counter them. De Kruif writes about how seemingly simple but really fundamental discoveries of science—for instance, how a microbe was first viewed in a clear drop of rain water, and when, for the first time, Louis Pasteur discovered that a simple vaccine could save a man from the ravages of rabies by attacking the microbes that cause it.

"It manages to delight, and frequently to entrance, old and new readers [and] continues to engage our hearts and minds today with an indescribable brand of affectionate sympathy." –– F. Gonzalez-Crussi, from the Introduction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547542102
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/19/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	374
Sales rank:	533,493
Lexile:	1270L (what's this?)
File size:	923 KB

About the Author

Paul de Kruif (1890-1971), a bacteriologist and pathologist, was a prolific author on the subject of medical science. He lived in Michigan and taught for many years at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Editorial Reviews

This pleasurable reading of a popular favorite from the 1920s has enhanced appeal as an audiobook. Written in a conversational style, de Kruif’s anecdotal narrative adapts readily to the contemporary voice. Narrator Michael Quinlan sustains its episodic structure with brisk pacing and a sure instinct of when and how to articulate, or to subdue, its sometimes antique sensibilities. Quinlan’s delivery has an immediacy that often belies his artistry. He maintains informality while also maintaining pace and articulation—a nice balance of virtues that amply serves specialized histories like this one. The work carries a full load of important discoveries and discoverers—such as Louis Pasteur, Walter Reed, and Paul Ehrlich—but on the smoothest of wheels. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2017 - AudioFile