Epidemics in History

A booklist for reading about epidemics in History.

Updated February 27, 2023
University of Victoria Libraries Tina Bebbington, History and Newspaper Librarian, UVic
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The ghost map : the story of London's most terrifying epidemic--and how it changed science, cities, and the modern world
Johnson, Steven
Paper Book
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...
Flu : the story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it
Kolata, Gina Bari
Paper Book
A national bestseller, the fast-paced and gripping account of the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918 from acclaimed science journalist Gina Kolata, now featuring a new epilogue about avian flu. When we think of plagues, we think of AIDS, Ebola, anthrax spores, and, of course, the Black...
The coming plague : newly emerging diseases in a world out of balance
Garrett, Laurie.
Paper Book
Unpurified drinking water. Improper use of antibiotics. Local warfare. Massive refugee migration. Changing social and environmental conditions around the world have fostered the spread of new and potentially devastating viruses and diseases - HIV, Lassa, Ebola, and others. Laurie Garrett takes you...
The pandemic century : one hundred years of panic, hysteria, and hubris
Honigsbaum, Mark
Paper Book
Ever since the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, scientists have dreamed of preventing catastrophic outbreaks of infectious disease. Yet despite a century of medical progress, viral and bacterial disasters continue to take us by surprise, inciting panic and dominating news cycles. From the Spanish...

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