The Mosquito: A Human History of our Deadliest Predator - Softcover

Timothy Winegard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 191123112X ISBN 13: 9781911231127

Publisher: Text Publishing Company, 2019

Synopsis

What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution, and how did it lead to Britain colonising Australia? What protected Popes for centuries? And what does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? The answer to these questions and many more is: the mosquito. The mosquito has razed economies, determined the fates of empires and decided the outcome of pivotal wars. She - only females bite has dispatched an estimated 52 billion people from a total of 108 billion ever to have lived. As the greatest purveyor of extermination we have known, she has played a greater role in shaping our history than any other living creature. The Mosquito is the extraordinary story of how a tiny bloodsucking fly indelibly changed our world.

About this title

Review

"Hugely impressive, a major work."- NPR

"Winegard's reminder of their enormous potential for destruction is a timely one for all of us... we modern folk are also guilty of believing that our hopes and our technology will somehow make us exempt from the workings of the natural world. The entire time that humanity has been in existence, the mosquito has been proof that we are not."- The New Yorker

"Thrilling... a lively history of mosquitoes. Mr. Winegard convincingly argues that the insect has shaped human life as well as delivering death... Mr. Winegard is an engaging guide, especially when he combines analysis with anecdote."- The Economist

"Written as a big- picture, impersonal history- think Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel... The Mosquito serves up an eye- opening, deeply alarming, and absolutely engrossing view of humanity's most tenacious foe."- Foreign Policy

"With the deeply researched Mosquito...he uses the bellicose insect to tie together a fascinating, sprawling history- from dinosaurs to the banned insecticide DDT."- Literary Review of Canada

"Convincingly portrays the ignoble mosquito as a malignant force more influential in human affairs than the legendary Illuminati."- Natural History Magazine

"Timothy Winegard's entertaining new book, The Mosquito, chronicles the impact of mosquito- borne disease, principally malaria, throughout history. Readers of this book will no doubt enjoy Winegard's rapid journey through many of humanity's major population movements, campaigns, and wars."- Science Magazine

"An epic analysis of the fiendish female insects." - --The Boulder Lifestyle Magazine

'Timothy C. Winegard's The Mosquito is as wildly entertaining as any epic narrative out there. It's also all true...The Mosquito is an extremely well-researched work of narrative nonfiction that tells the story of the world through the lens of the role that mosquitoes and mosquito-borne illnesses have played in it...The writing is engaging, and Winegard masterfully weaves historical facts and science to offer a shocking, informative narrative that shows how who we are today is directly linked to the mosquito. - NPR

'The mosquito is no mere backyard annoyance to be swatted away. It s a flying general that has waged war against every species arrogant enough to climb to the top of the food chain. Though humans are still standing, Winegard s book is a sprawling account of way too many lost battles, from ancient times to the present day...[G]ripping.' --- LA Times

Edition details

• Publisher: Text Publishing Company
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 191123112X
• ISBN 13: 9781911231127
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 300