So Very Small (How Humans Discovered the Microcosmos, Defeated Germs--and May Still Lose the War Against Infectious Disease)

ISBN: 9780593242735
List Price $35.00 Up to % OFF

FREE Ground Shipping in US

Expect Delivery in 4-10 weekdays

Brand New Books

Lock in your price today! Prices tomorrow are NOT GUARANTEED.
Total for copies: Save
$35.00
List Price
Your Price Per Book
Discount

Found a lower price on another site? Request a Price Match

Minimum Order: 25 copies per title

true
Select QTYQuantity:
Quantity
Price
Discount

Minimum Order $100 / 25 copies per title, no exceptions

Not ready to place your order?

Prices change daily. Order now!

Need A Quote?  Request a quote

$35.00
SKU:
9780593242735
Availability:
516.25
Minimum Purchase:
25 units
Bulk Pricing:
Buy in bulk and save

Minimum Order: 25 copies per title

true

Product Details

Author:
Thomas Levenson
Format:
Hardcover
Pages:
448
Publisher:
Random House Publishing Group (April 29, 2025)
Language:
English
Audience:
General/trade
ISBN-13:
9780593242735
ISBN-10:
0593242734
Weight:
26.4oz
Dimensions:
6.3" x 9.56" x 1.34"
File:
RandomHouse-PRH_Book_Company_PRH_PRT_Onix_delta_active_D20250714T232636_152573662-20250714.xml
Folder:
RandomHouse
List Price:
$35.00
Country of Origin:
United States
Pub Discount:
65
Case Pack:
12
As low as:
$17.50
Shipping Origin:
Westminster, MD
Publisher Identifier:
P-RH
Discount Code:
A
Imprint:
Random House

Ordering Details

  • Product Availability: Typically, all books are in stock and ready to ship. If a title becomes unavailable unexpectedly, you will be contacted with 24 business hours.
  • Standard Shipping: FREE Shipping via ground transportation within the continental United States.
  • Estimated Delivery: Most orders deliver within 4-10 business days from order date (excluding weekends and holidays). Orders shipping to Alaska or Hawaii should allow a minimum of 3 weeks for delivery.
  • Rush Shipping: Deliver in 5 business days from order date (excluding weekends, holidays, HI & AK).
  • Important Note: Books ship from various warehouses and may receive multiple cartons to fill the complete order. Do not assume your order is shipping from Portland, OR.
  • Payment Terms: Visa, MC, Amex, PayPal, Purchase Orders and P-Cards can be used to purchase online. Check and wire-transfer payments are available offline through Customer Service



Overview

The centuries-long quest to discover the critical role of germs in disease reveals as much about human reasoning—and the pitfalls of ego—as it does about microbes.

“Essential reading . . . Thomas Levenson brings to brilliant life the social history of medical detective work and illuminates the fascinating world of pathogenic microbes.”—Deborah Blum, New York Times bestselling author of The Poison Squad

Scientists and enthusiastic amateurs first confirmed the existence of living things invisible to the human eye in the late seventeenth century. So why did it take two centuries to connect microbes to disease? As late as the Civil War in the 1860s, most soldiers who perished died not on the battlefield but of infected wounds, typhoid, and other diseases. Twenty years later, the outcome might have been different, following one of the most radical intellectual transformations in history: germ theory, the recognition that the tiniest forms of life have been humankind’s greatest killers. It was a discovery centuries in the making, and it transformed modern life and public health.

As Thomas Levenson reveals in this globe-spanning history, it has everything to do with how we see ourselves. For centuries, people in the West, believing themselves to hold God-given dominion over nature, thought too much of humanity and too little of microbes to believe they could take us down. When nineteenth-century scientists finally made the connection, life-saving methods to control infections and contain outbreaks soon followed. The next big break came with the birth of the antibiotic era in the 1930s. And yet, less than a century later, the promise of the antibiotic revolution is already receding due to years of overuse. Is our self-confidence getting the better of us again?

So Very Small follows the thread of human ingenuity and hubris across centuries—along the way peering into microscopes, spelunking down sewers, visiting army hospitals, traipsing across sheep fields, and more—to show how we came to understand the microbial environment and how little we understand ourselves. Levenson traces how and why ideas are pursued, accepted, or ignored—and hence how human habits of mind can, so often, make it terribly hard to ask the right questions.

While major retailers like Amazon may carry So Very Small (How Humans Discovered the Microcosmos, Defeated Germs--and May Still Lose the War Against Infectious Disease), we specialize in bulk book sales and offer personalized service from our friendly, book-smart team based in Portland, Oregon. We’re proud to offer a Price Match Guarantee and a streamlined ordering experience from people who truly care.

We’re trusted by over 75,000 customers, many of whom return time and again. Want proof? Just check out our 25,000+ customer reviews—real feedback from people who love how we do business.

Prefer to talk to a real person? Our Book Specialists are here Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST and ready to help with your bulk order of So Very Small (How Humans Discovered the Microcosmos, Defeated Germs--and May Still Lose the War Against Infectious Disease).


Customer Reviews