2006 Hardcover Edition in Very Good Condition. Dust Jacket & text are clean and unmarked. Spine is firm. It is the Summer of 1854, London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world, a metroplis of more than 2 million people. But, in the Summer of 1854 London will experience urban terror in the form of the cities most terrifying epidemic that will change the city, the world and science itself. Author Johnson examines the epidemic from the microbial level to the human level to the urban level. Brilliantly written and researched, this is a story of how scientific understanding can advance in the most hostile environments and how two men were spurred into action. Johnson intertwines the histories of the spread of disease, the rise of the cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry in a vivid history and a powerful explanation of how it shaped the world we live in. An excellent read. Prompt shipping with a Free Delivery Confirmation.