Power Unseen

[walkitout]

Recently, _Power Unseen: How Microbes Rule the World_ by Bernard Dixon was mentioned in an astrology column quote by byrdie. I looked up the book and was charmed by the descriptions. It was out of print, at least in the US, but I found a used copy for about $10 and it has arrived. It is even more charming in person. What a fantastic little science book! Each section focuses on one microbe (virus, bacteria or rickettsia ?) and tells a concise story about it. How it was discovered, the disease and death it caused on one more occasion, how it has been harnessed for human use (cheese, bread, wine, beer, making acetone, etc.). All in a chatty, British voice that doesn't waste the reader's time.

Should you need to learn about microbes for any reason, or want a highly interruptible book that entertains and educates (bathroom reading, anyone?) or like stories, I highly recommend this.