{"title":"Thomas Levenson","description":"\u003cp\u003eThomas Levenson’s works invite readers into richly textured narratives where history and science intertwine. With titles like \u003cem\u003eNewton and the Counterfeiter\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eA Pox on Fools\u003c\/em\u003e, his books explore pivotal moments and figures who shaped our understanding of the natural world and society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExpect meticulously researched storytelling that brings the past vividly to life, revealing the complexities behind scientific discovery and historical change. Levenson’s writing appeals to those curious about the intricate dance between innovation, culture, and human endeavour.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"newton-and-the-counterfeiter-by-thomas-levenson-9780571229932","title":"Newton and the Counterfeiter","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlready famous throughout Europe for his theories of planetary motion and gravity, Isaac Newton decided to take on the job of running the Royal Mint. And there, Newton became drawn into a battle with William Chaloner, the most skilful of counterfeiters, a man who not only got away with faking His Majesty's coins (a crime that the law equated with treason), but was trying to take over the Mint itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut Chaloner had no idea who he was taking on. Newton pursued his enemy with the cold, implacable logic that he brought to his scientific research.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSet against the backdrop of early eighteenth-century London with its sewers running down the middle of the streets, its fetid rivers, its packed houses, smoke and fog, its industries and its great port, this dark tale of obsession and revenge transforms our image of Britain's greatest scientist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNewton and the Counterfeiter\u003c\/em\u003e unveils a lesser-known chapter of Newton's life, revealing his relentless pursuit and triumph over deceit and corruption.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46550220734700,"sku":"9780571229932","price":34.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9975433482391.jpg?v=1749962805"},{"product_id":"so-very-small-by-thomas-levenson-9781800249080","title":"So Very Small","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1665, an infectious disease swept through the British capital and claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. It would take another two hundred years for the cause of the Great Plague of London to be confirmed: a powerful bacterium called \u003ci\u003eYersinia pestis\u003c\/i\u003e. In those centuries, our understanding of diseases was transformed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eSo Very Small\u003c\/i\u003e, Thomas Levenson reveals how human hubris led us to overestimate our own ability and underestimate the threat that microorganisms truly pose. He journeys through some of the most significant epidemics and pandemics in history, including the recurrent outbreaks of cholera in Europe and Asia, and the 1721 Boston smallpox epidemic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe turning point came in the nineteenth century with the development of germ theory: the concept that microbes can cause disease. Levenson shows how, in the years that followed, scientists made major breakthroughs in our ongoing struggle against infectious disease. Perhaps the greatest of these achievements is the discovery of antibiotic treatment, which has been the salvation of much of humanity in recent centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a story that spans centuries and continents, \u003ci\u003eSo Very Small\u003c\/i\u003e explores the scientific quest to understand how tiny organisms have impacted the wider world – and looks ahead to the battle to fight their rapid evolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47496548122860,"sku":"9781800249080","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781800249080-so-very-small.jpg?v=1775798486"},{"product_id":"a-pox-on-fools-by-thomas-levenson-9781035920976","title":"A Pox on Fools","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScientific truth, and the vast benefits of modern medicine, are under sustained attack from conspiracy theorists.\u003c\/strong\u003e Not since the nineteenth century has there been such a relentless assault on tried and tested science.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this urgent history of anti-vaccine arguments, Thomas Levenson traces the alarming rhetoric of figures such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Ron DeSantis back to its roots, examining how their very same talking points have been regurgitated since the early eighteenth century. But what once started as justifiable skepticism of an emerging science is now completely divorced from reality. As Levenson demonstrates, vaccines themselves have transformed beyond recognition, but anti-vaccine rants echo the same meaningless tropes long after they have become obsolete.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis history is vital for our understanding of the political and cultural landscape as it mutates into ever-more terrifying forms. With wit and acerbity, Levenson offers a thorough dissection of anti-vaccine arguments and sets out undeniable evidence for the necessity of inoculation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLevenson warns, above all, of the dangers of proliferation – of anti-vaccine misinformation, and relatedly, of deadly disease and suffering. It is only in understanding these fools that we can begin to stop them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48021953642732,"sku":"9781035920976","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781035920976-a-pox-on-fools.jpg?v=1785284427"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/thomas-levenson.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}