The Good Virus

The Untold Story of Phages: The Most Abundant Life Forms on Earth and What They Can Do For Us

By: Tom Ireland

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Paperback | 27 June 2024 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

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400 Pages

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$38.25

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CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 BY WATERSTONES AND THE TIMES

'The book that might change the world ... This is luxury-class science writing'

TELEGRAPH

'One of the best books of any genre that I've read in 2023, this superbly-written book ... will fascinate absolutely everyone.'

FORBES

'A delight. To learn more about phages is to discover fascinating details about a hidden world'

NATURE

'Outstanding'

CLIVE MYRIE

__________

Not all viruses are out to get us - in fact, the viruses that do us harm are vastly outnumbered by viruses called phages that can actually save lives. Phages are the most abundant life form on the planet and have an incredible power to heal rather than harm.

The Good Virus reveals how personalities, power and politics have repeatedly crashed together to hinder our understanding of these weird and wonderful life forms. We explore why Stalin's Soviet Union embraced using phages to fight disease but the rest of the world shunned the idea. We find out why scientists only recently realised phages are central to all ecosystems on Earth. And we meet the often eccentric phage heroes who have shaped the strange history of this field and are unlocking its exciting future.

Faced with the threat of antibiotic resistance, we need phages now more than ever. The Good Virus celebrates what phages could do for us and our planet if they are at last given the attention they deserve.

Industry Reviews

One of the best books of any genre that I've read in 2023, this superbly-written book relies on exquisite story-telling to interweave science and history and politics into an engaging and readable account that will fascinate absolutely everyone ... Even scientists and medical doctors will find much in this book to intrigue and delight them, and non-specialists will find this eye-opening book is unlike anything they've ever read before. - Forbes

Most viruses do no harm to humans - and, as this fascinating book explains, a large class of them might even prove our saviours ... All this and more is thrillingly recounted in Tom Ireland's superb book. This is real luxury-class science writing - Telegraph

This engaging book highlights the brighter side of the viral world ... a delight. To learn more about phages is to discover fascinating details about a hidden world ... riveting - Nature

Compelling and original ... richly detailed and absorbing ... The Good Virus is original, eye-opening and grippingly told. - New Scientist

The book that might change the world ... Ireland's superb book introduces us to Covid's friendly little cousin, the phage. It feasts on bacteria, was used to treat soldiers at Stalingrad, and might just be the future of medicine. - Daily Telegraph

Outstanding. The Good Virus is a fascinating, original and timely work.

The Good Virus is a colorful redemption story for the oft-neglected yet incredibly abundant phage, and its potential for quelling the existential threat of antibiotic resistance ... [Ireland] approaches the subject of his first book with curiosity and passion, delivering a deft narrative that is rich and approachable ... fascinating - New York Times

In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the idea of a virus being beneficial may seem strange, even implausible. But science journalist Tom Ireland is admirably determined to show us just how potent this disease-fighting approach can be and to persuade us of its importance. As engaging as it is expansive, The Good Virus describes the distinctive biology and murky history of bacteriophage - Wall Street Journal

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