© Columbia University Press
Biological Weapons: From the Invention of State-Sponsored Programs to Contemporary Bioterrorism
March, 2006
Paper, 256 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-12943-5
$22.95
/ £13.50
Cloth, 256 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-12942-8
$75.00
/ £44.00
"This sane and sensible book ends by arguing for a more balanced approach." — Malcolm Dando, Nature
"The book ranks high as a historical introduction to the subject and a handbook on contemporary remedies." — Publishers Weekly
"Guillemin's account of biological weapons is lucid and concise, providing an excellent guide through the evidence on the past and issues for the future." — Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs
"Jeanne Guillemin presents a cogent history of biological warfare and its horrific implications" — Karl Helicher, ForeWord
"Guillemin's book is an extremely valuable and insightful work on a topic of significant national and international concern." — Thomas May, Journal of the American Medical Association
"The scholarship and the clarity of the writing are remarkable...deserves to be read widely" — Karl M. Johnson, M.D., New England Journal of Medicine
"A clear, well-written general survey... it eschews the sensationalism and fear mongering which surrounds much of the current literature." — John Ellis van Courtland Moon, Journal of Military History
"Read it." — Alan D B Malcolm, Biologist
"There is no better source for an overview of the history of biological weapons research." — Susan Lindee, Bulletin of the History of Medicine
"This is a fascinating, lucidly written and important book for anyone concerned about the vulnerability of contemporary society to the misuse of science in support of terrorism. In a thoughtful historical analysis of the experiences of France, Britain, Japan, and the United States, the seductiveness of using science for development of new and more effective weapons is set in contrast to the seductiveness of using science to develop more sophisticated technical means for defense. The critical message from the history of biological and chemical weapons is that their restriction will ultimately depend less on technical scientific fixes, than on the fundamental values of a democratic society, namely openness, law and consensus. This book initiates a dialog with the public that urgently needs to take place." — Barry R. Bloom, dean, Harvard School of Public Health
"This is a powerful book that tells the disturbing story of biological weapons, from early experimentation around World War I, through the horrific human experimentation of World War II into the massive programs of the Cold War. But this is history written to inform our terribly unsettling present: bioterrorism is altering our everyday sense of security. Jeanne Guillemin has done important work here—work that needs to be understood by all of us as we face a fearful form of science that risks making the 'reasonable' balance of terror and deterrence look like the good old days." — Peter Galison, Mallinckrodt Professor of the History of Science and of Physics, Harvard University
"A finely drawn and accurate overview, free of the prejudice and scare-mongering that usually surround the subjectBiological Weapons: From the Invention of State-Sponsored Programs to Contemporary Bioterrorism. This book shows us the political, personal, and military factors that caused national germ-weapons programs to emerge in the 1920s and later to flourish and fade with the Cold War, leaving our future contaminated with the possibility of bioterrorism. Here is a masterly tool for dispelling ignorance and for probing policy." — Julian Robinson, University of Sussex
"Guillemin, one of America's most trusted authorities on biological weapons, recounts, in chilling detail, the evolution of the threat-from the state programs of the early twentieth century, to Iraq's program, to the horrifying prospects of twenty-first century bioterrorism. Guilleman warns us that a variety of constraints-legal, technical, political, and moral-together with sheer good luck, have kept us safe until now; but that our our fears-and our zeal to protect ourselves, could ultimately be more damaging than the weapons themselves. Biological Weapons is a balanced and wise account that will help us make better decisions about an exceedingly difficult dilemma-balancing the need to protect ourselves while not discouraging important biomedical advances." — Jessica Stern, author of Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill
"An expert in presenting clear and concise analyses of issues related to biological weapons, Jeanne Guillemin tells the fascinating and frightening story of biological weapons development and use from World War Two to the present. No other book presents this saga as precisely yet readably. The book should be required reading for biologists, physicians, policy makers, and for anyone who seeks to understand current biological weapons dangers and dilemmas." — Victor W. Sidel, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
"Biological weapons have a justly deserved reputation as barbaric weapons that should never be used. Guillemin is one of our leading authorities on the history of these terrible weapons, and what a history it is: secret research programs undertaken without public knowledge or debate; unethical experiments on prisoners-of-war, conscientious objectors, and unwitting users of subways and airports; and meticulously calculated plans to kill millions. Guillemin has given us, for the first time, a book that pulls together everything we know about biological warfare research in the U.S., the Soviet Union, Europe and Canada. Writing straightforwardly, without cheap sensationalism or bias, she gives a lucid account of the history of these programs and of the dangers now confront us if they fall into the hands of terrorists." — Hugh Gusterson, author of "People of the Bomb" and Associate Professor of Anthropology and Science Studies, MIT