One of the only overview accounts of the 1918 pandemic, now fiercely relevant in the era of covid-19. This is a book that combines a fairly deep dive into the science with more speculative looks at the effects the pandemic had on art, psychology, and the emergence of worldwide disease surveillance structures. Some of the speculations are just that, and not especially convincing – the increased number of births isn’t necessarily a sign of increased “conception potential” because of w winnowing of the weaker individuals – but this is a minor complaint about a deeply researche, well-written, and timely work.

4/5. Finished Sunday 7 June, 2020.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)