
1. "History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides (431 B.C.)
I've read this one and suggest it - the imagery is unforgettable.
2. "A Journal of the Plague Year" by Daniel Defoe (1722)
I am congenitally incapable of reading Defoe - I immediately go into a coma and fantasize about Lord of the Rings.
3. "Rats, Lice and History" by Hans Zinnser (Little, Brown, 1935)
This sounds like a good 'curl up before the fire' book.
4. "Plagues and Peoples" by William H. McNeill (Anchor Books, 1976)
My rather pathetic local library actually has this book.
5. "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston (Random House, 1994)
The best paranoia-inspiring book ever.






Comment Preview