Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.

Buy Used
$4.31
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: Good condition, fast shipping. Minor wear from storage and/or use. Eligible for Amazon Prime and Super Saver shipping programs. Satisfaction guaranteed!

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
See this image

Power Unseen: How microbes rule the world Paperback – January 8, 1998

5 out of 5 stars 6 customer reviews

See all 3 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions
Price
New from Used from
Paperback
"Please retry"
$7.85 $0.01

Top 20 lists in Books
Top 20 lists in Books
View the top 20 best sellers of all time, the most reviewed books of all time and some of our editors' favorite picks. Learn more

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Image
Interested in the Audiobook Edition?
If you’re the author, publisher, or rights holder of this book, let ACX help you produce the audiobook.Learn more.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press; Revised Edition edition (January 8, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 071674550X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0716745501
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 8.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #875,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

5 star
100%
4 star
0%
3 star
0%
2 star
0%
1 star
0%
See all 6 customer reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers

Top Customer Reviews

Format: Hardcover
With our present concerns and apprehensions about the invisible yet ubiquitous microbes which are a natural part of our environment, Bernard Dixon, the British science writer has written a series of vignettes to protray the myriad diverse and fascinating activities of some of these microscopic bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoans. Too frequently, we associate microbes with pestilence and spoilage; microbes as germs have been branded as invaders and pathogens which use and abuse their hosts. While from the human perspective, this reputation may be well deserved, the essays portray both the useful and the worrisome features of these microorganisms.

Divided into five sections, each holding fifteen delightful short stories to illustrate how microbes (1)shape our world, (2)spring surprises, (3)threaten us, (4) lead us to depend on them, and (5)shape our future; the contents combine historical background with contemporary technology. Starting with the primordial cell, where we all began - the essays cover the problems and circumstances that are associated with plague, smallpox, AIDS, rabies, yellow fever, lyme disease, typhoid, cholera along with many other appalling diseases. To balance this fearsome ensemble, useful microbes on which we depend or which we can manipulate to advantage are described; such as the nitrogen fixers, antibiotic producers, vitamin manufacturers, and the genetically engineered microrobots.

Bernard Dixon has the knack of describing the microbes both in their historical context and in our current awareness of their impact.
Read more ›
Comment 12 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
Format: Paperback
Being a junior doctor now, whenever I recall my 2nd year in the medical school I remember all these nights trying to understand what at time thought of a much more difficult course than anatomy (!)....microbiology. I never thought I would be following a microbiology career. This book changed it all. There is nothing to be afraid of microbes.....Hypochondriac as all med students are was also myself...all you must do is to consider it as part of our planet's natural history..The book correlates human history and microbes in the most exciting way! The language is readable by everyone and the new ideas jump out in every page....I could not stop thinking humanity as a microbe of the universe. There were chapters that i couldnt stop laughing and others that really put me thinking. Read it....it will make you appreciate the role of medicine and microbes in our lifes.
Comment 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
Format: Paperback
This is a great book for general reading on microbes and microbiology. The short chapters make for easy and very entertaining reading, and it is one of those books that can really inspire an interest in science. Many people develop an interest microbiology after reading "The Microbe Hunters," and I agree with the previous reviewer who suggested that "Power Unseen" makes very good follow-up reading. It is more focused on the actual microbes rather than their discoverers, but the excellent storytelling and appeal to general audiences is similar. It is really a shame, and very surprising to me, that it is not currently in print. I highly recommend reading it if you have even the slightest interest in microbiology and can buy or borrow a used copy.
Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse