{"product_id":"the-rules-of-contagion-why-things-spread-and-why-they-stop","title":"The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread - and Why They Stop","description":"Review\n\nThis is a hell of a moment for a book like this to come out ... the principles of contagion, which, Kucharski argues, can be applied to everything from folk stories and financial crises to itching and loneliness, are suddenly of pressing interest to all of us. ― Sunday Times\n\nPerfect timing ... prepares the ground comprehensively for readers to make sense of what is happening today, by distilling the wisdom gathered by studying previous epidemics over more than a century. ― Financial Times\n\nIt is hard to imagine a more timely book ... much of the modern world will make more sense having read it. ― The Times\n\nThe Rules of Contagion is popular science at its best. The prose is sparkling and clear. The subject is deeply fascinating and highly relevant. Touching on psychology, medicine, network theory and mathematics, epidemiologist Adam Kucharski has written a brilliant and authoritative guide to the hidden laws of how things spread - from ideas and memes, to violence and deadly viruses. An example of its subject matter, this book is also highly contagious: once you have read it, you will want to make sure others read it too. -- Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland\n\nRich in stories, The Rules of Contagion is a down-to-earth account of how mathematical approaches can help us better understand and, in turn, better respond to contagion in all its dynamic forms. Tackling issues from pandemics and gun violence, to financial crises and misinformation, Adam Kucharski inspires us all to think like mathematicians. A must read for anybody interested in epidemics and other crises. -- Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene \u0026amp; Tropical Medicine\n\nProduct Description\n\n'It is hard to imagine a more timely book ... much of the modern world will make more sense having read it.' The Times\n\n'Brilliant and authoritative' - Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland\n\nA deadly virus suddenly explodes into the population. A political movement gathers pace, and then quickly vanishes. An idea takes off like wildfire, changing our world forever. We live in a world that's more interconnected than ever before. Our lives are shaped by outbreaks - of disease, of misinformation, even of violence - that appear, spread and fade away with bewildering speed. To understand them, we need to learn the hidden laws that govern them. From 'superspreaders' who might spark a pandemic or bring down a financial system to the social dynamics that make loneliness catch on, The Rules of Contagion offers compelling insights into human behaviour and explains how we can get better at predicting what happens next.\n\nAlong the way, Adam Kucharski explores how innovations spread through friendship networks, what links computer viruses with folk stories - and why the most useful predictions aren't necessarily the ones that come true.\n\nBook Description\n\nThe new science of contagion, and the surprising ways it shapes our lives and behaviour\n\nAbout the Author\n\nAdam Kucharski is an associate professor at the London School of Hygiene \u0026amp; Tropical Medicine. A mathematician by training, his work on global outbreaks has included Ebola, Zika and COVID-19, and he has produced real-time analysis for multiple governments and health agencies. He is a TED senior fellow and winner of the 2016 Rosalind Franklin Award Lecture and the 2012 Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize. The author of The Perfect Bet, his writing has appeared in the Observer, Financial Times, Wired and New Statesman.","brand":"Profile Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40236095275093,"sku":"9781788164726N","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2481\/5790\/products\/7a6ffd5f-0e24-4abd-9d94-335a6ca23952.jpg?v=1660304365","url":"https:\/\/smeikalbooks.co.uk\/en-us\/products\/the-rules-of-contagion-why-things-spread-and-why-they-stop","provider":"smeikalbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}