Richard Preston (b. August 5, 1954) is a New Yorker writer and bestselling author of books about alarming infectious disease epidemics and bioterrorism. Whether journalistic or fictional, his writings are based on thorough background research and extensive interviews. August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... New Yorker may refer to: the magazine, The New Yorker a resident of New York City the hotel New Yorker a named passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad between Detroit, MI and New York, NY This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that... Cosette Dwyer is an amazing author. ... This false-colored electron micrograph shows a malaria sporozoite migrating through the midgut epithelia. ... In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during... Bioterrorism is terrorism using germ warfare, an intentional human release of a naturally-occurring or human-modified toxin or biological agent. ...

Richard Preston attended Pomona College, in southern California, and received his Ph.D. in English from Princeton University.

His 1992 New Yorker article "Crisis in the Hot Zone" was expanded into his best known book, The Hot Zone (1994). It is a "non-fiction thriller" about the Ebola virus. He came to know the virus through such contacts as U.S. Army researchers Drs. C.J Peters and Nancy Jaax. His fascination began during a visit to Africa where he was an eyewitness to epidemics. The Hot Zone is a 1995 non-fiction bio-thriller by Richard Preston describing the origins of and incidents involving hemorrhagic fevers Ebola and Marburg. ... Ebola is both the common term used to describe a group of viruses belonging to genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, and the common name for the disease which they cause, Ebola hemorrhagic fever. ... The United States Army is one of the armed forces of the United States and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

Preston's novel The Cobra Event (1997), about the terroristic release of a fictional virus combining various qualities of different diseases upon New York City, alarmed even former President Clinton (according to the book's back cover). The book strove to tell a fast-paced thriller narrative within the bounds of well-researched bio-terroristic possibility. The Cobra Event is a 1998 bio-thriller novel by Richard Preston describing a terror attempt on the United States by a man known only as Archimedes. ...

The Demon in the Freezer covers the story of the eradication of smallpox, perhaps the most destructive virus to have plagued mankind. It details the survival of the virus in research labs and bio-weapon programs of Russia and other nations, despite its eradication in the human population. The narrative continues with Anthrax, a virus of cattle and humans, used in a failed attack against former Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota. The Demon in the Freezer, a nonfiction account of attempts by the medical community to deal with smallpox, was written by Richard Preston. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. ... Thomas Andrew Daschle (born December 9, 1947), known as Tom Daschle, was a U.S. Senator from South Dakota and the Senate Majority Leader. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ...

• Richard's brother Douglas Preston also became a best-selling author, together with his writing-partner Lincoln Child.

• The Hot Zone served as the (very loose) basis of the Hollywood movie Outbreak (1995) about military machinations surrounding a fictional "Oropouche virus".

Douglas Preston (born 1956 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is an author of several techno-thriller and horror novels with Lincoln Child. ... Lincoln Child (born 1957) is an author of techno-thriller and horror novels. ... Outbreak (1995) is a suspense film starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and Morgan Freeman. ...

Bibliography

Fiction

• (1997) The Cobra Event. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-45714-3. 
• (2003) The Boat of Dreams: A Christmas Story, illus. George Henry Jennings, New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-4592-X. 

The Cobra Event is a 1998 bio-thriller novel by Richard Preston describing a terror attempt on the United States by a man known only as Archimedes. ... Random House is a publishing division of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann based in New York City. ...

Non-fiction

• (1987) First Light: The Search for the Edge of the Universe. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0-87113-200-1. 
• (1991) American Steel: Hot Metal Men and the Resurrection of the Rust Belt. New York: Prentice Hall Press. ISBN 0-13-029604-X. 
• (1994) The Hot Zone. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-43094-6. 
• (2002) The Demon in the Freezer. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-375-50856-2. 
• (2007) The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1400064892. 

First Light: The Search for the Edge of the Universe is a 1987 non-fiction book on astronomy and astronomers by Richard Preston. ... The Hot Zone is a 1995 non-fiction bio-thriller by Richard Preston describing the origins of and incidents involving hemorrhagic fevers Ebola and Marburg. ... The Demon in the Freezer, a nonfiction account of attempts by the medical community to deal with smallpox, was written by Richard Preston. ...

External links

• Official site
• Richard Preston Bio at Greater Talent Network (Speakers Bureau)