It’s been nine years since I published Parasite Rex, but it just got a very cool honor. Amazon has named it one of their highest-rated science books. The criteria are a little squirrely, but I won’t turn it down.
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About The Loom
"Celebrated curiosity monger"
Carl Zimmer writes about science regularly for the New York Times and magazines such as Discover, where he is a contributing editor and columnist.
He is the author of twelve books, the most recent of which is Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed. His website is carlzimmer.com and his address is blog at carlzimmer dot com .
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"The Tangled Bank is the best written and best illustrated introduction to evolution of the Darwin centennial decade, and also the most conversant with ongoing research."--Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University
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Nifty Fifty
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January 22nd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
That’s your one book I couldn’t make it through. All the goryness of the ways that the parasites affected the people. Too gross for me.
My Father in law is named Rex, though, so I got a kick out of showing off the cover to him.
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Carl, as one of the many people who bought that book on Amazon, I’ve got to say I consider it the best piece of non-fiction I’ve read in the past decade.
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I’m with Dave C. I teach a college course on evolution and the students all read a chapter for a class discussion, then many go out and buy it. I was amazed by how much I loved reading the book too. One for the ages!
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Congrats!
My brother actually bought it from Chapters (Canadian book chain) the same day I bought Microcosm. When we both go home for the summer, we plan to trade!
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Congratulations. Of your books I’ve read that one was definitely my favorite. Among other things it provided the most interesting tidbits that can just get dropped into any conversation.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Cool.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
When it comes to exciting protaganists, you just can’t beat blood flukes…
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:12 pm
I just finished this book yesterday, and I adored it! I’ve recommended it to a whole bunch of people in the last couple of days.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I too just finished Parasite Rex. Agreed, one of the best. I just wish that I read it before I retired. (33 years, 7th grade science) Lots of great stories to share with the students. Thanks, now I’m looking forward to reading Microcosm.
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Inside the bizarre world of Naure’s most dangerous creatures
The social advocate.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I have to confess, I hadn’t purchased this book until recently – and as a fan of parasites, it’s truly shame on me for not having read it sooner. But now, I don’t think I can live without it – I feel like a blind person who is suddenly cured and can see for the first time. I can’t wait to read Microcosm!
January 25th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
I wonder how many people bought it after Penn Jillette plugged it on his (now defunkt) radio show/podcast…
This book is also my favorite.
January 28th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Well done on the rating, I read it a few years back and have to say it really was one of the most enjoyable popular science books I’ve ever read. The looks on my friends’ and colleagues’ faces when I described particularly gruesome parts were worth the cover price alone
January 28th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Hi Carl. I just want to thank you for writing Parasite Rex. I bought the book from Amazon, and it arrived last Saturday, and I was planning to read it over the course of a week or two, but it was so riveting I couldn’t put it down, and read the entire thing in a day and a half. I just started reading it again, so I can catch all the little details, instead of just being swept away by the grand story. I can understand why people say it forever changes the way they see the world. For me it was maybe less of a radical change, because I read your book ‘Evolution: Triumph of an Idea’ 5 or 6 years ago, and there were a lot of ideas mentioned in that book that were fully fleshed out (if I can use that term) in Parasite Rex. But Parasite Rex is still a pretty mind-blowing book. I don’t know what order the books were written but I think they add a lot of insight whatever order you read them. Great books. Thanks again, and keep writing great books.