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An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives book cover by Matt Richtel
Paperback

An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives

by Matt Richtel

From $18.87 / copy at 25+ copies; lower per-copy prices at higher quantities (see Volume pricing) As low as $15.68 at 1,000+

Total $471.75

Paperback · 576 pages HarperCollins · 2019

Format

Paperback
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About the book

An Elegant Defense

National Bestseller

"Gives you all the context you need to understand the science of immunity. ... An Elegant Defense left me with [a] sense of awe.” —Bill Gates, Gates Notes Summer Reading List

The Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times journalist "explicates for the lay reader the intricate biology of our immune system" (Jerome Groopman, MD, New York Review of Books)

From New York Times science journalist Matt Richtel, An Elegant Defense is an acclaimed and definitive exploration of the immune system and the secrets of health. Interweaving cutting-edge science with the intimate stories of four individual patients, this epic, first-of-its-kind book “give[s] lay readers a means of understanding what’s known so far about the intricate biology of our immune systems” (The Week).

The immune system is our body’s essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats. For all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition—hallmarks of modern life—and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders.

An Elegant Defense effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to today’s laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology—perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. Drawing on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists, Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our “elegant defense.”



Details

Publisher
HarperCollins
Author
Matt Richtel
Format
Paperback
Published
Mar 12, 2019
ISBN-13
9780062699107
ISBN-10
0062699105
Pages
576
Carton quantity
10 copies
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An Elegant Defense for groups: pricing

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CopiesPrice per copyYou save
25 – 99 $18.87 41% off list
100 – 249 $17.91 44% off list
250 – 499 $16.95 47% off list
500 – 999 $16.31 49% off list
1,000+ $15.68 51% off list
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What does An Elegant Defense cost when I buy for a group?

Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart, with no code needed. Price per copy: 25 to 99 copies, $18.87 (41% off list); 100 to 249 copies, $17.91 (44% off list); 250 to 499 copies, $16.95 (47% off list); 500 to 999 copies, $16.31 (49% off list); 1,000+ copies, $15.68 (51% off list). Need a different quantity, or a quote to forward for approval? Ask a specialist and we will confirm pricing before you pay.

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