Richard Preston (born August 5, 1954) is a writer for ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' and bestselling author who has written books about infectious disease,
bioterrorism
Bioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents. These agents are bacteria, viruses, insects, fungi, and/or toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form, in much the same ...
, redwoods and other subjects, as well as fiction.
Biography
Preston was born in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
. He graduated
Wellesley High School in Massachusetts in 1972 and attended
Pomona College
Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...
in Claremont, California. He earned a Ph.D. in English from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
in 1983.
His 1992 ''New Yorker'' article "Crisis in the Hot Zone" was expanded into his breakout book, ''
The Hot Zone
''The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story'' is a best-selling 1994 nonfiction thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebolaviruses and marburgviruses. The basis of the book ...
'' (1994). It is classified as a "non-fiction thriller" about
ebolaviruses. He learned of
ebola
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...
through such contacts as
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
researchers Drs.
C.J. Peters and Nancy Jaax. His fascination began during a visit to Africa where he was an eyewitness to epidemics. The book served as the (very loose) basis of the Hollywood movie ''
Outbreak
In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...
'' (1995) about military machinations surrounding a fictional "Motaba virus".
Preston's novel ''
The Cobra Event'' (1998), about a terrorism release of a fictional virus combining various qualities of different diseases upon New York City, alarmed even then-President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
who, shortly after reading it, instigated a review of bio-terror threats to the U.S. The book strove to tell a fast-paced thriller narrative within the bounds of well-researched bio-terrorism possibility, and was reportedly pressed upon Clinton by a molecular biologist when he was attending a
Renaissance Weekend
Renaissance Weekend is an invite-only American retreat for leaders in business and finance, government, the media, religion, medicine, science, technology, and the arts. Conversations are off-the-record and subject matter ranges widely, tending to ...
event.
''
The Demon in the Freezer
''The Demon in the Freezer'' is a 2002 nonfiction book on the biological weapon agents smallpox and anthrax and how the American government develops defensive measures against them. It was written by journalist Richard Preston, also author of ...
'' (2002) covers the story of the eradication of
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
, 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
Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...
, a bacterial disease of cattle and humans, used in the
2001 anthrax attacks
The 2001 anthrax attacks, also known as Amerithrax (a portmanteau of "America" and "anthrax", from its FBI case name), occurred in the United States over the course of several weeks beginning on September 18, 2001, one week after the September 11 ...
.
''
First Light'' and ''American Steel'' are non-fiction books addressing astrophysics and the steel industry. First Light centers around the history of the
Hale telescope
The Hale Telescope is a , 3.3 reflecting telescope at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, US, named after astronomer George Ellery Hale. With funding from the Rockefeller Foundation in 1928, he orchestrated the planning, de ...
on
Palomar Mountain
Palomar Mountain ( ; es, Monte Palomar ) is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park.
His ...
, and the astronomers who work there. American Steel chronicles the history of the
Nucor steel company, and focuses on its newest steel plant in Indiana, whose success depends on a new steel-sheet making machine engineered in West Germany.
Preston's personal hobby of
recreational tree climbing is introduced in ''
The Wild Trees'' (2007). His climbing experience likely led him to write about the largest known
redwoods
Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Cupressaceae. It includes the largest and tallest trees in the world.
Description
The three redwood subfamily genera are '' Sequoia'' from coasta ...
like
Lost Monarch
Lost Monarch is a coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') tree in Northern California that is in diameter at breast height (with multiple stems included), and in height. It is the world's fifth largest coast redwood in terms of wood volume (t ...
in the
Grove of Titans
The Grove of Titans is a redwood grove in Del Norte County, Northern California, with several massive coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') trees, some of the largest known redwoods in terms of wood volume. The largest coastal redwood tree in t ...
, or
Iluvatar, described in that book along with delicate forest canopy ecosystems.
Preston's ''Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science'' is a collection of essays related to his experiences researching his previous books.
In November 2009, Preston was selected by Harper-Collins and the
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...
estate to complete his unfinished novel
''Micro'' after Crichton's death in November 2008. The book was released on November 22, 2011. Approximately a third of Micro was completed by Crichton. Preston completed the book according to the author's remaining outline, notes, and research.
In 2016, Preston served as the Bedell Distinguished Visiting Professor at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...
's Nonfiction Writing Program where he judged the prestigious Iowa Prize in Literary Nonfiction.
Preston resides in
Hopewell, New Jersey with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters and one son. He is also the brother of best-selling author
Douglas Preston
Douglas Jerome Preston (born May 31, 1956) is an American journalist and author. Although he is best known for his thrillers in collaboration with Lincoln Child (including the '' Agent Pendergast'' series and ''Gideon Crew'' series), he has also ...
.
Minor planet
3792 Preston
Year 379 ( CCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Ausonius and Hermogenianus (or, less frequently, year 1132 ''Ab ...
is named in his honor.
Bibliography
Novels
* 1997: , or ''Cobra's Eye''
* 2003:
* 2011: Co-written with
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...
; completed after Crichton's death.
Non-fiction
;Articles:
*
;Nature:
* 2007:
;Science:
* 2008:
;True events:
* 1987:
OCLC 16004290* 1991:
* 1994:
* 2002:
* 2019:
References
External links
*
Video conversation with Prestonand
Carl Zimmer
Carl Zimmer (born 1966) is a popular science writer, blogger, columnist, and journalist who specializes in the topics of evolution, parasites, and heredity. The author of many books, he contributes science essays to publications such as ''The ...
on
Bloggingheads.tv
Bloggingheads.tv (sometimes abbreviated "bhtv") is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast on ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Richard
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
American science writers
American male novelists
The New Yorker people
The New Yorker staff writers
People from Hopewell, New Jersey
Pomona College alumni
1954 births
Living people
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
Wellesley High School alumni
20th-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers