This revised edition of Angel of Death provides a compelling and timely account of humanity’s battle against one of its greatest killers. It traces the dramatic rise and fall of smallpox, including the creation of the world’s first vaccine by Edward Jenner, which ultimately led to the disease’s eradication in 1980—a turning point in the history of smallpox, and arguably the greatest achievement of preventative medicine. The saga of smallpox still resonates today, with its legacies including the anti-vaccination movement, and more recently, the nightmarish possibility that a virus resembling smallpox could return, either through natural evolution—as in the case of monkey-pox—or built from scratch in a bioterrorist’s laboratory. Given its greater infectivity and mortality, such a virus could lead to a much more devastating pandemic than COVID–19. Engagingly written with colourful characters and a riveting storyline, this rigorously researched second edition should appeal to anyone fascinated by the history of medicine, science or global health.

The first edition (2010) of Angel of Death: The Story of Smallpox was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize 2010 and the Medical Journalists’ Association Award 2011.

Gareth Williams is Emeritus Professor and former Dean of Medicine at the University of Bristol, in the UK. Internationally renowned for his research into diabetes and obesity, he has published over 200 scientific papers, co-edited the prizewinning Handbook of Diabetes (1992, 1999) and contributed to the Oxford Textbook of Medicine. His other books for general readers are Paralysed with Fear: The Story of Polio (2013); A Monstrous Commotion: The Mysteries of Loch Ness (2016); Unravelling the Double Helix: The Lost Heroes of DNA (2019); and The Impossible Bomb: The Hidden History of British Scientists and the Race to Create an Atomic Weapon (2025).