Richard Preston

Richard Preston
Richard Preston
Born	Richard Preston; August 5, 1954(age 70); Cambridge, Massachusetts,U.S.
Education	Wellesley High School; Pomona College; Princeton University(PhD)
Occupation(s)	Non-fiction writer, journalist
Years active	1954–present
Notable work	The Hot Zone(1994); The Cobra Event(1998); The Demon in the Freezer(2002); Micro(2011);

Richard Preston(born August 5, 1954) is a writer forThe New Yorkerand bestselling author who has written books aboutinfectious disease,bioterrorism,redwoodsand other subjects, as well as fiction.

Biography

Preston was born inCambridge, Massachusetts.He graduatedWellesley High Schoolin Massachusetts in 1972 and attendedPomona Collegein Claremont, California. He earned a Ph.D. in English fromPrinceton Universityin 1983.

His 1992New Yorkerarticle "Crisis in the Hot Zone" was expanded into his breakout book,The Hot Zone(1994). It is classified as a "non-fiction thriller" aboutebolaviruses.He learned ofEbolathrough such contacts asU.S. Armyresearchers Drs.C.J. Petersand 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 movieOutbreak(1995) about military machinations surrounding a fictional "Motaba virus".

Preston's novelThe Cobra Event(1998), about a terrorism release of a fictional virus combining various qualities of different diseases upon New York City, alarmed even then-PresidentBill Clintonwho, shortly after reading it, instigated a review of bio-terror threats to the U.S.^[1]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 aRenaissance Weekendevent.^[2]

The Demon in the Freezer(2002) covers the story of the eradication ofsmallpox,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 withanthrax,a bacterial disease of cattle and humans, used in the2001 anthrax attacks.

First LightandAmerican Steelare non-fiction books addressing astrophysics and the steel industry. First Light centers around the history of theHale TelescopeonPalomar Mountain,and the astronomers who work there. American Steel chronicles the history of theNucorsteel 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 ofrecreational tree climbingis introduced inThe Wild Trees(2007).^[3]His climbing experience likely led him to write about the largest knownredwoodslikeLost Monarchin theGrove of Titans,orIluvatar,described in that book along with delicate forest canopy ecosystems.

Preston'sPanic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Scienceis a collection of essays related to his experiences researching his previous books.

In November 2009, Preston was selected by Harper-Collins and theMichael Crichtonestate to complete his unfinished novelMicroafter 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.^[4]

In 2016, Preston served as the Bedell Distinguished Visiting Professor at theUniversity of Iowa's Nonfiction Writing Program^[5]where he judged the prestigious Iowa Prize in Literary Nonfiction.

Preston resides inHopewell, New Jerseywith his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters and one son.^[6]He is also the brother of best-selling authorDouglas Preston.

Minor planet3792 Prestonis named in his honor.^[7]

Bibliography

Novels

1997:The Cobra Event.New York:Random House.November 1997.ISBN 0-679-45714-3.,orCobra's Eye
2003:The Boat of Dreams: A Christmas Story.illus. George Henry Jennings. New York: Simon & Schuster. 2003.ISBN 0-7432-4592-X.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: others (link)
2011:Micro.HarperCollins.November 22, 2011.ISBN 978-0-06-087302-8.Co-written withMichael Crichton;completed after Crichton's death.

Non-fiction

Articles

Preston, Richard (December 3, 2012)."The Talk of the Town: Gone South: Flight of the Dragonflies".The New Yorker.Vol. 88, no. 38. pp. 40, 42.RetrievedDecember 10,2014.

Nature

2007:The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring.New York: Random House. 2007.ISBN 978-1-4000-6489-2.

Science

2008:Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science.New York: Random House. 2008.ISBN 978-1-4000-6490-8.

True events

1987:First Light: The Search for the Edge of the Universe.New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. 1987.ISBN 9780871132000;OCLC 16004290
1991:American Steel: Hot Metal Men and the Resurrection of the Rust Belt.New York: Prentice Hall Press. 1991.ISBN 0-13-029604-X.
1994:The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus.New York: Random House. 1994.ISBN 0-679-43094-6.
2002:The Demon in the Freezer: The Terrifying Truth about the Threat from Bioterrorism.New York: Random House. January 2002.ISBN 0-375-50856-2.
2019:Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come.New York: Random House. 2019.ISBN 978-0-8129-9883-2.

References

^Judith Miller and William J. Broad (April 26, 1998)."EXERCISE FINDS U.S. UNABLE TO HANDLE GERM WAR THREAT".New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 27,2013.
^ReviewofGerms: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War,byJudith Miller,et al., inWashington Monthly,2001
^Preston, Richard (2007),The Wild Trees: A Story Of Passion And Daring.Allen Lane Publishers.
^"www.michaelcrichton.com".
^"Time for creative nonfiction".Iowa Now.August 14, 2015.
^Donahue, Deirdre."Richard Preston will press your buttons in 'Panic in Level 4'",USA Today,June 16, 2008. Accessed February 15, 2011. "Author Richard Preston at the 75-acre farm where he lives in Hopewell, N.J."
^"(3792) Preston = 1980 YF = 1985 FA".Minor planet center.

External links

[1] Judith Miller and William J. Broad (April 26, 1998)."EXERCISE FINDS U.S. UNABLE TO HANDLE GERM WAR THREAT".New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 27,2013.

[2] ReviewofGerms: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War,byJudith Miller,et al., inWashington Monthly,2001

[3] Preston, Richard (2007),The Wild Trees: A Story Of Passion And Daring.Allen Lane Publishers.

[4] "www.michaelcrichton.com".

[5] "Time for creative nonfiction".Iowa Now.August 14, 2015.

[6] Donahue, Deirdre."Richard Preston will press your buttons in 'Panic in Level 4'",USA Today,June 16, 2008. Accessed February 15, 2011. "Author Richard Preston at the 75-acre farm where he lives in Hopewell, N.J."

[7] "(3792) Preston = 1980 YF = 1985 FA".Minor planet center.

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