Atlas, R. (ed.). 2000. Many Faces-Many Microbes: Personal Reflections in Microbiology. ASM Press, Herndon, VA. A collection of down-to-earth personal essays written by contemporary microbiologists. The book demystifies science by revealing the human faces of leading microbiologists.

Beck, R. W. 2000. A Chronology of Microbiology in Historical Context. ASM Press, Herndon, VA. This book presents major events in microbiology in their historical context and identifies the individuals who were responsible. The book also includes developments in other scientific disciplines as well as especially significant events from social, political and cultural history.

Brock, T. (ed.). 1961. Milestones in Microbiology. ASM Press, Washington, D.C. Prentice-Hall reprinted 1975. A collection of historically significant papers in microbiology that cover the past 300 years. The editor discusses briefly the significance of each paper to the development of microbiology.

DeKruif, P. 1966. Microbe Hunters. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York. The stories of the early microbiologists told by a microbiologist in a very interesting fashion.

Drexler, M. 2002. Secret Agents: The Menace of Emerging Infections. Joseph Henry Press, Washington. A fascinating story of how poorly prepared the United States is in some cases to deal with a variety of infectious agents as a result of changing lifestyles.

Ford, B. 1998. The earliest views. Scientific American. 278(4):50-53. The author recreates the experiments of early microscopists, using their own microscopes. He concludes that they saw what they said they saw.

Garrett, L. 1994. The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance. Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, New York. A very lengthy book warning about numerous "new' diseases that have arisen in the last few years.

Howland, J. L. 2000. The Surprising Archaea — Discovering Another Domain of Life. Oxford University Press, New York. A succinct account of the development of the field of the Domain Archaea.

Tierno, P. M. Jr. 2002. The Secret Life of Germs: Observations and Lessons from a Microbe Hunter. Pocket Books. This book presents a one-of-a-kind glimpse into such microscopic worlds as those of the common cold, E. coli, smallpox, and anthrax.

Tomes, N. 1998. The Gospel of Germs. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. This book, written by a professor of history, looks into the history of the long- standing obsession that people have had with germs and the impact this had on twentieth century culture and society.