Famous Plague Stories Illustrated

Famous Plague Stories contains three classic illustrated fiction stories about the plague and germ warfare that were written more than 100 years ago. They are particularly relevant due to emergence of new diseases world-wide in the 21st century. The Scarlet Plague, written by Jack London in 1912, was an early science-fiction story set in 2073, sixty years after a devastating plague wipes out most of the planet's population. One of the few survivors recounts the story of life before and during the plague to his grand-children who have problems believing any of the tale. The plague had struck quickly with most people dying within minutes with no cure in sight. The victim would turn scarlet red before dying. The Unparalleled Invasion, written by London in 1910, follows a militant China that breaks away from Japan and fights a brief war that culminates in the Chinese annexation of the Japanese possessions of Korea, Formosa, and Manchuria. Over the next half century, China's population steadily grows, and eventually migration overwhelms European colonies in Asia. The United States and the other Western powers launch a biological warfare campaign against China. The Masque of the Red Death, written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1842, follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball within seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters.