Poison by Ben Hubbard

ISBN 978-0-233-00611-6 Poison: The History of Potions, Powders and Murderous Practitioners by Ben Hubbard Foreword by Sophie Hannah Poisoning is a dark art as old as human history itself. The Roman emperors used poison liberally to dispose of rivals, while Renaissance dinner part guests were quietly assassinated with adulterated wine. Today, in the search for the perfect covert weapon, shadowy figures deploy substances which are almost impossible to trace. They are only the latest in a long line of experimenters: for the same poisons used to kill or injure others have been used throughout history as intoxicants, aphrodisiacs and even elixirs of life. As every amateur toxicologist knows, the difference between a poison and medicine is often simply the dose. An illustrated account of history's silent assassin, Poison documents the gripping tales of the users, abusers and victims of these mysterious substances, from Cleopatra, the Borgias and Qin Shi Huang to contemporary secret service agents and terrorists. Profiles of the most commonly-used poisons of each historical era reveal their origins, potency, and murderous powers, and how the power-hungry, the dangerous and the desperate have harnessed them to achieve their ends. Ben Hubbard is a non-fiction author who has written extensively on history and science, including the recently published Bloody History of Paris, The Plantagenets, Troy, Vikings and Flashpoints in History. He has also written several bestselling military histories, including Gladiator: Fighting for Life and Samurai: Swords, Shoguns and Seppuku. He lives in London. Sophie Hannah is an internationally bestselling writer of psychological crime fiction, published in 49 languages. Since 2014, with the blessing of Agatha Christie's family and estate, Hannah has published three new Poirot novels, all Sunday Times bestsellers. In 2013, her novel The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards.