本书简明扼要地概述从第一次世界大战至今与化学和生物武器有关的历史和关键问题，不仅追溯至生化武器战的起源，还探讨其发展和近期使用的怀疑用途。在这本新版着作中，作者延伸增加了两个有关中东的政治毒害和化学武器的章节。作者透过爬梳分析历史和当代背景之下，打开另一个新局面，全面性地按时序说明了生化武器被使用或被疑似部署的地点丶时间和理由。
 
 
关於作者
Edward M. Spiers是University of Leeds的荣誉教授。 他出版过19本书，其中包括：《Chemical Warfare 》(1985)和《Weapons of Mass Destruction: Prospects for Proliferation》。


 
初版书评
 
“This concise work, with its extensive references and bibliography, will be of interest to all students and professionals in the fields of history, political science, public policy, toxicology, and chemical technology. Recommended.”
 - Choice, on the first edition
 
“A succinct and readily accessible account of the history and key issues associated with chemical and biological weapons from World War I to the present. . . . An excellent overview of an often underappreciated segment of twentieth- and twenty-first-century security studies. . . . It deserves the thoughtful attention of both students and professionals.”
 - Military Review, on the first edition
 
“A comprehensive overview of the development, future, and implications of biological and chemical weapons. Spiers’s book traces the origins of chemical and biological warfare from their ancient beginnings to the first major use of gas in 1915 in World War I, to more recent uses and suspicions of use.”
- Arms Control, on the first edition
 
“Provides a compelling case for governments across the globe not to overlook the potential threat of biological and chemical weapons. . . . The book is more than just a history of these weapons, but also an important addition to the literature on the types of threat we are likely to face in the future. . . . An important reminder of the substantial destructive and psychological power of chemical and biological weapons, as well as an accessible history about how states have thought about their use and utility in the past.”
- Political Studies Review, on the first edition