Richard Preston Jr.

Richard Preston (born August 5, 1954) is a writer for The New Yorker and bestselling author known for his books on infectious diseases, bioterrorism, and other subjects. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and graduated from Wellesley High School in 1972. Preston attended Pomona College in California and earned a Ph.D. in English from Princeton University in 1983. His breakout book, The Hot Zone (1994), was based on his New Yorker article 'Crisis in the Hot Zone' and explores the topic of ebolaviruses. Preston's work has inspired the Hollywood movie Outbreak (1995) which loosely follows the narrative of his book. He has also written the novel The Cobra Event (1998) which delves into the dangers of terrorism.