---
product_id: 48754989
title: "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer"
price: "€ 38.94"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/48754989-the-emperor-of-all-maladies-a-biography-of-cancer
store_origin: PT
region: Portugal
---

# 4.7/5 from 9,400+ readers Top 25 in multiple science & medical categories 400+ pages of authoritative insight The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

**Price:** € 38.94
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 📖 Unlock the untold saga of cancer — knowledge is power, don’t get left behind!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
- **How much does it cost?** € 38.94 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/48754989-the-emperor-of-all-maladies-a-biography-of-cancer)

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## Key Features

- • **Award-Winning Bestseller:** Join thousands who’ve rated it 4.7 stars and counting.
- • **Timeless & Authoritative:** Written by Siddhartha Mukherjee, a leading voice in oncology and science writing.
- • **Beyond a Book—A Movement:** Understand the politics, science, and humanity behind the fight against cancer.
- • **Scientifically Rigorous & Human:** Balances cutting-edge science with real patient experiences—no fluff, no pity.
- • **Masterclass in Medical Storytelling:** Dive deep into cancer’s history with unmatched clarity and empathy.

## Overview

The Emperor of All Maladies is a critically acclaimed, 400+ page nonfiction masterpiece by Siddhartha Mukherjee that chronicles the history, science, and human stories behind cancer. Ranked top 25 in multiple medical and science categories, it combines rigorous research with compassionate storytelling, earning a 4.7-star rating from over 9,400 readers. This book is essential for professionals seeking a profound understanding of one of humanity’s greatest medical challenges.

## Description

Buy The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer First Edition by Mukherjee, Siddhartha (ISBN: 9780007250929) from desertcart's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

Review: Nonfiction at its best - Popular science (or nonfiction) has become a genre, probably the most popular these days. See the best-sellers newspaper lists or the desks of any major bookshop and those will be plagued with the new form of nonfiction. Where before we were offered "how to guides" (how to get rich, thin, a better lover or parent) now we have perhaps better choices in the form of studies on almost everything: types of personalities, control of habits, approaches to group sociology, etc. etc. This is a healthy field, but marred recently by superficial books. This "Emperor of all Maladies", most thankfully, stays at a safe distance of this recent trend of simple and/or rushed books and is already a canonical and exemplary nonfiction treaty of one of the fiercest and more devastating of maladies. It is superb. Everything works in this volume, because the author is an eminency in his field, but he is never patronizing or condescending. He never writes as from a pulpit nor tries to impress the reader with his obviously vast knowledge of the matter at hand. Importantly, Mr Mukherjee never (not once) falls for easy sentimentalism or tries to engage through pity - and falling for this would be easy in a book about cancer. The reader feels at all times that the author is a mere guide with an authoritative voice. And yet some moments do provoke the reader to cringe, almost to suffer: the patient that consols the doctor when all the options for a cure are exhausted; the process of dealing with the empty beds in a children's ward, among others, are parts hard to finish. The prose is at all times pitch-perfect and never falters, even in a 400-plus science book. The voice of the author, and its language, are always clear, personal and sober. The book works also at another level, that of the politics of tackling such a disease. The right way to fight the malady or how to fund the enormous efforts to do so, become long and vapid discussions between bureaucrats and, at points, decades are lost because of lack of focus, pure greed or pettiness. The science is there - since the Egyptians, who spotted the malady yet reached, in 2600 BC !, a shocking conclusion: "Cure? None". This is a very good book that has already raised the bar of nonfiction.
Review: An Extraordinary, Amazing Book - This is probably the best piece of science writing I have ever read. Indeed, what makes it so impressive is its combination of scientific clarity with a most unusual degree of understanding of the human and social dimensions of the story. The writing is intelligent, lucid, and sympathetic, marked by an uncommon ability to convey complex phenomena in a meaningful and comprehensible way. The author's historical approach works wonderfully well, chronicling the development of both understanding of cancer (mostly the realm of scientists) and treatment of cancer (largely the realm of doctors). The book is long, as it had to be given the complexity of the tale, but I found it almost compulsive reading and difficult to put down. The author is clear-sighted and objective in his treatment of the people who played key medical, scientific, political, and advocacy roles in the past 60 years, considering them and their activities - and their successes and failures - objectively and with a fine sense of how they struggled to deal with this brutal, often mysterious, and always frustrating disease. This telling of the human story is strengthened further by his inclusion of cancer sufferers and their experiences, not for pathos or shock effect but to provide an essential additional dimension. This is a book from which I have learned a great deal, not only about cancer and how we have come to better understand it and deal with it, but also about how science and medicine function in the real world. I recommend this book whole-heartedly.

## Features

- Warning:Do not use near overhead power lines.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | 44,457 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 21 in History of Science (Books) 24 in Living with Cancer & Illnesses Biographies 34 in Medical Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 9,434 Reviews |

## Images

![The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71sqby-RdCL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Nonfiction at its best
*by R***A on 12 December 2023*

Popular science (or nonfiction) has become a genre, probably the most popular these days. See the best-sellers newspaper lists or the desks of any major bookshop and those will be plagued with the new form of nonfiction. Where before we were offered "how to guides" (how to get rich, thin, a better lover or parent) now we have perhaps better choices in the form of studies on almost everything: types of personalities, control of habits, approaches to group sociology, etc. etc. This is a healthy field, but marred recently by superficial books. This "Emperor of all Maladies", most thankfully, stays at a safe distance of this recent trend of simple and/or rushed books and is already a canonical and exemplary nonfiction treaty of one of the fiercest and more devastating of maladies. It is superb. Everything works in this volume, because the author is an eminency in his field, but he is never patronizing or condescending. He never writes as from a pulpit nor tries to impress the reader with his obviously vast knowledge of the matter at hand. Importantly, Mr Mukherjee never (not once) falls for easy sentimentalism or tries to engage through pity - and falling for this would be easy in a book about cancer. The reader feels at all times that the author is a mere guide with an authoritative voice. And yet some moments do provoke the reader to cringe, almost to suffer: the patient that consols the doctor when all the options for a cure are exhausted; the process of dealing with the empty beds in a children's ward, among others, are parts hard to finish. The prose is at all times pitch-perfect and never falters, even in a 400-plus science book. The voice of the author, and its language, are always clear, personal and sober. The book works also at another level, that of the politics of tackling such a disease. The right way to fight the malady or how to fund the enormous efforts to do so, become long and vapid discussions between bureaucrats and, at points, decades are lost because of lack of focus, pure greed or pettiness. The science is there - since the Egyptians, who spotted the malady yet reached, in 2600 BC !, a shocking conclusion: "Cure? None". This is a very good book that has already raised the bar of nonfiction.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Extraordinary, Amazing Book
*by J***S on 17 October 2014*

This is probably the best piece of science writing I have ever read. Indeed, what makes it so impressive is its combination of scientific clarity with a most unusual degree of understanding of the human and social dimensions of the story. The writing is intelligent, lucid, and sympathetic, marked by an uncommon ability to convey complex phenomena in a meaningful and comprehensible way. The author's historical approach works wonderfully well, chronicling the development of both understanding of cancer (mostly the realm of scientists) and treatment of cancer (largely the realm of doctors). The book is long, as it had to be given the complexity of the tale, but I found it almost compulsive reading and difficult to put down. The author is clear-sighted and objective in his treatment of the people who played key medical, scientific, political, and advocacy roles in the past 60 years, considering them and their activities - and their successes and failures - objectively and with a fine sense of how they struggled to deal with this brutal, often mysterious, and always frustrating disease. This telling of the human story is strengthened further by his inclusion of cancer sufferers and their experiences, not for pathos or shock effect but to provide an essential additional dimension. This is a book from which I have learned a great deal, not only about cancer and how we have come to better understand it and deal with it, but also about how science and medicine function in the real world. I recommend this book whole-heartedly.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must read for anyone interested in cancer
*by P***D on 24 January 2013*

Despite this book being 600 pages long and a rather grim subject, all six of us at our book group were pleased to have read it and felt we had learned a lot. It details the history of cancer and its myriad treatments over the centuries from barbaric operations-without-anaesthetics to modern-day genetics and chemotherapy. We all agreed it was beautifully written and relatively easy to understand. The author, Siddhartha Mukherjee, lightens the load by giving us heartening case studies. Many more children with leukemia are now cured, as are those with scrotum cancer and breast cancer, although the 'war on cancer' as Mukherjee calls it, is far from over. In the end, we learned that we all carry cancer genes in our cells and if we don't die because of cancer but because of some other illness, we will nevertheless die with cancer in our bodies. Something triggers it off and we can help ourselves by not smoking and triggering lung cancer; not climbing up chimneys and triggering scrotum cancer, perhaps not eating too much red meat which might trigger colon cancer (although this is still in investigation stage) and so on. For me, the book is a wonderful story of unsung heroes, those scientists working tirelessly in lonely, windowless basements trying to find the next piece of the puzzle. It reads like a detective novel as the evidence from research is sifted through for clues. Indeed it was so graphic at times, I worried that I might trigger cancer in my own body just by thinking so hard about it!

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Emperor of All Maladies : A Biography of Cancer (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Non-fiction 2011)
- Gene, The: An Intimate History

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*Product available on Desertcart Portugal*
*Store origin: PT*
*Last updated: 2026-03-13*