Mark Essig

Mark Essig is the author of Lesser Beasts: A Snout-to-Tail History of the Humble Pig (Basic Books, 2015), which the critics deemed ͞splendid͟(Guardian), ͞fascinating͟ (New Scientist), and ͞marvelous͟ (Times of London). His first book, Edison & the Electric Chair (Bloomsbury), was named one of the twenty best science books of 2003 by Discover Magazine. Essig’s op-eds and book reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Cornell University. A native of St. Louis, he lives in Asheville, N.C.