This book is written for younger readers, and my aim was to take some interesting science and tell it in a simple form, while preserving the science. Incidentally, I wanted to call the Poisons For Children, which would have sold more, but it was part of a series of books, all with a similar philosophy. The publishers said no :-(
Poisons are one of those traditional fears among humans. Before we understood germs, most deaths were blamed on poisons, either natural ones that crept in, along with bad smells, or poisons that were administered by some nefarious person. My main aim was to show that poisons are all around us, every day, and that everything, if you take enough of it, is a poison.
The secret to survival is to avoid excess. This book was delightfully illustrated by Bettina Guthridge, who is sometimes shown as the author. Them's the breaks—and if you look, you'll see that she added a lot to the book.
In May 2010, I received my two copies of the Chinese edition, ISBN 9787536548589. You can buy it by clicking here.
This file is http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/writing/itstrue.htm
It was created on July 31, 2009 and last revised on May 28, 2010.