Philip Hilts’s Smoke Screen (Addison Wesley, $22, ISBN 0 201 48836 1)
tells the almost incredible story of the fightback by American tobacco companies
after the public had become convinced that cigarettes were truly, as in British
slang, “coffin nails”. Hilts writes fiercely about such cynicism, in a rage that
any reader will feel, too, especially over the excerpts of evidence from
Congressional and courtroom hearings. The recipe now being worked out for a safe
cigarette is enough to make you laugh—or cry.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
3
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
4
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
5
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
6
I’m the first person whose life was saved by CRISPR base editing
7
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
8
The best sci-fi novel in 2026 so far – plus 6 other great reads
9
This physicist is hunting for the biggest black hole in the universe
10
A promising natural technique to remove CO2 could backfire
