Devra Lee Davis is an epidemiologist who has spearheaded the fight against breast cancer and air pollution and has often been quoted in books by environmental authors. Now she has written her own book, tentatively titled Reckonings: The Education of a Numbers Woman, which senior editor William Frucht at Basic Books has bought, world rights, from London agent Peter Cox at Litopia. Her book, said Frucht, will show how the annual death rate caused by environmental pollution worldwide is the equivalent of the fatal crash of 1,000 jumbo jets—"and nobody is really paying attention, especially at a time when there are signs the new administration is weakening environmental legislation." Davis, who is currently visiting professor of public policy at Carnegie Mellon, plans to publish in the fall of 2002.