Product Description

The Black Death was a disaster of such magnitude that it not only shook the Old World to its economic and social foundations, but changed the course of human history. Yet this book is the first comprehensive history and assessment of its progress, and of the death and devastation it left in its wake, in all the countries through which it passed. The many local studies on the Black Death published in a variety of languages and scholarly papers have for the first time been systematically collected and thoroughly analysed. The medical and epidemiological characteristics of the disease, its geographical origin, its spread across Asia Minor, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, and the mortality in the countries and regions for which there are satisfactory studies, are clearly presented and thoroughly discussed. The pattern, pace and seasonality of spread revealed through close scrutiny of these studies exactly reflect current medical work and standard studies on the epidemiology of bubonic plague. Benedictow's findings relating to the mortality caused by the Black Death are based on the meticulous study and synthesis of all available demographic studies. Published over the past forty years, most of them in widely dispersed local journals and local histories, this cumulative evidence, far-reaching in its implications, has gone largely unnoticed. This book makes it clear that the true mortality rate was far higher than has been previously thought. In the light of these findings, the discussion in the last part of the book showing the Black Death as a turning point in history takes on a new significance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #850475 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 454 pages

Review
(This) magisterial account mixes demographic research, meticulous reading of the chronicles and modern bacteriology. THE GUARDIAN The author...has achieved a Herculean task in reviewing a very large part of the literature on the pestilential disease or set of diseases that afflicted Europe from 1346 to 1353. THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW A valuable addition to the historiography of the Black Death. Highly recommended. CHOICEAmbitious and contentious. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW

THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW, February 2005
Achieves a Herculean task in reviewing a very large part of the literature on the pestilential disease that afflicted Europe.

CHOICE, April 2005
A valuable addition to the historiography of the Black Death. Highly recommended.

Customer Reviews

Thorough, but highly stuffy and dull....
I bought this book on the assumption that I would get a rounded view on the Black Death in it's first movement across Europe. By rounded I mean, that there would be sections on the medical side of the plague, how it spread and where and excerpts from people that lived at the time, and then to finish off with how and why the plague kept coming back and then also how villages were affected afterwards....such as the fascinating stories there must be behind deserted villages and areas of churchyards not in use etc...

Well the book starts off in a great way, and is very clear and thorough on how the plague was transmitted and spread, and all information on the types of plague and how each country in Europe was affected. Fine....that was good. Then it moved on to how long the incubation period was and where the plague started.....and it was after this point the book became a complete bore!

The author in being "thorough" completely loses the interest of the reader by repeating and REPEATING their theory on incubation times and cross referencing and RE-cross referencing chronicles and arguing over exact dates....which quite frankly makes no difference if it was the 8th of May when the plague entered Britain or the 10th! AND that is literally the margins of error the author is arguing their case on most of the time.

The book goes from being interesting to being a total switch-off. If you're a university professor and work in this field, this book is for you....maybe....if you want to spend page after page reading repeated theories and page upon page of emotionless facts and figures that do not really emphasize or empathize with the period of history in question. The author doesn't seem to write anything unless it is completely black and white of being correct....which is fine when you are proving a point, but in not presenting some of the grey areas you lose a certain character to the period you are writing about.

I am very experienced with academic works and history books, but this book was horrendous to wade through. Even though it has lots of facts and figures I do not even think a statistician would find the book of value.

My final warning.....only buy if you really need to know every single daily progress of the plague across Europe....or you have insomnia!

more for the academic
I think the previous review was a little harsh, though I understand his argument. Yes it is written by an academic for academics and is the first time all the known facts are compiled in one place. Yes it is very hard reading, but I think its more a text book were you delve in to extract important facts rather than read as an interesting narrative. As the book says, it is a complete history and in that respect it does what it says on the tin! Boring - well maybe, informative - absolutely, interesting - only if you are studying the subject and not just trying to get a feel for the period.

To sum it up, its not a story or a bedside read. It is a rigorously researched piece of academic literature for those studying, or really really interested in the Black Death. If you want a story read the excellent book "The Black Death: an intimate history" by John Hatcher. The Black Death: An Intimate History