Tumors covered the body some of them as big as an egg or apple, boccaccio wrote. I read a book about the black death over 20 years ago. Seven years later, around half of the continent was dead. The black death remains the greatest disaster to befall humanity, killing about half the population of the planet in the 14th century. I thought it was very good,but the thing that remained with me was the effect it had on the feudal system. Apr 1, 2014 medieval black death was airborne, scientists say skeletons buried deep beneath a square in london yield new information about how one of historys deadliest plagues spread. This little book provides all that is possible, concisely. The black death sweeping across the known world with unchecked devastation, the black death claimed between 75 million and 200 million lives in four short years.
A black death story by selena bonner read free book online. The black death 3 ii what is the black death origin of the name briefly, the black death is what is known now as the bubonic plague. The speed and result of the disease is shown in this description by a physician in. Book recommendation the vampires song when mark thompson goes across the bridge from texas into mexico for a night of fun, he has no idea that the sexy stripper who ends up on his lap is a vampire. Jan 31, 2006 covering feudal society pre and postplague, economics, medicine, trade, history, social history and controversies surrounding all of these, the great mortality covers all of the bases. The authors painstakingly comprehensive research throws fresh light on the nature of the disease, its origin, its spread, on an almost daytoday basis, across europe, asia minor, the middle east and north africa, its mortality rate and its impact on history. Ive always been interested in medieval history and the black death, although it was horrible, has also always fascinated me. A black death story by selena bonner read free book. Oakland tribune the great mortality skillfully draws on eyewitness accounts to construct a journal of the plague years.
Black death facts black death for kids dk find out. Expressing the hope that the black death, newly released in paperback, will have served its purpose if it simply encourages some to dig deeper into real history books, hatchers selfprofessed docudrama is a blend of historical fact and narrative fiction. The black death took her away from me against her will and mine. I was left all alone in the world with him awaiting. This is the gripping story of the black death and how it changed the world, specially written for young readers who are growing in confidence. Aug 06, 2015 still cant go wrong with the first one. Geographically kelly covers all of europe, england and asia minor, tracing the course of the plague from interior asia to ireland. Black death black plague plague these acute febrile diseases are caused by yersinia pestis pasteurella pestis, discovered independently by shibasaburo kitasato and alexandre yersin in 1894, a bacterium that typically is transmitted to people by fleas from rodents, in which epidemic waves of infection always precede great epidemics in. The black death nonfiction book over the black death book. May 14, 20 the theme of this book is the black death of 49, which was even deadlier than the great plague of 1665. The black death is history s bestknown pandemic, but until now its full history has not been written. John hatcher examines everyday medieval life in a parish in suffolk, from which an exceptional number of documents survive. Read up on the deadly disease and medieval life with these books about the plague.
The black death, john hatchers remarkable history of. The author so often runs off on tangents that the reader is left with the impression he has forgotten what he is writing about. The total number of deaths attributable to this devastating pandemic was 75 million people. The great mortality of 4850, and a knight at the movies.
List of books and articles about black death black plague. A well written account of the black death period, including interesting information about plagues in the modern world. A personal history community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Jun 05, 2008 the black death remains the greatest disaster to befall humanity, killing about half the population of the planet in the 14th century. There are tons of great ways to celebrate black history month parades, movie marathons, trips to the museums but for the book nerds its. In seeking to render the pestilence in a way that honors its societal to include.
The complete history october 2004 1 colour, 2 black and white, 11 line illustrations 454 pages 23. Discover librarianselected research resources on black death black plague from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. 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. Does anyone know of any historical fiction books on the black. Presents an alternate history of the world where the population of europe is obliterated by the black death setting the stage for a world without europeans and christianity. The black death, also often called the bubonic plague was an epidemic of disastrous proportions that is said to have killed up to 50% of the european population in the 0s and around 12 million people in china in the 1800s. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Written by an expert on 14th century europe, superbly well researched, it is a story made to demonstrate the condition of being alive during the plague. Plague black deathhistoryteen nonfiction, medieval. September 31st, 48 tomorrow my cousin klaus, is having his 16th birthday party. My only qualm is in the source from king philip vi on the flagellants, aberths intro notes that pope clement vi had issued a papal decree banning the flagellants a couple months earlier, yet aberth offers no citation or sourcing for this papal bull. He is the author of five books, whose main focus is the effects of the black death in the later middle ages, including the first horsemen.
Soon after mamas death, papa followed in pursuit, also taken by the plague. Europe had prospered readily for about 300 years prior to the beginning of the 0s, but a series of natural disasters occurred. They also believe that the silk road, which was the road that many people in the medieval times used for. An intimate history of the black death, the most devastating plague of all time. History no one was exempt as it swept in off the shores and into the countryside laying its burden of death and pestilence. Literature online contains texts of medieval literature. He concentrates his story on one small suffolk village, that of walsham between the years 45 and 50, and he discusses the attitudes of the towns inhabitants and their honored priest, master john, as they confront the horrors of the epidemic. The black death killed millions of people in the 14th century and had immense social and economic impact on medieval europe. Does anyone know of any historical fiction books on the. Fascinated by the havoc wreaked by the black death.
Centuries later the black deaths influence can still be seen in a literary genre that appeals to readers who like their literature dark and threatening. With the black death, author john hatcher has made an intelligent and clever approach at describing what it was perhaps like for the average john q citizen to experience the pandemic outbreak of the black death, the plague caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, which came out of central asia and peaked in europe in 4850, wiping out 3060. Unique, sensational and shocking, this revelatory book provides, for. The classic explanation for the black death plague is wrong. The black death spread faster, further and with more ruinous consequences than todays plagues, which affect 2,000 people per year and typically respond to antibiotics. What are the best novels set during the period of the. The black death described what the black death also commonly called the plague was and how it spread. Plague, the disease caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, was the cause. Mar 03, 2007 the years of rice and salt by kim stanley robinson 2002. The subject of the black deaththe 14thcentury pandemic that wiped out a significant percentage of europes population holds endless fascination for many of us. Sweeping across the known world with unchecked devastation, the black death claimed between 75 million and 200 million l.
A personal history by hatcher, john from amazons fiction books store. The disease became identified as the black death because of the enormous amount of dead and the color of the corpses. The black death was caused by the bacteria called yersinia pestis. List of books and articles about black death black plague online. John m dunn discusses the conditions and events that led to the terrible plague that devastated fourteenthcentury europe, as. What are the best novels set during the period of the black. The black death is widely thought to have been the result of plague, caused by infection with the bacterium yersinia pestis. Many books on the plague rely on statistics to tell the story. And theres no shortage of good books that offer details on its origin and spread, the measures taken by local governments to avoid or control it, the panicked reactions of people who witnessed it and escaped it, the gruesome. Jan 16, 2018 the classic explanation for the black death plague is wrong, scientists say a 16th century woodcut showing victims of the plague. Plague struck the besiegers in 46 and then entered the town, to be carried abroad when the traders hurriedly left on ships the next spring. The book is an interesting history of europe in the time of the plague, but offers little information about the epidemic itself. A history from beginning to end by hourly history available from rakuten kobo. I was left all alone in the world with him awaiting for me behind every corner.
John hatcher recreates everyday medieval life in a parish in suffolk, from which an exceptional number of documents survive. Until the 50s people felt that the upper class,aristocracy. Remarkably, the young catherine survived the onslaught. The fourteenth century little red book of bristol lists the names of the town.
In just three years, 48 to 50, the black death killed more than onethird of the entire population between iceland and india. Set into the 1660s in london, young amelia right sees people dying around her painfully, and horribly. Unique, sensational and shocking, this revelatory book provides, for the first time, a complete europewide history of the black death. The black death was a deadly disease epidemic that occurred from 48 to 50. Scientists believe that the disease was spread by rats and rodents and started in inner asia. In october 47, a terrible plague reached europe from asia. Discover facts about the black death and its symptoms. May 8, 48 i live just outside of nuremberg, germany with m.
The black death, also known as the pestilence and the plague, was the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, resulting in the deaths of up to 75200 million people in eurasia and north africa, peaking in europe from 47 to 51. A large neck tumor might permanently cock a persons head in the opposite direction. Very helpful, and aberth does a great job compiling the sources. After all about 4050% of many populations in europe were extinguished almost overnight as the infection spread across the continent from in starting one of the recommended readings for the learning companys course on the black death was this. The black death spread from italy and infected most countries in europe, including france, spain, portugal, england, germany, norway, russia and even as far north as iceland. The black death nonfiction book over the black death. Black death, pandemic that ravaged europe between 47 and 51, taking a proportionately greater toll of life than any other known epidemic or war up to that time.
The years of rice and salt by kim stanley robinson 2002. Hourly history provides snippets of history that can be read in about an hour. You might be interested in daniel defoes a journal of the plague year dover thrift editions. It is complete in the sense that it seeks to sum up present knowledge of the black death. Synopsis the black death remains the greatest disaster to befall humanity, killing about half the population of the planet in the 14th century. The black death sweeping across the known world with unchecked. The black death was one of the most feared diseases in the 14th century. It was a type of plague, that was spread via the bite of infected rat fleas. This is one girl isabels heartrending yet never overlysentimental story about her. In this fresh approach to the history of the black death, john hatcher, a worldrenowned scholar of the middle ages, recreates everyday life in a midfourteenth century rural english village. Early english books online eebo early english books online reproduces over 125,000 books, pamphlets and broadsides published in english between 1475 and 1700.
Black death short story the black death short story. Encyclopedia of the black death is the first az encyclopedia to cover the second plague pandemic, balancing medical history and technical matters with historical, cultural, social, and political factors and effects in europe and the islamic world from 471770. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Black death history pandemic disease in the medieval world. The black death and the transformation of the west. Lately ive been reading a wole lot of these hourly history books but i gotta say that this one has been one of the best so far. The plague spread so quickly throughout europe because many of the towns and cities were cramped and dirty, which gave an ideal home to the infected rats. Even longer books on this subject are bound to rely on unverifiable statistics about death rates.
Is the black death the ancestor of all modern plagues. Im so excited because i havent seen him in a very long time. A teenage girl named ada shares her sad story from when she lived in the black death era. The black death was deadly and highly contagious, meaning that it was capable of being passed from person to person by direct contact with a diseased individual. It also bookends the period with entries on biblical plagues and the plague of justinian, as well as modernera material. This lowered the populations ability to fight disease, meaning the black death infected more. This book was very informative about the black death or the plague as it was also known. Black death definition, cause, symptoms, effects, death. In the process he explores contemporary morality and how people reacted psychologically to the devastation. In this engaging and wellresearched book, the trajectory of the plagues march west across eurasia and the cause of the great pandemic is thoroughly explored. Jun 20, 2017 the black death originated in the northwest shores of the caspian sea, in the land of the mongol golden horde, and spread into europe when the mongols attacked an italian trading post at kaffa in the crimea. The name black death came from the swollen buboes glands in the victims neck, armpits and inner thigh, that turned black as they filled with blood. The black death how the black death received its name the black death was so named due to its physical manifestation and its affect on society.
The black death was a devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck europe and asia in the mid0s. A book over the black death that includes what the black death is, how the black death started and where, the symptoms and reactions of the black death, the social and economic effects, the preventions, and how and where they buried people, during that time. A personal history tells the true story of the infamous black plague that struck europe in the mid14th century. At this time in europe, a series of bad harvests had caused a lack of nourishing food. Bocaccio used the plauge as a framing device for a collection of other stories. With that rat, flea, and bacillus, came the most feared plague on record. The black death of 48 was one of the great and possibly understated event in western 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 black death, also referred to as the plague, was a very real pandemic that occurred millennia ago. Black death symptoms black death treatments dk find out. Great sourcebook for medieval sources on the black death. In the great mortality john kelly gives a human face to the 14th century disaster that claimed 75 million lives, a third of the worlds population.