The Black Death - by Philip Ziegler (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"As exciting and readable an account as you could
wish." -- The Guardian

"Fascinating." - Bill Bryson

The Black Death vividly and comprehensively brings to light the full horror of this uniquely catastrophic event that hastened the disintegration of an age.
A series of natural disasters in the Orient during the
fourteenth century brought about the most devastating period of death and
destruction in European history. The epidemic killed one-third of Europe's
people over a period of three years, and the resulting social and economic
upheaval was on a scale unparalleled in all of recorded history. Synthesizing
the records of contemporary chroniclers and the work of later historians,
Philip Ziegler offers a critically acclaimed overview of this crucial epoch in a
single masterly volume.

From the Back Cover

A series of natural disasters in the Orient during the fourteenth century brought about the most devastating period of death and destruction in European history. The epidemic killed one-third of Europe's people over a period of three years, and the resulting social and economic upheaval was on a scale unparalleled in all of recorded history. Synthesizing the records of contemporary chroniclers and the work of later historians, Philip Ziegler offers a critically acclaimed overview of this crucial epoch in a single masterly volume. The Black Death vividly and comprehensively brings to light the full horror of this uniquely catastrophic event that hastened the disintegration of an age.

Review Quotes

"As exciting and readable an account as you could wish." - The Guardian
"The clarity and restraint on every page produce a most potent cumulative effect." - Michael Foot, Evening Standard
"Fascinating. . . . There's nothing like reading about people being entombed to put your own problems in perspective." - Bill Bryson
"A welcome and much needed synthesis. . . . Ziegler writes in a precise and judicious style...illuminating his readers with the full impact of the plague." - Choice