by John Kelly
Interesting. Nicely written.
Some interesting tidbits: - The term "Black Death" was not used until 1631. Fourteen century contemporaries called it the "Great Mortality." - Prior to the Great Mortality, Europe was on the verge of Malthusian deadlock. Without intending to sound heartless . . . the epidemic actually helped con...
If you LOVED Fifty Shades of Grey...this is not the book for you. I'm curious about the psychological, sociological, and economical impact the Black Death had on the affected countries. How did it invade their outlook on life, their culture, and how did it impact religion.
This may well be the funniest book I've ever read about the Black Death. Kelly's a good writer with a wry sense of humor. I also enjoyed the way he personified the plague- it's something I've always done in my head, too. I can just see Yersinia pestis striding through the countryside, scythe in han...
This is an excellent overview, written for the layperson. Extremely well-researched (once I figured out the endnote section!!) without being ponderous. Kelly's anecdotal, story-telling style--which does take his interpretation a little far beyond the facts (see comments)--is like a spoonful of sug...
I read this book over the course of several days with many interruptions so through no fault of the author I find it difficult to think of the book as a coherent whole. Kelly went into great detail about where the plague continues to live today. The strain that survives in marmots is particularly v...
We all (me, the Spouse, my mom, my mom-in-law) love well-written non-fiction about plague.That's probably the most revealing sentence I've ever written. Anyway, this is a very engaging, entertaining even, read. Kelly covers the known and the possible, such as, maybe it wasn't bubonic plague, maybe...
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