Cheap DVDs, books, CDs & Games

Search:

The Black Death: Natural and Human Disaster in Medieval Europe (World History Series)

By: Robert S. Gottfried
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: The Free Press
ISBN: 0029123704
ISBN-13: 9780029123706
Released: 01 Mar 1985
RRP: £12.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

grim, thorough work on the Black Death - By: Deborah MacGillivray, 21 Nov 2003
There has been nothing in modern medicine to paralllel the devastation of the Plague. This books is not easy reading, not lightly touched upon history. More of a masquerading study presented as a historical work, with a dash of detective work tossed in. Gottfried sets the stage of the emergence of the plague, traces its thorough & relentless progress across Europe, drawing on a wealth of documents, such as church & tax records, records written in six different languages from poets, historians & physicians of the period.

He shows how the cycles of outbreak of plague beginning in 1347 & lasting over hundreds of year, nearly singlehandedly broke the spine of feudalism, even to challlenged the papal authority of the church, & shook up medicine completely. He draws comparisons so you have a focal point to which you can wrap your mind around such as during the first major outbreak lasting four years, he estimate between 17 & 28 million souls died a horrible death, contrasting that to the causalities of World War I where 8 1/2 million died. His study shows the areas of cities & over population, where the sanitary conditions were nonexistent, the mortality rate ran to 40-50%, pointing out London suffered nearly 300 death daily in the Summer of 1349.

Civil authority nearly broke down as fear & panic seized the masses, bizarre cults appeared like the Flagellistic ones, that went from town to town whipping themselves as punishment for the sins of mankind. Many saw it as the end of the world, Dooms Day, the time for the second coming of Christ.

Gottfried recreates this nightmare world that serves as a warning for alll generations in vivid detail.

I do wish he had gone more into the witch-craze beginning to sweep the lands, & how the Church's ordering of the killing of alll cats, fearing they were witches or witches familiars strongly contributed to the spread of the plague.

sigh...maybe in another book...

Still a must for writers of this historical period.

An excellent book on the Black Death - By: Kurt A. Johnson, 05 Mar 2003
In this book, professor Gottfried gives us an in-depth, & yet easy to read analysis of the Black Death of the late 14th century, as well as earlier & later epidemics of various diseases. The first chapter is an examination of the three varieties of plague--bubonic (with a 50%-60% mortality), pneumonic (with a 95%-100% mortality), & septicaemic (mortality unknown as of the writing of this book). The following chapters examine the history of plagues, & the effects these had on Western & Middle-Eastern civilization.

I particularly appreciated the author's use of first-hand accounts in this book, which reallly served to keep the dialogue from ever becoming too dry & academic. This book is easy to read, with the issues made quite apparent. For example, the author was careful to delineate what epidemics included the pneumonic strain that produced such horrific mortality in many locations. I was also impressed with the author's examination the plague's affects on the Islamic world, not just confining his examination to Europe.

This book is easy to read & understand, & a great reference for anyone (academic or not, such as myself) interested in the Black Death. I recommend this book absolutely.

It was had very explicit details which was very great . - By: , 17 Dec 1998
Well i thought the book was very fascinating. It took curios readers like me who enjoy history on an amazing joyride.Although the book had some pretty explicit detail ,I enjoyed it.
A superb piece of history - By: , 28 Nov 1998
This is the second book I read about the Black Death of 1347-51. I was equallly impressed with the way Gottfried presented his materials. The author also examines several other diseases that were common in those days, & takes a scientific look at the bacillus that infected fleas and, eventuallly, the rodents that spread the epidemic. Thoroughly researched (look at his bibliography), this is a terrific book for anyone wanting to know not only about the Black Death but also about its aftermath in Europe (it shaped & changed the future of Europe). I would rank this book with Philip Ziegler's classic "The Black Death."
A Must For Anyone Who Studies Medieval Ages & Black Death - By: , 28 Jan 1998
As a student of Medieval History. This was the most rewarding book on the black death I have read. The bibliography at the end of the book gave me a new path to learn more about this period of time. This book explained in detail why Europe went into the Dark Ages, that it was not an overnight process. Upon completion of reading this book, I have looked at the new emerging viruses & see how it could happen again.