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Title: Black Death by Philip Ziegler ISBN: 0-06-131550-8 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 28 May, 1971 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.15 (13 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: "And in the dust be equal made"
Comment: Ziegler's The Black Death was the only book I could find after a television documentary piqued my interest in the subject. I was worried the book would be too scholarly but, to my surprise, I found the writing style very pleasant and engaging. It is one of the best books I have read all year.
Originally published in 1969, Ziegler gathered sources on the plague from the period to more recent examinations to try to create the most accurate picture possible of what it was like in Medieval Europe during 1348-1350 and the effects the Black Death had on Europe. Ziegler admits in his preface that he did not conduct any original research but he does critique the works of others, especially Thorold Rogers' theory that the Black Plague caused the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 (p. 188). He includes a chapter each on Italy, France, and Germany; the latter of which saw the emergence of the Flagellant movement and persecution of the Jews based on suspicions similar to those used in Nazi Germany. England is covered the most with 5 chapters and a 6th on Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. Ziegler demonstrates the fear of the people right from the beginning when the plague entered Europe through Sicily. The patriarch of Catania wished to bring relics to nearby, plague-ridden Messina only to have the Catanians protest against the idea. In compromise, the patriarch dipped the relics in water and brought the water to the suffering neighbors (p. 28).
Ziegler describes what Medieval life was like in sometimes witty style: "The medieval house might have been built to specifications approved by a rodent council" (p. 199). Period ideas on how to prevent infection are also interesting, including a elixir made of gold and quicksilver: "At least the high price of gold ensured that not many invalids could afford to be poisoned by such medicine" (p. 55). The chapter on the fictitious villages I also found to be very well-done and a nice change of pace from the somewhat statistically-driven prose.
Two things I wish were in this book are a better map and more information on what the plague sufferer went through besides the obvious symptoms like boils. A map is included but it is inadequate as it does not list all (or even a small percentage of) the villages mentioned. Still, the book is well-written AND scholarly. Ziegler is very careful to qualify statements, avoid generalizations, and fairly critique all statistics given about the plague. My copy also has numerous illustrations and a color section on period plague-related art. It is made very evident the horror of the Black Death through such statements as: "Peterborough, another of those low-lying areas which were so remarkably well treated by the plague, [had a mortality] level notably below the average at a mere 27%" (p. 138).
Rating: 2
Summary: The Plague of readability
Comment: I have no doubt that this book was originally outlined as a historical thesis, as its general readability [outside of the final chapters] is very poor. Yes, there is factual data amongst the 288 pages, and it does manage to paint a picture of what occurred in Europe at the time, although it is seemingly repetitive. One does not really get a sense of the disastrous effects of the Black Death upon society until the final chapter, and even then the true harm is left to the reader to imagine.
If the point of this book was just to look at the historical event from a statistical/scientific point of view, then this book might have been abridged to an extended magazine article.
Interesting, but a bit too pedantic.
Rating: 5
Summary: A great book on this topic
Comment: This is the only book I have read on the plague, but I felt that it gave a very complete and comprehensive view. I believe that if you really wish to trace the plague with some accuracy you will need a map of Europe you can write on (I have to see every detail) because unless you are particularly good with geography you will not have a very good idea of how and where the plague traveled. I mention this because the book describes how the plague spread very well, in good detail and this is perhaps the best aspect of the entire book. Zeigler is also good about not overstating the effects of the plague, as many would be tempted to do for sheer entertainment value. I believe Zeigler really tries to present the most accurate picture possible of it. This is done particularly well later in the book where a sort of story is told, putting the reader in a medieval village because the author realizes that statistics cannot portray the real effects of the plague. Other information is throughout the book, such as long term effects of the plague on society, the three different types of plague that there were and some of the beliefs and important people of the time.
My one reservation about the book is that some parts do drag along where the plague in England is described in such detail, with statistics about town after town. If I had a very large map of England and knew where he was discussing or perhaps I needed this information for reference it would be helpful, but for just a reader like myself it was just a little too much. Fortunately this only lasts for a chapter or two. Overall its a great book and introduction to this time in history.
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Title: The Black Death and the Transformation of the West by David Herlihy, Samuel Kline Cohn ISBN: 0674076133 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: September, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: The Great Plague by Stephen Porter ISBN: 075092571X Publisher: Sutton Publishing Pub. Date: 01 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: King Death: The Black Death and Its Aftermath in Late-Medieval England by Colin Platt ISBN: 0802079008 Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr Pub. Date: June, 1996 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: The Black Death (Manchester Medieval Sources) by Rosemary Horrox ISBN: 0719034981 Publisher: Manchester Univ Pr Pub. Date: December, 1994 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: The Black Death by Robert S. Gottfried ISBN: 0029123704 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 1985 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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