The most extensive discussion, though, is of the plague in England, possibly because more records remain there, or perhaps because they were easier to access. There is a discussion of the plague in Italy, in France, Spain, and Germany, and even mention of it being carried to the Scandinavian countries. There is a discussion of how the plague came to Europe from central Asia via the Crimean and the Black Sea, and how it was spread through the ports first. The author also includes information on what is now known about the plague that was not known at the time. Mostly though, it is a straight history of the plague, with sources and footnotes and everything. Disease rarely respects human dignity and beauty but the Black Death seemed peculiarly well equipped to degrade and humiliate its victims. Through almost every account breathes the revulsion as well as the fear which the plague inspired in all who encountered it. It is intended primarily as a history of the time, but by way of illustrating the effect the plague had on the manor system in England at the time, the author includes a short fictional account of what might have happened on one manor during the plague years – sort of a composite of occurrences in several areas. I have sort of a morbid fascination with the plague, both in fictional and non-fictional accounts. And considering the size of the subject, it isn’t too long. Philip Ziegler’s The Black Death is a pretty comprehensive, although not exhaustive, history of the Bubonic Plague that swept Europe from approximately 1348 to 1350.

The black death by philip ziegler