The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture) - Softcover

Aberth, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 031240087X ISBN 13: 9780312400873

Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005

Synopsis

A fascinating account of the phenomenon known as the Black Death, this volume offers a wealth of documentary material focused on the initial outbreak of the plague that ravaged the world in the fourteenth century. A comprehensive introduction that provides important background on the origins and spread of the plague is followed by nearly 50 documents organized into topical sections that focus on the origin and spread of the illness; the responses of medical practitioners; the societal and economic impact; religious responses; the flagellant movement and attacks on Jews provoked by the plague; and the artistic response. Each chapter has an introduction that summarizes the issues explored in the documents; headnotes to the documents provide additional background material. The book contains documents from many countries — including Muslim and Byzantine sources — to give students a variety of perspectives on this devastating illness and its consequences. The volume also includes illustrations, a chronology of the Black Death, questions to consider, a selected bibliography, and an index.

About this title

About the Author:

JOHN ABERTH lives in Roxbury, Vermont, and teaches history at Vermont's Castleton State College, where he formerly served as associate academic dean. He has taught history at a number of other institutions, including Middlebury College, the University of Vermont, St. Michael's College, the University of Nebraska, and Norwich University. He received his Ph.D. in Medieval History from Cambridge University in England and has published several books, including Churchmen in the Age of Edward III: The Case of Bishop Thomas de Lisle (1996), From the Brink of the Apocalypse: Confronting Famine, War, Plague and Death (2000), and A Knight at the Movies: Medieval History on Film (2003).

About this edition

• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 031240087X
• ISBN 13: 9780312400873
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 199