The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time (P.S.) Summary and Reviews

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time (P.S.)
by John Kelly

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time (P.S.)
List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $5.75
You Save: $9.24 (62%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.02 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: John Kelly
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-02-01
ISBN: 0060006935
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Harper Perennial

Book Reviews of The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time (P.S.)

Book Review: Informative Read
Summary: 3 Stars

With roughly 340 pages and fourteen chapters (including Introduction and Afterword), "The Great Mortality" is an informative and an interesting read on the historical study of The Black Death, an infamous disaster of the fourteenth century. In this work, John Kelly brought about the graphic details and accounts about the plague in vary of cities during the period of 1347 to 1351. The author did a great deal of research into secondary sources to bring together this work on the impact of the Black Death.

On the other hand, the author's writing style and organization of the book is a bit off. While it is an informative read, I found it a bit difficult to follow what the author is saying as most of it a bit repeating. It does not exactly flow, in my opinion, and I had to put it down a few times.

Personally, I think it is a good informative book for the lay person to understand the impact of the worst plague of medieval era, with millions dead within a few years. As for those of us who are knowledgeable on the subject, I found it to be a bit repetitive and it needed more sources, especially primary documents.

Health, Mind & Body Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Medieval Europe: Best Non Fiction Books about the Dark Ages,
The Autumn of the Middle Ages ImageThe Autumn of the Middle Ages
by Johan Huizinga
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 1997-11-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.01
Price in other shops: $28.00
The Wars of the Roses ImageThe Wars of the Roses
by Alison Weir
Ballantine Books; Published: 1996-06-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.69
Price in other shops: $16.00
A Distant Mirror:  The Calamitous 14th Century ImageA Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
by Barbara W. Tuchman
Ballantine Books; Published: 1987-07-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.75
Price in other shops: $18.95
Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe ImageMysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe
by Thomas Cahill
Nan A. Talese; Published: 2006-10-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $23.00
Price in other shops: $32.50
The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time (P.S.) ImageThe Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time (P.S.)
by John Kelly
Harper Perennial; Published: 2006-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.50
Price in other shops: $14.99
Black Death ImageBlack Death
by Philip Ziegler
Harper Perennial; Published: 1971-05-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops: $16.00
The Albigensian Crusade ImageThe Albigensian Crusade
by Jonathan Sumption
Faber & Faber; Published: 2000-06-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.19
Price in other shops: $15.00
The Yellow Cross: The Story of the Last Cathars' Rebellion Against the Inquisition, 1290-1329 ImageThe Yellow Cross: The Story of the Last Cathars' Rebellion Against the Inquisition, 1290-1329
by Rene Weis
Vintage; Published: 2002-08-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops: $16.00
Crusade Against the Grail: The Struggle between the Cathars, the Templars, and the Church of Rome ImageCrusade Against the Grail: The Struggle between the Cathars, the Templars, and the Church of Rome
by Otto Rahn
Inner Traditions; Published: 2006-09-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.73
Price in other shops: $16.95
Cathar Castles: Fortresses of the Albigensian Crusade 1209-1300 ImageCathar Castles: Fortresses of the Albigensian Crusade 1209-1300
by Marcus Cowper
Osprey Publishing; Published: 2006-11-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.65
Price in other shops: $16.95
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Black Death ImageBlack Death
by Philip Ziegler
Harper Perennial; Published: 1971-05-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops: $16.00
The Black Death: A Personal History ImageThe Black Death: A Personal History
by John Hatcher
Da Capo Press; Published: 2008-06-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.94
Price in other shops: $27.50
A Distant Mirror:  The Calamitous 14th Century ImageA Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
by Barbara W. Tuchman
Ballantine Books; Published: 1987-07-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.70
Price in other shops: $18.95
The American Plague ImageThe American Plague
by Molly Caldwell Crosby
Berkley Trade; Published: 2007-09-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $15.00
The Ghost Map ImageThe Ghost Map
by Steven Johnson
Riverhead Hardcover; Published: 2006-10-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.41
Price in other shops: $26.95
The Black Death and the Transformation of the West (European history series) ImageThe Black Death and the Transformation of the West (European history series)
by David Herlihy, Samuel K. Cohn Jr.
Harvard University Press; Published: 1997-09-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.59
Price in other shops: $16.00
In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made ImageIn the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made
by Norman Cantor
Harper Perennial; Published: 2002-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.00
Price in other shops: $13.95
The Black Death: Natural and Human Disaster in Medieval Europe ImageThe Black Death: Natural and Human Disaster in Medieval Europe
by Robert S. Gottfried
Free Press; Published: 1985-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.96
Price in other shops: $19.95
Plagues and Peoples ImagePlagues and Peoples
by William H. McNeill
Anchor; Published: 1998-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.77
Price in other shops: $15.95
The Great Influenza: The story of the deadliest pandemic in history ImageThe Great Influenza: The story of the deadliest pandemic in history
by John M. Barry
Penguin Books; Published: 2005-10-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.65
Price in other shops: $17.00