Rating: 
Summary: DEATH DOESN'T TAKE A HOLIDAY
Review: This was an interesting excursion by Mr. Ziegler into the Medieval Era, not usually thought of as his milieu. He acknowledges right up front that he has not done any original research, but has merely brought the material of others together and drawn some conclusions. But, in such a controversial field as this, drawing intelligent conclusions is no mean feat.Mr. Ziegler starts off the book giving the big picture, showing the Tartars attacking a Genoese trading post in Asia. The Tartar forces are stricken down by the plague and, using some creative tactics, start catapulting some diseased corpses into the Genoese compound. The Genoese quickly get the message and escape by sea back to Europe. The rest, as they say, is history..... The author has a few chapters where he gives an overview of what happened in Italy, Germany and France. In Germany, in an eerie precursor of things to come centuries later, the Jews are blamed for the calamity and are accused of spreading the plague by poisoning wells. Attacks on Jews, along with the epidemic, spread from town to town. The great majority of the book deals with what happened in England. I don't know if this was Mr. Ziegler's preference or if he felt that the best documentation pertained mostly to the British Isles. He discusses how many people died in various areas of the country; what happened to wage levels and to prices; how the established Church and the various mendicant orders were affected; etc. The author presents all sides of the issues and draws, at least to me, reasonable conclusions. With the exception of a couple of chapters midway through the book, where the repetitive statistics put me into a stupor, the book is lively and well-written. One especially good chapter deals with what it would have been like to live in a village before and after it was ravaged by the plague. This chapter helps to put the statistics into human terms, as was Mr. Ziegler's intent. I would have liked some more material on the other countries, and this is what prevents me from giving the book 5 stars. But, still, Mr. Ziegler has done a very good job. This is a fine book.
Rating: 
Summary: "And in the dust be equal made"
Review: 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:
Summary: "And in the dust be equal made"
Review: 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).
| 
