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Return of the Black Death: The World's Greatest Serial Killer Paperback – 20 May 2005

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Susan Scott (Author)
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Susan Scott (Author), Christopher Duncan (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 20 customer reviews
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Product details

  • Paperback: 318 pages
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (20 May 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0470090014
  • ISBN-13: 978-0470090015
  • Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 1.7 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,217,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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  • See Complete Table of Contents

Product description

Review

"...fascinating book...a gripping read..." (Perioperative Nursing, September 04) "...combines historical and biological research to undermine what we have long believed..." (Ancestors, Dec 05)

From the Inside Flap

The Black Death appeared out of the blue in Sicily in 1347 and moved swiftly on to kill half of Europe in three years. Once the plague had established a stronghold in France it continued to terrorize the continent for another three centuries. London′s Great Plague of 1665–66, which claimed 6000 lives a week at its height, was its last great strike. A few years later it disappeared as suddenly and mysteriously as it had appeared. Susan Scott and Christopher Duncan uncover the tragic and moving human stories behind the records: unsung heroes, bereaved parents, parted lovers and those who exploited the suffering of others for their own greed. They also trace the origins of this lethal disease, through possible earlier outbreaks in classical times back to its animal hosts in Africa. Here it remains but there is no reason to believe it has gone for good. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsGreat detective work
By Stefan Kiebooms on 28 Sept. 2006
Format: Paperback
The return of the Black Death tries to give an overview of the spread of the the Plague during the middle ages and renaissance and tries to bedunk history with regards to the prevalent theories on the cause of this epidemic. And I must say it does it very well. It's a good history read with a healthy dose of science and rationality sprinkled on top. The writing style is engaging and understandable, even for a layman.

What most struck me is the amount of panic a small epidemic, like SARS, can generate in our modern world and how a major epidemic like HIV/AIDS, which kills millions per year, gets, relatively speaking, so little attention.

A recommended read and a real eye-opener.
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5.0 out of 5 starsAbsolutely Gripping - a real eyeopener too!
By A Customer on 18 Oct. 2005
Format: Paperback
This book is completely un-putdownable. A fantastic piece of detective work, tracing the origins, progress and final extinction of the Black Death that swept through Europe in waves throughout the centuries, interlaced with human stories and real sympathy with the immense suffering endured by many thousands of its victims. It was not bubonic plague at all, but haemorrhagic plague that decimated whole countries - a truly horrifying and thankfully extinct virus that was uncontrollable and invincible. It's infectious incubation period of about 30 days ensured it spread far and wide before sufferers were even aware they had it.Forget about all you heard about fleas and rats. Had it been bubonic plague, there would have been much less to worry about! The authors finally speculate on what comes next, and how would we deal with it (bird flu???)and what is the most gruesome disease we can die of today (has to be ebola!). A truly great book, and one to make us think.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThought provoking
By Mrs. S. E. Davies on 8 July 2006
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
A real eye opener. To find out the the black plague was not bubonic as commongly thought, but a haemorrhagic plague that killed not only thousands in the Uk, but millions world-wide. This plague returned to decimate entire cities time and time again over a period of 400 years or more, finally seeming to disappear around the early 18th century. Or is it just in hiding?

The book is well written and interesting and does not baffle you too much with science.

Haemorrhagic plague (I am reliably informed by the book!) is a very nasty little disease to catch. Like Ebola, the sufferer literally bleeds to death and his/her insides rot away, turning to liquid. The symptons of haemorrahgic plague are very similar to that of bubonic plague with the black `spots' or bubis being the blood showing under the skin. The final horrible, visible stages of the disease through to death are very painful and the sufferer experiences flu like symptons, vomiting blood, and diarrhea and finally falls into a coma. According to the book some sufferers were in so much pain that it drove them mad and they would throw themselves into the street screaming or even out of windows in a bid to escape the pain. These final symptons take place over a few days (from 5 to 12) and at present there is no known cure.

The authors set out to prove that the black death was caused by hemorrhagic plague, by showing the following differences: that the incubation and infectious period was a lot longer in heamorrhagic plague (approx 32 days) whereas the incubation period was a lot shorter in bubonic plague only 2 to 6 days.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsA Good Shake-Up
By WeatherNerd on 14 Dec. 2007
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
The Government's own Health advice web site states that Plague is caused by Yersinia pestis, the bacterium transmitted along the infamous rat-flea-human route.

This book proves that, whilst bubonic plague is caused this way, bubonic plague could not have been the agent responsible for the Black Death and many subsequent outbreaks of severe mortality, as it does not follow the correct epidemiology expected for such a vector. Bubonic plague expands at a few miles a year, whereas the Black Death covered an entire continent in two years.

A good book, possibly a bit lacking in scientific detail at times, and certainly plays too much on the modern need to feel that 'it might all happen again tomorrow'. It might, but that shouldn't really take up so much space here.

Certainly worth buying; it inspired me to look into it deeper.
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4.0 out of 5 starsExtremely interesting and viable theory
By Josi Martin on 8 Mar. 2006
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Think you 'know' about the fourteenth century plague ? It was ALL caused by the bubonic plague from rats - wasn't it ? In this book they lay out an alternative theory and back it up with epidemiological studies that use the historical accounts to support their theory about the main death toll being due to an alternative problem. It appears to be appropriately referenced and well researched and will be of interest to anyone with a lively interest in this great mortality within Europe (from 30-50% of the entire population living at the time).
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5.0 out of 5 starsEveryone should read this book!
By A Customer on 24 Jun. 2004
Format: Hardcover
I bought this book to while away the hours of a long train journey subject to endless delays. Little did I know that it would turn out to be one of the most stimulating, exciting and, yes, frightening books I have ever read. I couldn't put it down.
Like most people, I had thought that there was no mystery about the Black Death: it was the result of bubonic plague spread by rats and fleas. How wrong I was. Return of the Black Death very effectively explodes this myth and reveals the truth of the most appalling killer disease known to mankind. Not only was it an entirely different disease but, worryingly, it might still be around somewhere, waiting for the right time to strike again. The part of the book where the authors postulate how the Black Death might spread through the world today had my hair standing on end.
In summary, this is a gripping read which turns history on its head and suggests major thought-provoking consequences for us today.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant and spell-binding

This is a thought-provoking book and should be read widely. In part it reads like a horror detective story: the trouble is that it is probably a true and accurate reconstruction... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Mr. James Slinger
5.0 out of 5 starsWonderful and disturbing

A fascinating and thought-provoking read. As a history graduate I’m interested in plague from that point of view and a biologist (or microbiologist) would no doubt be able and... Read more

Published 20 months ago by Donald
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

An amazing book that everyone should read. Delivered before due date and gratefully received by the recipient.

Published on 26 Nov. 2014 by J McDougall
4.0 out of 5 starsHighlights pandemic diseases.

This book is a chronicle of Black Death and similar outbreaks throughout history. Very sobering to read, especially during an outbreak of birdflu.. Full of historical statistics.

Published on 25 May 2014 by Berkshire Scribe
5.0 out of 5 starsBlack Death

This is an outstanding book which proposes a new theory of the cause of the black death. There are aspects which need discussing with the authors, but I belive that one has died. Read more

Published on 21 May 2013 by Michael Hitchin
5.0 out of 5 starsReadable and Scholarly

A well written, accessable and brilliantly researched new exposition of the true cause of the Black Death. Fascinating. Well woryh a read and good value for money. Read more

Published on 14 Dec. 2012 by David
5.0 out of 5 starsBlack Death

Officially the Black Death appeared quite suddenly in Sicily in Italy in 1347, and went to kill almost 1/3 of Europe in about 3 years (in London it killed about 6000 people per... Read more

Published on 25 May 2012 by Koriel Tannhauser
1.0 out of 5 starsA complete rip-off -- RETRACTION

I down-loaded this Kindle edition today and during the next five minutes or so, read what I thought was the introduction. Suddenly, I found that I had reached the end of the book. Read more

Published on 1 July 2011 by Beric
2.0 out of 5 starsFlawed conclusions based on recent evidence

This is quite a biased examination of the causes of the Black Death. It raises some interesting points, however it is at odds with more recent scientific results (Haensch et al. Read more

Published on 21 Jan. 2011 by Just the Facts
3.0 out of 5 starsRepeats itself a bit

I found this a wee bit disappointing.
Some great accounts of the plague from public records, yes. Read more

Published on 26 Jun. 2009 by Bernard Marsden

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