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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $13.50

Format:
Paperback
168 pp.
19 b/w images, 111 mm x 174 mm

ISBN-13:
9780198871118

Publication date:
June 2021

Imprint: OUP UK


Plague: A Very Short Introduction

Second Edition

Paul Slack

Series : Very Short Introductions

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring.

Throughout history plague has been the cause of many major catastrophes. It was responsible for the 'Plague of Justinian' in 542, the Black Death of 1348, and the Great Plague of London in 1665, as well as for devastating epidemics in China and India between the 1890s and 1920s. In the 21st century Coronavirus pandemics have served as a powerful reminder that we have not escaped the global impact of epidemic diseases.

In this Very Short Introduction, Paul Slack takes a global approach to explore the historical and social impact of plague over the centuries, looking at the ways in which it has been interpreted, and the powerful images it has left behind in art and literature. Examining what plague meant for those who suffered from it, and how governments began to fight against it, he demonstrates the impact plague has had on modern notions of public health, and how it has shaped our history. This new edition also includes evidence on the nature of plague taken from recent discoveries in ancient DNA as well as new research on plague in the Middle East.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Readership : General readers, undergraduate and postgraduate students of history.

Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Introduction
1. Plague: what's in a name??
2. Pandemics and epidemics
3. Big impacts: the Black Death
4. Private horrors
5. Public health
6. Enduring images
7. The lessons of histories
References
Further Reading
Index

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Paul Slack is Emeritus Professor of Early Modern Social History at Oxford University. He is the author of The Impact of Plague in Tudor and Stuart England, (OUP , 1990), and The Invention of Improvement: Information and Material Progress in Seventeenth-Century England, (OUP 2015), which won the Samuel Pepys Prize for 2015. He has been the Editor of the journal Past and Present, is a Fellow of the British Academy, and was Principal of Linacre College, Oxford, until 2010.

The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction - William Bynum
Viruses: A Very Short Introduction - Dorothy H. Crawford
Infectious Disease - Benjamin Bolker and Marta Wayne

Special Features

  • Explores the historical impact of the plague over the centuries, focussing on how people coped with the disease and how governments fought it.
  • Examines the impact of plague on settlements, local histories, art and literature, and in film.
  • Explores the causes of historic plagues.
  • Reflects upon the impact plagues of the past have had on modern ideas of public health.
  • Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over ten million copies sold worldwide.
New to this Edition
  • Considers the modern day resonance of the plague with issues such as Coronavirus.
  • Incorporates very recent evidence on the nature of plague gained from work on ancient DNA, which settles some old disputes about plague.
  • Includes recently published work on plague in the Middle East.