{"product_id":"the-black-death-a-global-history-of-humanitys-most-devastating-pandemic-9780593129166","title":"The Black Death: A Global History of Humanity's Most Devastating Pandemic","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A magisterial history\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e) of humanity's greatest natural disaster--the Black Death--that reveals the true global impact and terrible human cost of this calamity, from the renowned author of\u003ci\u003e The Crusades\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Greatest Knight.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Terrific--and truly terrifying. Thomas Asbridge puts a human face--or rather multiple faces--on the Black Death.\"--Eric Cline, author of \u003ci\u003e1177 B.C.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the mid-fourteenth century, a lethal plague struck the medieval world, causing unimaginable suffering and destruction. The Black Death was unquestionably one of history's defining episodes, yet a critical feature of its progress has often been ignored: the disease was not confined to Europe, but rather affected almost all of the known world, including the Near and Middle East, Byzantium, north Africa and Asia. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTracing the pandemic's course across the medieval globe, \u003ci\u003eThe Black Death\u003c\/i\u003e contrasts the experiences of different peoples, including Christians, Muslims, and Jews, charting this catastrophe's transformative effects on diverse aspects of medieval life. And crucially, Asbridge demonstrates that the plague was often at its most destructive in the Islamic world, where it ultimately played a role in the collapse of the mighty Mamluk Empire. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Black Death\u003c\/i\u003e also brings the human drama of this calamitous era to life, evoking the terror and the turmoil that beset cities such as London, Cairo, and Florence. Asbridge reconstructs the lives of the men, women and children who faced the Black Death--from ruling monarchs to peasant farmers--laying bare both the abject horror they endured and the courageous resolve they often demonstrated while striving to survive. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUncovering a story that speaks to our own age, \u003ci\u003eThe Black Death\u003c\/i\u003e highlights humankind's capacity for compassion and resilience amidst a global crisis to explain how the medieval world confronted, and ultimately overcame, this shattering pandemic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Thomas Asbridge\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Random House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/26\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 544\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.46h x 6.44w x 1.67d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593129166\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThomas Asbridge\u003c\/b\u003e is a historian of the Middle Ages, previously specializing in the study of the crusades, knighthood and chivalry, and is Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power behind Five English Thrones\u003c\/i\u003e. He also wrote and presented the landmark three-part BBC television series \u003ci\u003eThe Crusades\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Thomas Asbridge \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":48363801706653,"sku":"9780593129166","price":45.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_9a4c4904-f83f-4ea4-9d18-71d568a41063.jpg?v=1780429028","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-black-death-a-global-history-of-humanitys-most-devastating-pandemic-9780593129166","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}