Why read The Great Mortality?

Book cover of The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time

Book description

“Powerful, rich with details, moving, humane, and full of important lessons for an age when weapons of mass destruction are loose among us.” — Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb

The Great Plague is one of the most compelling events in human history—even more…

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European history

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Great Mortality as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Rebecca Frost

Author

I picked this up because I knew a bit about the Black Death, but I really didn't know about the Black Death. This truly is an intimate history, bringing it down to the personal level: what was it really like to live and die during the outbreak?

From Rebecca's 3 favorite reads in 2026.

Juliana Cummings

Author

The Great Mortality was a key tool in my research for my book. John covered the Black Death in every country it devastated, such as England, Italy, and France. He touches on the effect the Black Death had on the church and the great lengths that were taken to protect the pope. He goes into morbid detail about the plague, and you get a real understanding of what these people went through. I can not recommend this book enough.

From Juliana's list on The best books on the middle ages for those with an odd fascination for filth and torture.