Plague in the Early Modern World: A Documentary History

Book Details

• Author: Dean Phillip Bell

• Brand: Routledge

• Binding: Paperback

• ISBN: 9781138362499

• Pages: 286

• Cover: Paperback

• Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches

• Language: English

• Release Date: 18-01-2019

About The Book

Plague in the Early Modern World by Dean Phillip Bell offers an insightful exploration into the profound impact of plague and disease on societies across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, China, India, and North America during the early modern period. Through a curated collection of primary source materials, this book uncovers the diverse responses to plagues and epidemics and their influence on local and global histories.

Spanning multiple continents, the text provides a rich variety of historical documents, including memoirs, autobiographies, letters, histories, and literature. It also includes demographic statistics, medical treatises, popular remedies, religious writings, material culture, and visual arts. This diverse range of sources offers readers a deep understanding of the period’s struggles with disease and how those challenges shaped political, social, and religious landscapes.

The book investigates how recurring outbreaks of plague not only calibrated demographic patterns and subverted social structures but also defined local identities and reshaped political agendas. By drawing from under-studied regions and rare publications, Plague in the Early Modern World opens new doors to examining how early modern people understood and responded to disease in times of crisis and normalcy.

Key Features:

• A global perspective on the history of plague and disease during the early modern period.

• A wide range of primary source materials, many of which are rarely seen in modern studies.

• Explores how plague and epidemics helped shape local identities, social structures, and religious worldviews.

• In-depth analysis of personal, cultural, and political responses to disease.

• Great for students and general readers interested in early modern history and the history of disease.

This book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in exploring how the devastating effects of disease influenced societies in ways still felt today.