The history of plague, and the Black Death in particular, has been one of my interests for as long as I can remember. I was therefore keen to read Benedict Gummer's new offering on the subject.

The aims of the book are simple: (a) to describe the British Isles on the eve of the Black Death; (b) to describe the progress of pestilence through the island and (c) to assess the state of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales after the disease had passed. Whilst the aims might be simple, piecing together relevant information and joining them in a coherent and interesting way is not trivial. Because of this, Gummer has created an extraordinarily detailed book which is easy to read and brings the 14th century to life. The book describes a level of sophistication in government, commerce, road networks and town and village life that I certainly didn't know existed during this time.

Gummer does not discuss the biological agent of the Black Death, which is currently a controversial subject as some researchers have suggested that the Black Death was not Yersinia pestis but some other agent, possibly a virus. The book does not really care (although it is discussed briefly in the appendix) which is a strength in my opinion. No time is wasted discussing the epidemiology of bubonic/pneumonic plague and how 14th century Britain might have facilitated the spread of this particular disease. Indeed, Gummer's descriptive account of the networks of trade existing between key market towns and villages and 14th century life in general, raises significant doubts in my mind as to whether Y. pestis (at least as we know it today) was the culprit. At least we should keep an open mind to other possibilities.

An excellent book and worth a read if you are interested in plague, pandemics or history in general.