The Black Death, 1346–1353: The Complete History

Abstract

The Black Death, 1346–1353: The Complete History. By OLE J. BENEDICTOW (Woodbridge: Boydell P., 2004; pp. xvi + 433. £30). TO call one's book ‘the complete’ history might be thought a hostage to fortune, but Professor Benedictow disarmingly points out that ‘complete’ is not the same as ‘final’. This study is complete in the sense that it aspires to cover all of Europe, although inevitably the paucity of sources for some regions means that coverage is not uniform. Even so it is an ambitious undertaking and one not attempted before, at least in this degree of detail. There is, of course, a price to be paid for the geographical range. Beyond the Nordic region the author is necessarily dependent on the work of others and has, unsurprisingly, proved unable to trawl all the most recent work in the field. The preponderance of older authorities perhaps explains the...