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Return of the Black Death: The World's Greatest Serial Killer
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 614.57320905
EAN: 9780470090015
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0470090014
Label: Wiley
Manufacturer: Wiley
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 318
Publication Date: July 18, 2005
Publisher: Wiley
Studio: Wiley
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Editorial Review:
If the twenty-first century seems an unlikely stage for the return of a 14th-century killer, the authors of Return of the Black Death argue that the plague, which vanquished half of Europe, has only lain dormant, waiting to emerge again—perhaps, in another form. At the heart of their chilling scenario is their contention that the plague was spread by direct human contact (not from rat fleas) and was, in fact, a virus perhaps similar to AIDS and Ebola. Noting the periodic occurrence of plagues throughout history, the authors predict its inevitable re-emergence sometime in the future, transformed by mass mobility and bioterrorism into an even more devastating killer.
"If the twenty-first century seems an unlikely stage for the return of a 14th-century killer, the authors of Return of the Black Death argue that the plague, which vanquished half of Europe, has only lain dormant, waiting to emerge again—perhaps, in another form. At the heart of their chilling scenario is their contention that the plague was spread by direct human contact (not from rat fleas) and was, in fact, a virus perhaps similar to AIDS and Ebola. Noting the periodic occurrence of plagues throughout history, the authors predict its inevitable re-emergence sometime in the future, transformed by mass mobility and bioterrorism into an even more devastating killer. "
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Where are the footnotes please??? Sloppy scholarship.
I recently bought this book as well as Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire and the Birth of Europe and The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death.. All are fascinating reads. However, unlike the 2 latter books, Return of the Black Death lacks essential footnotes( or even chapter " notes" at the end of the book) needed to support one's "evidence" and conclusions.
There are too many examples to cite them all . But , I shall give one example from a randomly opened page ... Read More
Rating: - Solid and interesting but full of fluff
This is an excellent example of a book that would have made a very good magazine or journal article. The authors are convincing in their case that haemmoragic plague, rather than bubonic plague, constituted the Black Death. And, it is possible that scientists could engineer a superbug that could kill millions of billions of people. But all of this could have been said much more efficiently in 30 pages. Especially in the first half of the book, the authors put in huge block quotations from primary ... Read More
Rating:  - Quite Convincing
I'm a life sciencist. I read this book about 6 months ago and looked it up on Amazon today because I wanted to recommend it to my brother. In looking over the reviews, I must disagree with the first reviewer who, if he read the book at all, appears not to have comprehended any of it. The book is utterly fascinating, and the evidence the authors present in support of their hypothesis is convincing. The authors finish their tour de force by explaining how the myth that Yersinnia pestis was the cause ... Read More
Rating:  - Interesting but Questionable
While an interesting perspective on both disease in our current world and the nature of disease itself, their evidence left me unconvinced.
It has been well documented and proven the Y. Pestis, the cause of the Black Plague, is common and almost exclusive to rat populations. For the plague to spread to humans certain conditions need to be met. Yes, world travel and trade increases the risk of spreading the plague and yes, it is very likely that another outbreak could occur as it has done ... Read More
Rating: - A Whole New Look that Makes Total Sense!
Scott and Duncan have quite obviously done their homework! I can't imagine the time (& tedium) it must have taken to sift through all those records, but it was well worth the effort. I believe Scott and Duncan have seriously found the genuine cause of the Black Death. The way they present their information makes it seem as though it were staring us in the face all along. It's hard to believe so many scientists have clung to false assumptions in the face of what seems to be overwhelming evidence ... Read More
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