The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time
Discover the human cost of the Black Death in this vivid account. John Kelly moves beyond dry statistics to explore the terrifying reality of the 14th-century plague, from its origins to its devastating sweep across continents. Experience the fear, the difficult choices, and the societal breakdown caused by a disease that reshaped the world.
John Kelly's The Great Mortality traces the Black Death's journey from the steppes of Central Asia, through the Genoese trading port of Caffa, across Europe, and into England during the mid-14th century. Drawing on diaries, letters, and manuscripts, Kelly tells the story through the people who lived it, estimating the plague killed roughly 25 million in Europe alone (about 75 million worldwide) — close to a third of the known population at the time.
Yes. Kelly builds his narrative from original source material — diary fragments, letters, and manuscripts from the period — combined with modern scientific analysis of the disease, rather than relying solely on secondary historical accounts.