Super Short Summary

The Black Death, 1346-1353: The Complete History by Ole Jørgen Benedictow provides an analytical and synthetic demographic, social, and medical history of the bubonic plague's spread across Western Europe during the 14th century. Benedictow argues that black rats and fleas were the primary carriers of the bacteria and critiques previous scholars' assertions about the disease. The book emphasizes that shipping and heavily trafficked roads facilitated the pandemic’s spread and posits a higher mortality rate, up to 60%, affecting millions and shaping European society profoundly, from labor shortages and economic changes to shifts in public health initiatives and art.