James Belich is the Beit Professor of Imperial and Commonwealth History at the University of Oxford and cofounder of the Oxford Centre for Global History. His books include Replenishing the Earth: The Settler Revolution and the Rise of the Anglo-World, 1783-1939.
[A] sweeping revisionist history. . . . Rich in erudition and startling new insights, this fresh look at the impact of the Black Death upon world history is a must for history lovers and plague aficionados alike. * Library Journal * A provocative and impressive history of an earth-shattering event. * Publishers Weekly * [A] bold, tremendously researched work. ---Jordan Michael Smith, Undark The World the Plague Made is worth reading simply as a narrative of these extraordinary events by a historian who combines command of detail with a grandiose vision of factors driving human expansion. Belich is sweeping in his range, provocative in his assertions and ambitious in his conceptions. His writing is full of colourful metaphors, unexpected turns of phrase and elegant put-downs of the many scholars who lack the imagination to share his insights ---Jonathan Sumption, Literary Review