The bubonic plague was one of the most deadly catastrophes of the Middle Ages. It is well chronicled by many historians, although not many accounts are able to capture the reader's attention so well as that of Barbara Tuchman. Historian Barbara Tuchman's integration of animated writing and careful research serves to create a palatable and pleasing, although quite repulsive, essay. In her essay, "'This is the End of the World' The Black Death," Tuchman writes …showed first 75 words of 1103 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1103 total…with fear and filth, creates a brooding sense that makes one feel as if the future holds no hope; the future has been snatched away and in its stead has come apocalypse. Her essay, so aptly named "This is the End of the World," takes the reader on a journey through a period of time marked by a catastrophe so great that, indeed, one feels as if it truly is the end of the world.