Plague, Pestilence and Pandemic: Voices from History

I will be honest I was a bit disappointed in this book when I cracked it open, as I expected more primary sources and less commentary. With the world see-sawing between a pandemic and getting over one, there has been a rush to publish books about the history of pandemics and the impact they have had on society. This book is purported to tell the story of pandemics of the past through the eyes of the people who lived through them. If done properly a gold mine of primary sources, a thing historians and history students love especially if they are in a collection. Instead, much of the book is taken up by commentary by the editor. As he explains each of the global pandemics throughout recorded history while providing short snippets. This book would have been much stronger, more entertaining, and better for scholars if it featured more primary sources and less commentary. Instead, this book is a mishmash, where the voices from the past feel like they are playing second fiddle to his linking it all together, and the authors continuing voice is not needed.