A Journal of the Plague Year

First published in 1722, this unabridged edition of Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year covers events in London, England, in 1665 as the bubonic plague spread throughout the city. Though a work of historical fiction, the book includes accurate historical details, charts, statistics, and government documents. Defoe’s narrator follows the spread of the plague and relates how powerful families and government officials tried to hide the disease to avoid inconvenience and public panic. But as deaths mounted and fear spread, those who could began to flee the city. A Journal of the Plague Year continues to resonate with modern audiences through its parallels to issues caused by modern diseases and the COVID-19 pandemic.