A Journal of the Plague Year
Being Observations or Memorials of the Most Remarkable Occurrences, as Well Public as Private, Which Happened in London During the Last Great Visitation in 1665. Written by a Citizen Who Continued All the While in London
A Journal of the Plague Year, published by Daniel Defoe in 1722, tells of the epidemic that killed roughly a fifth of London's population in 1665. The narrator, a saddler who signs himself H. F., stays in the city while others flee and records what he sees: the weekly bills of mortality, the shut-up houses with red crosses on the doors, the dead-carts and the pits, the quacks and the preachers, the watchmen and the nurses. Defoe was a small child in 1665, and his book is fiction built on documents and memory, yet it has the texture of reportage. Written when plague threatened Europe again, it remains the classic account of a city living through contagion. The full text is available to read online in your browser on Vinteuil, and the opening pages are free.
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Frequently asked questions about A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe can be read online on Vinteuil, directly in your browser. The first chapter is free for everyone; the complete book is included in Vinteuil Reading ($4.99/month or $39.99/year) or yours forever for $2.99.
Can I read A Journal of the Plague Year online?
Yes. A Journal of the Plague Year opens right on this page, in a reader designed for long reading: adjustable text size, light, sepia and dark themes, a clickable table of contents and your place saved when you are signed in. No download or app is needed.
Is A Journal of the Plague Year free to read on Vinteuil?
The first chapter of A Journal of the Plague Year is free, without an account. To read the whole book, either buy its online reading for $2.99 (£2.99 in the UK) and keep it forever, or subscribe to Vinteuil Reading for $4.99/month (£4.99/month in the UK) or $39.99/year, with 1 month free for new subscribers. The subscription opens every book in the library and can be cancelled at any time.
Is A Journal of the Plague Year in the public domain?
Yes. A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe is a public-domain work. Vinteuil offers a carefully prepared digital edition made for comfortable reading on screen.
How long does it take to read A Journal of the Plague Year?
About 6 h 19 min of reading, at an average reading pace. Your place is saved automatically when you are signed in, so you can read in several sittings and on several devices.
What kind of book is A Journal of the Plague Year?
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe is filed under "Fiction" in the Vinteuil library.
