The day of St Anthony's Fire [Hardcover]

John Grant Fuller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1969

NICE BOOK

Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Hutchinson; First Edition edition (1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0090954602
• ISBN-13: 978-0090954605
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,399,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An in-depth analysis of ergotism in France in 1951, November 17, 1999

By 

Arly Allen (Lawrence, Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The day of St Anthony's Fire (Hardcover)

This is an extensive analysis by a journalist of the outbreak of ergot poisoning in Pont St.Esprit, France (Provence) in 1951. It is based on personal interviews and documents, as well as on discussions with the doctors involved. It is perhaps the most complete case study of mass ergot poisoning in literature. It is very valuable to any historian wishing to understand one of the most feared and puzzling diseases of the Middle Ages.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Day of St. Anthony's Fire, April 12, 2001

By 

"rogue910" (Sheffield, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The day of St Anthony's Fire (Hardcover)

This book caught my eye in the college library while I was researching the topic. I didn't put it down for the two days it took me to read it. It covers not only "historical ergotism" (which has been deemed the culprit of the Salem Witch trials and other witch hunts by some) but also the case of the 1950's Pt. St. Esprit poisoning in France, which was attributed by the local authorities to a mercury pesticide. Read it, be absolutely amazed, not only at the events, but at the "official judgement" and subsequent injustice of the later rulings towards the poisoned survivors of that fateful night. I also recommend Mary Matossion's Poisons of the Past for more info on historical ergotism.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating mystery, well-told human drama, May 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The day of St Anthony's Fire (Hardcover)

This is an amazing book. The historical account is fascinating. I am also floored by how well Fuller wove in a multitude of personal stories, gave a rich account of a very complex incident, then beautifully encapsulated the 15-year legal tragedy that followed the original tragedy. You don't come across stories like this every day, and you certainly don't often come across treatments of them that are this good.

It's not written at a sixth-grade level -- a plus for me -- but nowadays I doubt an editor would let Fuller get away with all the French phrases and excerpts he put in the book. Back then I suppose authors could assume they had a more sophisticated readership. I liked the sprinkling of French, sometimes even original letters (translated to English, of course), but if you don't know any French at all, you might want to read this with a dictionary at hand.