The author, John Aberth was born on July 6, 1963. He currently lives in Roxbury, Vermont and serves as associate academic dean at Castleton State College. There he gives several history lessons. He also taught at several other Vermont universities, including the University of Vermont. In 1992, John Aberth received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in Medieval Studies after gaining his master's degree from the University of Leeds. He is the author of five books, the main focus of which is the effects of the Black Death in the late Middle Ages, including The First Horsemen: Disease in Human History, The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, and A Knight at the Movies: Medieval History on Film. Published in 2001, From the Brink of the Apocalypse: Confronting Famine, Ware, Plague, and Death in the Later Middle Ages, is a medium-length, nonfiction bibliographical novel. Aberth writes "both in his lively, readable style aimed at non-specialists and in his anti-heroic, almost romantic portrait of the miseries of the late Middle Ages," Kevin Hughes of Church History. The second edition of this novel includes many more examples from continental Europe than the first version. Since Aberth is originally from England, his main focus is on the experiences of the English during the 14th and 15th centuries. With his novel Aberth develops a thesis that expresses his belief that the crises that affected Europe in the Middle Ages did not represent a period of decline. He believed it was an opportunity for Europeans to create new answers to solve their problems. The book begins with a prologue, in which a letter is sent by a musician who worked for a cardinal in 1347. It is sent from the papal court in Avignon and is received by some musicians......middle of paper.... ..in the details of disasters that occurred in the Middle Ages, a textbook or larger book would be a wiser choice. However, a first-year college history course could easily use the information in this book. Aberth's writing style is easy to understand and he writes in an easy to follow manner. He also connects his main thesis to the final sentence by saying, “perhaps we can transcend our mortal prison through appreciating the art of our ancestors.” Works Cited • Aberth, John. From the Edge of the Apocalypse: Facing Famine, War, Plague, and Death in the Late Middle Ages. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print.• “Ancient and Medieval.” Cambridge Journals. Np, nd Web. 09 December 2013.• “From the Edge of the Apocalypse: Confronting Famine, War, Plague, and Death in the Late Middle Ages.” Medievalists.net. Np, nd Web. 01 December. 2013.