Fatal Breath

David Vincent is Emeritus Professor of Social History and former Pro Vice Chancellor at The Open University. He is the author of a number of books, including A History of Solitude (2020) and Privacy: A Short History (2016), both published by Polity.

‘As a social historian specializing in working-class autobiography, David Vincent brings a unique and human perspective to the Covid pandemic crisis. Whilst not ignoring the politics, economics, and inequalities of the UK experience, he celebrates the brave and bold responses of men and women across the nation who faced isolation, despair, bereavement, and illness. This book is a tour de force, shocking and heartwarming, an historical analysis of a huge upheaval in British life.’Anthony Costello, Professor of Global Health, University College London‘Vincent provides the kind of rich and meticulous chronicle of social life under Covid-19 which is so urgently needed to make sense of the last few years. Bringing an historian’s sensibility to the recent past, The Fatal Breath will stand as an indispensable resource for readers far beyond our present moment.’Fred Cooper, University of Exeter‘With this book, the leading social historian David Vincent tackles the Covid pandemic, providing novel insights which will appeal to both academics and the general public.’Barbara Taylor, Queen Mary University of London‘This bold and forensic history of the pandemic, drawing on previously unpublished diaries, underlines the sheer scale of suffering, with the poor and isolated particularly badly hit.’Mark Honigsbaum, The Observer‘a readable and thoroughly researched account of different aspects of our societal response to the pandemic.’Church Times

• Preface1. Writing the Pandemic2. Illness, Death, Bereavement3. States of Mind4. Connections5. Getting and Spending6. Nature7. Communication8. Home9. AftermathReferencesIndex