The plague is a disease caused by the bacteria yersinia pestis, affecting humans and other mammals. It can come in various forms, but the most common are the bubonic plague, septicemic plague, and pneumonic plague. With symptoms such as fever, headache, chills, weakness, painful buboes, or blackening of the skin and other tissues, the plague can have a case-fatality ratio of 30% - 100% if left untreated. It has taken many lives throughout history, and even today, infections still occur in rural areas such as the western United States and significantly more in parts of Africa and Asia.

This digital library provides historical resources on the plague in various parts of the world and throughout human history. Its purpose is for the general public interested in learning more about the plague and its history. Materials in this collection have been selected from sources such as Hathi-Trust, the Wellcome Collection, Project Gutenberg, the National Library of Medicine, and the Public Health Image Library.