From its first wave in 1348 to well after its last in 1666, says Totaro (English, Florida Gulf Coast U.), the bubonic plague controlled England more than any other force, but its representation in literature of the period has been little studied. Her perspectives include the best practices for change, Thomas More's pestilence in parentheses, Shakespeare's Timon of Athens , Johnson's The Alchemist , Margaret Cavendish's prescriptions, and the rectification of air and the pursuit of paradise. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)