Paton Walsh, Jill

Mall Percival tells how the plague came to her Derbyshire village of Eyam in the year 1665, how the villagers determined to isolate themselves to prevent further spread of the disease, and how three-fourths of them died before the end of the following year.

Compelled to search for his half brother Creep who some people insist is nonexistent, Christopher locates Parliamentary Papers containing Nathaniel Creep's personal narrative of working conditions during the Industrial Revolution 100 years earlier.

Describes the simple and useful artifacts developed by prehistoric man which led to the production of a food surplus--the first cultural triumph of mankind that made possible the further development of civilization.