Nonfiction. British History. Mark O'Brien's WHEN ADAM DELVED AND EVE SPAN is a new introductory history of the inspirational English peasant rising of 1381. Against the backdrop of fourteenth-century England—including the daily struggle of peasants for food and justice, and the devastation wrought by the Black Death—the book recounts the events of the Peasants' Revolt, both in London and in the regions. The book conveys the breathtaking speed of the revolt and brings rebel leaders such as Wat Tyler and John Ball to life. O'Brien combines a well-grounded historical setting with an account of the events that deliberately stresses the excitement of the rising.