Volcanoes in History

Our latest Review of the Week takes a look at infamous eruptions around the world

Posted on May 14, 2018 in Reviews of the Month

Volcanoes: encounters through the ages

Pyle, D. M. Bodleian Library, 2017
223p bibl index, 9781851244591 $35.00

Volcanoes stands out among several fine books in recent years about the fascinating phenomenon appearing on Earth’s crust. This book is particularly poignant because it offers accounts of significant volcanic eruptions that have strongly impacted human history; it includes numerous seldom-seen and spectacular full-page reproductions of paintings, sketches, photographs, and maps of volcanic activities, and it describes, in mostly non-technical language, scientific advancements in volcanology. Notable eruptions discussed in the book include Italy’s Mount Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei, and Mount Etna; Greece’s Santorini; the Caribbean region’s La Soufrière and Mount Pelée; Mexico’s El Jorullo, Paricutín, and El Chichón; Iceland’s Laki, Eyjafjallajökull, and Surtsey; Indonesia’s Mount Tambora, Krakatoa, and Mount Sinabung; Hawaii’s Kilauea and Mauna Loa; Japan’s Mount Unzen and Mount Ontake; the Philippines’s Mount Pinatubo; Chile’s Puyehue-Cordón Caulle and Calbuco; and the US’s Mount St. Helens. This magnificent book, which also includes an extensive select bibliography, will be a valuable resource for those interested in history, science, environment, geography, and teaching.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.
Reviewer: T. L. T. Grose, Colorado School of Mines
Subject: Science & Technology – Earth Science
Choice Issue: Sep 2017

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