Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze

Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze

The eruption of Laki is one of history's great untold natural disasters. The eruption, spewing out a poisionous fog, lasted for eight months, but its effects lingered across Europe for years, causing the death of people as far away as the Nile, and creating famine that may have triggered the French revolution. Island on Fire is the story not only of a volcano but also of the people whose lives it changed, such as the pastor Jon Steingrimsson, who witnessed and recorded the events in Iceland. It is the story, too, of modern volcanology, and looks at how events might work out should Laki erupt again in our time.

A volcanic tour de force: terrific story-telling that reveals our vulnerability to nature's most destructive forces-- Nick Crane
Island in Fire is a terrific, disturbing book centred on the eruption of Laki in Iceland in June 1783 and its disastrous repercussions across Europe and beyond. In their fast-paced, enjoyable text the authors use that story and recent science to show how vulnerable we remain to the most unpredictable of natural disasters - volcanic action. -- Gillian Darley * Vesuvius *

Alexandra Witze is a contributing editor to Science News and past US bureau chief for Nature. Jeff Kanipe is the author of Chasing Hubble's Shadow and Cosmic Connection.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781781250044
ISBN 10	1781250049
Title	Island on Fire
Author	Alexandra Witze
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Profile Books Ltd
Year published	2014-03-20
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.