Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 - Softcover

Winchester, Simon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141005173 ISBN 13: 9780141005171

Publisher: Penguin, 2004

Synopsis

Simon Winchester's brilliant chronicle of the destruction of the Indonesian island of Krakatoa in 1883 charts the birth of our modern world. He tells the story of the unrecognized genius who beat Darwin to the discovery of evolution; of Samuel Morse, his code and how rubber allowed the world to talk; of Alfred Wegener, the crack-pot German explorer and father of geology. In breathtaking detail he describes how one island and its inhabitants were blasted out of existence and how colonial society was turned upside-down in a cataclysm whose echoes are still felt to this day.

About this title

Review:

In Krakatoa Simon Winchester, author of The Map That Changed the World and The Professor and the Madman, focuses his considerable research powers on one of the most cataclysmic events of modern history: the volcanic eruption, in 1883, of the South East Asian island of Krakatoa, which resulted in the deaths of 36,000 people and sent shock-waves around the world. But what at the time was a mysterious, almost supernatural phenomenon has become, under the precepts of the contemporary science of plate tectonics, explicable if no less tragic.

Winchester veers between eyewitness accounts by survivors and the limited scientific measurements of the time in an attempt to describe the indescribable. The event "is still said to be the most violent explosion ever recorded and experienced by modern man", he writes. "Six cubic miles of rock had been blasted out of existence, had been turned into pumice and ash and uncountable billions of particles of dust." Yet words and numbers can barely hint at the scale of the calamity, which resulted in tsunamis that washed whole villages into the ocean and forever changed the very topography of the area.

The author also explores the social and cultural topography, noting that "Orthodox Islam, its revival in part triggered by tragic events such as the great cataclysm, was totally transformed in Java during the nineteenth century, with fundamentalism, militancy and profound hostility to non-Muslims its watchwords". At times Winchester seems to overstate his case, and the link he finds between Krakatoa and the rise of anti-Western sentiment in the Islamic world isn't especially convincing. But by weaving together the disaster with science, communications, politics, religion and economics, he has come up with a comprehensive and often fascinating glimpse into the way the world, and our perception of it, can change in an instant. --Shawn Conner, Amazon.ca

Review:

"Krakatoa is a pleasure from beginning to end." -- Boston Sunday Globe "A rattling good read." -- Boston Sunday Globe "A good read." -- Washington Post Book World A good read. --Washington Post Book World Masterful build-up of literary and geological tension. --The Economist A rattling good read. --Boston Sunday Globe Winchester s exceptional attention to detail never falters. --San Francisco Chronicle Supremely well told: a fine exception to the dull run of most geological writing. starred Kirkus Review--Kirkus Review (starred review) A real-life story bigger than any Hollywood blockbuster. --Entertainment Weekly Winchester...is noted for his ability to turn scholarly history into engrossing narrative. --Chicago Sun-Times Winchester scores. (byline Baltimore Sun, printed in Pittsburg Post-Gazette)--Baltimore Sun Brilliant...One of the best books ever written about the history and significance of a natural disaster. --New York Times Winchester once again demonstrates a keen knack for balancing rich and often rigorous historical detail with dramatic tension and storytelling. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) Krakatoa is a pleasure from beginning to end. --Boston Sunday Globe Winchester dramatically delivers...the book is absorbing... --Daily News The rich and fascinating KRAKATOA confirms [Winchester s] preeminence. Janet Maslin--International Herald Tribune "Winchester's exceptional attention to detail never falters."--San Francisco Chronicle "Krakatoa is a pleasure from beginning to end."--Boston Sunday Globe "Winchester scores." (byline Baltimore Sun, printed in Pittsburg Post-Gazette)--Baltimore Sun "Winchester once again demonstrates a keen knack for balancing rich and often rigorous historical detail with dramatic tension and storytelling."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Winchester...is noted for his ability to turn scholarly history into engrossing narrative."--Chicago Sun-Times "A real-life story bigger than any Hollywood blockbuster."--Entertainment Weekly "A rattling good read."--Boston Sunday Globe "Brilliant...One of the best books ever written about the history and significance of a natural disaster."--New York Times "The rich and fascinating KRAKATOA confirms [Winchester's] preeminence. Janet Maslin--International Herald Tribune "A good read."--Washington Post Book World "Winchester dramatically delivers...the book is absorbing..."--Daily News "Masterful build-up of literary and geological tension."--The Economist "Supremely well told: a fine exception to the dull run of most geological writing." starred Kirkus Review--Kirkus Review (starred review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0141005173
• ISBN 13: 9780141005171
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448