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About Island On Fire
Product Description Laki is Iceland’s largest and potentially most dangerous volcano. Its eruption in 1783 is one of history’s great untold natural disasters. Spewing out sun-blocking ash and then a poisonous fog for eight months, the effects of the eruption lingered across the world for years, causing the death of people as far away as the Nile and creating catastrophic conditions throughout Europe, including extreme weather and crop failures 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. It is the story, too, of the dawn of modern volcanology and the history and potential of supervolcanoes around the world. And perhaps most pertinently, in the wake of the eruption of another Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, which closed European air space in 2010, acclaimed science writers Witze and Kanipe looks at how events might transpire should Laki erupt again in our own time. Review “A volcanic tour de force: terrific story-telling that reveals our vulnerability to nature's most destructive forces.” - Nick Crane, the BBC “This book, written for a nontechnical audience, does a very good job of describing the Laki eruption and its aftermath, relying heavily on historic firsthand observations. The endnotes will guide interested readers to the more technical literature on the subject.” - Choice “Were it just a story of one volcano, that would be engrossing enough: by including assessments and natural histories of others, this wide-ranging book holds the potential to appeal to a wide audience.” - Midwest Book Review “A revealing new volume. Chapters on geology and the short- and long-term effects of volcanic eruptions add depth to Witze and Kanipe’s discussion, rounding out a work that serves as a valuable reminder of just how much we remain at Mother Nature’s mercy.” - Publishers Weekly “Deftly interweaving information compiled by naturalists and astronomers of the day (and even Benjamin Franklin, who was in Paris during the eruption) with interviews with modern-day, scientists and historians, the authors provide a captivating overview of the eruption.” - Science News “Witze and Kanipe have written a compelling and engrossing story of Laki and its worldwide impact. As the best book authors do, they have also ferreted out facts and examples that make their specific story one with implications for modern readers. It is a book that will surely make you want to go to Iceland, or at least pay careful heed to the next time one if its many volcanoes erupt.” - The Seattle Times “A terrific, disturbing book. In their fast-paced, enjoyable text the authors show how vulnerable we remain to the most unpredictable of natural disasters.” - Gillian Darley, author of VESUVIUS “A story for the ages. But beneath the barrage of devastation lies an even more profound story: why do we forget these dangers?” - Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Carnegie Institution for Science “Brilliant.” - Pacific Standard “For those with an interest in history and/or geology.” - The Birdbooker Report/Nature.com About the Author Alexandra Witze is an award-winning science journalist and correspondent for the journal Nature. Her reporting has taken her from the North Pole (to report on climate change) to the jungles of Guatemala (to cover Maya archaeology) to China's quake-ravaged Sichuan province. Island on Fire is her first book and she lives in Boulder, CO.
