The Last Volcano: A Man, a Romance, and the Quest to Understand Nature's Most Magnificant Fury

by John Dvorak

Volcanoes have fascinated—and terrified—people for ages. They have destroyed cities and ended civilizations. John Dvorak, the acclaimed author of Earthquake Storms, looks into the early years of volcanology and its "father," Thomas Jaggar. Jaggar was the youngest of five scientists to investigate the explosion of Mount Pelee in Martinique, which leveled the entire city of St. Pierre and killed its entire population in two minutes. This explosion changed science forever, and Jaggar became obsessed with understanding the force of nature that could do this.

A colorful cast of scientists wind their way through The Last Volcano, including an escaped slave who became the leading volcanic guide in Hawaii. But the focus is on Jaggar, who was so fixated on volcanology that he moved to a small house overlooking the lava lake of Kilauea, much to the derision of the scientific community.

Falling in love a widowed schoolteacher who shared his passion, Jaggar devoted his life to studying volcanic activity and the mysteries beneath the earth's surface. From their precarious perch, this dynamic husband and wife duo would discover a way to predict volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, promote geothermal energy, and theorize new ways to study the ocean bottom.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biography, History, Geology, Nature, Geography

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2015

About the author

John Dvorak, PhD, has studied volcanoes and earthquakes around the world for the United States Geological Survey, first at Mount St. Helens in 1980, then a series of assignments in Hawaii, Italy, Indonesia, Central America and Alaska. In addition to dozens of papers published in scientific journals, Dvorak has written cover stories for Scientific American, Astronomy and Physics Today.

Reviews

[Charlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book as much as Dvorak's book on earthquakes. Getting invested in the biography of Thomas Jagger was really difficult. When writing about earthquakes, the wonderful biographies of each researcher filled the pages. Sandwiched in between the exciting bios were fantastic facts about Earth's dynamic crust. This book provided too many boring details about Jagger. If his tent flap blew in the wind, Dvorak wrote about it, even though it didn't enrich the story or foreshadow anything. It was like asking someone how their day at work was and, instead of hearing the highlights, they tell you every boring detail, so that you feel like saying, "I get it already. Move on." I found myself daydreaming and missing the parts of the book I wanted to learn about.

I can imagine this book would be interesting to someone who wants to learn about volcanoes but who is more interested in every possible moment of Jagger's life.

[Holly Keimig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got super lucky with this book. It wasn't on any of my to-read lists, I'd heard nothing about it, and I just happened to stumble across it last minute at the library and thought I'd page through it if nothing else. I'm so glad I found it. Having a degree in geology and having focused on volcanology quite a bit, I thought I had a pretty good idea of who the main players were in the history of the science. Imagine my surprise when I found out I'd never heard of someone who played a rather pivotal role in starting the monitoring of these amazing forces of nature. The book describes the life of Thomas Jagger along with all of the people his life or legacy touched. There is science, history, and an element of memoir all wrapped up in one. The book takes you on a tour of the some of the most famous volcanoes in the world while describing what Jagger did at each one. There is a focus on Kileuea and Hawaii since that is where he ended up happiest. This is another book that would be good for many different audiences. It has a little bit of something for everyone. My only issue with the book was the title. I am still not sure how it fits in with the story. I highly recommend this one!

[Bozworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not until p.282 that Dvorak notes that several publishers declined to publish Jaggar's memoirs. I concur with their verdict and probably should have abandoned the book when Jaggar abandoned his wife. The book concludes with a poignant story of a daughter who never knew her father or whether he loved her. But he clearly loved volcanoes.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned just as much about the lives of people in the early 1900s as I did about volcanoes. What traveling entailed, how people could change the direction of their lives to pursue a passion, how scientists had (and probably still have) to be inventors when the tools don’t exist yet.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much a bio of Thomas Jagger and his love affair with volcanoes the world over, Kilauea especially. It makes me want to stay at the Volcano House Hotel in Hawai'i.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given the title and description of the book, I was hoping this would read more like a story about a man obsessed with volcanoes. Instead, it was more like going through a timeline of events, many of which involved a man who devoted his life to volcanoes. There were some tangents about other people and events that were interesting, but not what I was looking for. I listened to this on audio book and kind of lost interesting during the last two chapters. There was a lot of information about a bunch of historical events all mashed together. I wanted more about the adventures of traveling to the volcanoes- what that was like- and more of the 'romance' between this man and volcanoes. I suppose since the events in this book happened so long ago, it was near impossible for the author to get testimonies from anyone mentioned in this book or their surviving family members. Oh well. Overall, not too bad of a listen.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I certainly learned some interesting information about volcanoes from this book and defnitely about Thomas Jagger, who founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. I was actually amazed that people seem to get so close to active volcanoes. I also learned about the deadly volcanic eruption of Mt. Pelee in 1902 and wondered why, when Vesuvius gets so much attention for an eruption of 2000 years ago, Mr. Pelee gets virtually no attention for its eruption of 100 years ago. I do need to explore this a little further.

Unfortunately, the last half of this book rather droned on and became more of a recounting of dull facts than an exciting account of anything. However, my final reaction was that I would like to view, from a good distance, some of the lava flows of the Hawaiian Islands, which I have yet to visit.

[Tom Peek · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Last Volcano, John Dvorak turns the study of volcanoes into a marvelous adventure through the compelling stories of the men and women who studied Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes back when volcanology was an infant science and the Big Island of Hawaii was truly wild country. Dvorak's beautiful writing and depth of research bring Dr. Thomas Jaggar and his cohorts alive with a fascinating story of repeated volcanic eruptions, pioneering scientific quests, romantic adventures and cross-cultural tensions in the mythic land of the Hawaiian goddess Pele.

A great read that I look forward to rereading again soon!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book. Parts were slow, but scientifically necessary. Other parts read as narrative nonfiction and were quite fascinating. My favorite part was learning more about Japanese Hawaiians during the time of World War II and internment camps. I know this book was about volcanoes, but I would have enjoyed a longer section about that time in history. Also, I wanted to hear more about Jagger’s relationships with his wife and then 2nd wife. I’m sure there wasn’t enough in the historical records to share, and the author may have also wanted to respect the family’s privacy. Overall, there were quite a few stories of erupting volcanoes that made the book an entertaining read.

[Tasmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The volcanoes? Fascinating
The history? Mildly entertaining
The romance? What romance?
The biography of Thomas Jagger? Horrible lame.

If you are looking for a detailed historical story of a mediocre white man doing some volcanology a century ago, you will like this book. I did not - or at least big parts of it.
While Dvorak is a talented writer and storyteller, I wonder why by the end of this book I knew the exact model and motor of Jaggars car as well as the entire family history of every male person involved with this story, yet nothing of interest about any of the women (except one), let alone the native people of Hawai'i (and the other places) or any critical thought or examination whatsoever. The closest we get to it is in one of the last chapters where Dvorak briefly talks about the goddess Pele, as well as some incredibly rare, short footnotes hinting at the present, but that is about it.
There is barely any connection to the present day. The consequences of the scientific research both on general science as well as the local population, neither positive nor negative, are basically non-existent. This is especially pressing on Hawai'i (where most of this book is set) as this is still a colony of the US, exploited in the name of science and tourism (which both start out during the time period of this book), leading to all kinds of consequences today (e.g. Mauna Kea protests, gentrification, fire in Lahaina and the grim and greedy land grabs afterwards, etc). This was a huge missed chance and something I could not overlook.
This is a historical account in the lense of its own time (and not going a step further than Jaggars death) with no interest of portraying the short- and longterm effects on the broader world, from the environment to the indigenous people or to the women and children in these men's lives. ("Oh it is just a neutral history book!" - not including different perspectives and actively excluding topics, narratives and controversial discussions is a CHOICE and therefore the opposite of neutral).
Isabel Maydwell, the "love interest" the book description teases, who only shows up in the last third of the book (after Thomas cheats on and divorces his original wife and never shows any interest in the 2 kids he has with her - such a romantic!, gets more time on the page and it becomes clear that her passion for volcanoes is equal to Thomas'. Her descriptions and notes are more detailed, she learns all the work and lives a very unusual life (especially for a woman of that time), dedicating it to volcanology just as much as her husband. She was a huge contributor to his success, made her own observations, etc, yet he is "the forgotten godfather of volcanology" while she is his "wife" and "unpaid assistant" and the subtitle of this book is "A man, a romance, ..." 🤨. A classic case of a woman not getting the recognition she deserves.
I finished it for the history of geoscience and the historical accounts of volcanic eruptions, which were great. But by the mighty lava flow am I tired of history being told through the perspective of rich white straight cis men and their absolute lack of empathy or respect towards anyone but themselves.

[Mary Warnement · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a whim purchase from Brookline Booksmith's used basement. In my youth, I wanted to be a vulcanologist and volcanoes are an abiding interest. I had wanted to see Kilauea until its most recent eruptions were so destructive. Reading this, it's shocking--though I knew from my own experience that it was a tourist attraction for Hawaii--how people flocked to watch what could destroy them. I was more interested in the science than in the man. The author scientist clearly was interested in Thomas Jaggar and promoting his achievements. I'm not exactly sure what is meant by the title, "last volcano." He ends (his conclusion about the volcano; there is a another conclusion about the man) by saying "it is the volcano that is eternal." (No spoiler there.) He's saying Kilauea will outlive not only Jaggr and Dvorak but all of us, but there's no argument that Kilauea will outlast all others. In terms of popular culture, I'd say Vesuvius holds more imaginations, but I'm sure there are many in South America or the Philippines or Iceland that loom much larger in those communities than Vesuvius or Kilauea.

[William Schram · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title caught my interest in this book. The Last Volcano implies no more volcanic activity or a life-ending volcanic event. Author John Dvorak explores the history of volcanic eruptions and how people learned about them in depth. To accomplish this task, Dvorak follows the life of one man, Thomas Jaggar.

I have not heard of this person before. The story goes that back in 1902, a volcanic eruption shook the island of St. Lucia. No one could tell how big it was, but they thought it wouldn't be interesting since they couldn't feel the explosion from 1000 miles away like with Krakatoa. Thomas Jaggar was a Geologist and went to survey the damage on a whim. The trip changed his life; he dedicated his energies to learning about volcanoes and became the leading person in the field.

Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning about Thomas Jaggar and his colleagues as they traveled around the world and into craters to study volcanoes. I have to point out that the title AND the subtitle are misleading and not relevant from my perspective. But I did enjoy the history of the study of volcanoes. I did purchase this book on the rim of Kilauea. If you like learning about how this planet works and scientists who pursue a greater understanding, I recommend this one.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book walks us through the early days of volcanism when little was scientifically known about volcanoes. The stories told center on the experiences of Thomas Jagger. These are frequently enjoyable but are too commonly balanced by other parts that are terribly tedious.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Jagger is a facinating man. This story tells of his adventures in amazing places. His love of nature shines through.

[prema · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was mostly informative & highly entertaining. Dvorak does a highly decent job of weaving natural & personal histories to create an engaging romp.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting book. I learned a lot about the early study of volcanoes and the development of the technology to give us warnings.

[Scott Kardel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful biography of the scientist who founded the volcano observatory at what is now Hawai'i Volcanos National Park.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The storytelling was engaging, and I enjoyed learning about the different historical figures that influenced modern-day volcanology.

[John Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this biography of Thomas Jagger, a man I had never heard of before reading this book, but who lived during the latter part of the 19th Century and the first half of the 20th and really helped develop the field of volcanology. John Dvorak spent many years working as a scientist at the Hawai'i Volcano Observation station where much of this book takes place and still lives on the island, now as an astronomer. In this book, we get a sense of what led him into the field, what the state of this field was like in his early field visits to Mt. Pele in the Caribbean and Vesuvius in Italy, and what he learned as he examined Kiluaea and Muana Loa volcanoes during his long career at the observation station. While the title makes it seem like a romance is a big part of the story, it is not. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew this man well, understood some basic ideas of this field and had a good sense of the physical geography of the the Big Island, all things I knew little about before beginning the book.

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the subject of this book and the idea of it. The real people in this bio were really brought to life. I realize how difficult it must be to get accurate information on the lives of fairly regular people who lived over a hundred years ago. I also enjoyed the information on the volcanoes. To have been a pioneer in this field meant a life filled with danger and self sacrifice. My only negatives were that I found it hard to follow the story when the time lines kept jumping around so much. One sentence is regarding one year and the next a totally different time, sometimes in the past sometimes the future then on to another. I found myself just skipping over a lot because it was so confusing. But I am glad these people have had their story told!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was in audio form and it was easy to listen to. The subject matter of the book was not of great general interest to me but I am glad I listened to it. I have been trying to read/listen to books of different genres and subject matters and this story about the man who was so involved in studying volcanoes was quite intriguing. I am also glad there are authors in our day who are interested in doing research for those who were pioneers. We do not hear some names of those pioneers often enough and we only give credit to those who are the bigger names. I enjoyed the history aspects of the book. Some of the technical and scientific parts regarding volcanology were not necessarily lost on me and I am happy I was open to hear about them:) Worth your read or listen~

[Sheri S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is centered around the life and work of Thomas Jaggar who was fascinated by volcanoes and traveled around the world to see various active and inactive volcanoes. He spent most of his time living in Hawaii and studying changes in the Kilauea volcano where he established a volcano observatory. He observed many eruptions and studied the flow of lava and gases emitted by volcanoes. The work of Thomas Jaggar laid the foundation for the study of volcanoes.
Overall, the book was pretty interesting and was written in a style I enjoy - learning about a person's life while also gaining knowledge about a particular area of study.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting short read. I feel like the book could have really benefited from some color photographs of the lava lake and other volcanoes described. I found myself googling extensively while reading because I could not picture the geological features described.

Also one of the best parts of the book comes at the very end of the acknowledgements section. If you became even slightly invested in Thomas Jagger's life it is definitely worth reading the little story at the end about his daughter and paper silhouettes.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-written biography of a man who should be better known outside of geological circles-I didn't know he invented one of the first amphibious vehicles. It takes a great amount of guts and passion for the work to live within spitting distance of a volcano, let alone climb into them countless times. Wow. People like him are the reason we know so much about the Earth today.

[pianogal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

I really thought this book would be more exciting than it was. The beginning was good, but then all the drama with Jagger kinda lost me. Plus, I didn't like Jagger as a person. He might have been smart, but we would not have been friends.

I'm much more into the weather science than volcanology, which also might have been a drawback.
Not my favorite.

[Mike Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a naure boy, I loved this book! Besides studies and descriptions of volcanos and other geological features, its also history, science, travel and human behavior. Thomas Jagger has lived and worked in places that are dear to me; Yellowstone, Alaska and of course Hawaii. I recommend this book to anyone even if you are not a nature lover.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an engaging historical geographical and biographical book that teaches and entertains. It brings you to the very edge of molten lava and let's the listener/reader experience the volcano close up. Wonderful book, could be a sleeper. I loved it!

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It is a treasure trove of interesting info about volcanoes and a man who devoted his life to studying them. He had so much courage to do what he did. It was very dangerous work indeed.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book about a life of studying volcanos .also it's about his romantic life. But mostly it's about the volcanos of Hawaii. I have been to that park so this book was fun to read