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Volcanoes in Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions
When the volcano Tambora erupted in Indonesia in 1815, as many as 100,000 people perished as a result of the blast and an ensuing famine caused by the destruction of rice fields on Sumbawa and neighboring islands. Gases and dust particles ejected into the atmosphere changed weather patterns around the world, resulting in the infamous ''year without a summer'' in North America, food riots in Europe, and a widespread cholera epidemic. And the gloomy weather inspired Mary Shelley to write the gothic novel Frankenstein .
This book tells the story of nine such epic volcanic events, explaining the related geology for the general reader and exploring the myriad ways in which the earth's volcanism has affected human history. Zeilinga de Boer and Sanders describe in depth how volcanic activity has had long-lasting effects on societies, cultures, and the environment. After introducing the origins and mechanisms of volcanism, the authors draw on ancient as well as modern accounts--from folklore to poetry and from philosophy to literature. Beginning with the Bronze Age eruption that caused the demise of Minoan Crete, the book tells the human and geological stories of eruptions of such volcanoes as Vesuvius, Krakatau, Mount Pelée, and Tristan da Cunha. Along the way, it shows how volcanism shaped religion in Hawaii, permeated Icelandic mythology and literature, caused widespread population migrations, and spurred scientific discovery.
From the prodigious eruption of Thera more than 3,600 years ago to the relative burp of Mount St. Helens in 1980, the results of volcanism attest to the enduring connections between geology and human destiny.
This book tells the story of nine such epic volcanic events, explaining the related geology for the general reader and exploring the myriad ways in which the earth's volcanism has affected human history. Zeilinga de Boer and Sanders describe in depth how volcanic activity has had long-lasting effects on societies, cultures, and the environment. After introducing the origins and mechanisms of volcanism, the authors draw on ancient as well as modern accounts--from folklore to poetry and from philosophy to literature. Beginning with the Bronze Age eruption that caused the demise of Minoan Crete, the book tells the human and geological stories of eruptions of such volcanoes as Vesuvius, Krakatau, Mount Pelée, and Tristan da Cunha. Along the way, it shows how volcanism shaped religion in Hawaii, permeated Icelandic mythology and literature, caused widespread population migrations, and spurred scientific discovery.
From the prodigious eruption of Thera more than 3,600 years ago to the relative burp of Mount St. Helens in 1980, the results of volcanism attest to the enduring connections between geology and human destiny.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 2, 2016
The short version first . . .
Volcanoes have been interesting to me all my life. I can remember as a child about five and half decades ago, when I was walking through the laundromat with my mom, a volcano book under my arm as I fought the sniffles of an allergy attack. It was 1961, and the book was from the public library in our little central Texas town. It was all about volcanoes all around the world. The fact that volcanoes have had important impacts on human beings throughout history is the primary focus of Volcanoes in Human History: The Far Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions by Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and [author Donald Theodore Sanders|30861].
In a series of nine case studies, de Boer and Sanders in Volcanoes in Human History have constructed some of the most devastating eruptions in human history. They look at 7 classic eruptions and 2 cases of specific types of geological disturbances in associated with islands in opposite oceans: Hawaii with its mantle plume hot spot and Iceland with its ridge placement in the North Atlantic Ocean split between the great divide along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In both of these unique islands can be found the elements for classic types of eruptions each with its own brand of volcanism which presents inhabitants and scientists with unique opportunities to learn and help mankind cope with and deal with these geological cataclysms that sometimes seem about to rend the earth itself. In fact, there have been many times when a volcanic eruptive event has had significant effects in areas a world away from their actual eruptive location on planet Earth.
A general overview of volcanism with its origins and what consequences of eruptions can mean to people and how the eruptions can disrupt human lives and threaten both those humans who live close to the eruption as well as those hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the actual event. The seven specific eruptive case studies look at the following historical volcanic events: Thera around 3000 B.C.E.(Before the Common Era, BC); the Plinian eruption of Mount Vesuvius 79 C.E. (Common Era or Anno Domini – AD); The Tambora explosive eruption in the mid-year of 1815; Krakatau, late summer of 1883 the eruption of Mount Pelee on Martinique in the Lesser Antilles islands in the Caribbean Sea, May, 1912; Tristan de Cunha in 1961; and, finally, Mt. St. Helens.in 1980.
Each event had a remarkable effect on some aspect of human history. In some cases it was religious, in some purely colonial. In some cases, it was a belief that technology could solve all problems and prove to be as good as a man, in some cases it was the man being better than the events trying to kill him. In some cases it was humanity against an implacable, irresistible, unattainable foe – little understood then, perhaps even more so now? In some cases it was the few against the many, and the many won. In others, it was the many against the mighty, and in that case the one proved better than the multitude even though the one huddled in a ball knowing he was worse than dead. In some cases it was a lack of technology that made things worse; or the other way around, the worse was detected, but the technology was too slow to make a determination to save the technologist. Man against the mountain? Mountain will always win, unless the man has mighty powerful technology! I don’t think we have a technology that can do more than a mighty powerful mountain can do . . . really!!!
Recommendaitons:
Clearly a five star read in my opinion. The authors are exceptionally knowledgeable, well read, with impeccable research, superior citations, notes, and additional information for further research it the audience wanted to get more depth to their presentation. Graphics were Nook-enabled for my reader of choice, and I have always used Nooks unless the e-books I needed to read or review were not available on that ePub platform. My second preference is for the Kindle Reader that came with my tablet as a premium. I have virtual readers and translators from several Android outlets. I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8” designed specifically for Barnes and Noble as a Nook reader and a lot more and my Window 10 Pro 2-in-1, totally solid state HP Spectre X360 PC.
My reviews are strictly my opinions based on my reading of the work as well as my 63 years of life on planet Earth, and reading for about 55 of them from all sorts of sources.
Review of Volcanoes in Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions by Richard W. Buro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54684.Volcanoes_in_Human_History
May 26, 2019
This book explores the role of volcanoes in human history, with the express purpose of bridging the gap between the natural sciences and the humanities. For each volcano, the author explores the "interdisciplinary effects" of the eruption, the aftereffects, the climate change/diaspora/famine, economic and ecological revival, and cultural effects. To that end, the author explores 9 volcanic regions: Ch. 2 is about Hawaii, Ch. 3 is about Thera in the Mediterannean, Ch. 4 is about Vesuvius, Ch. 5 is about Iceland, Ch. 6 is about Tambora in Indonesia (prehistoric), Ch. 7 is about Krakatau, Ch. 8 is about Martinique, Ch. 9 is about Tristan de Cunha, and Ch. 10 is about Mt. St. Helens.
My only complaint about the book is its implicit Eurocentrism. Looking at that list, 3 (Thera, Vesuvius, and Iceland) are in Europe, 2 (Tristan de Cunha and Mt. St. Helens) are in places with basically just white people, and Tambora was prehistoric. So let's look at what's left.
The Hawaii chapter has a lot about anonymous Hawaiian legends and the deeds of past kings. But the people who get quoted are Mark Twain, John McPhee, and Lord Tennyson.
The Mount Pelee eruption in Martinique was actually fascinating because of the role of politics in the disaster. There was apparently an effort driven by black and mixed race laborers to elect a socialist government. To forestall this event, the white governor encouraged the predominately white populace of St. Pierre to not evacuate, so that they could vote in the election. However, it is only white politicians who are quoted in this chapter - the black socialists who were so crucial to this have no voice.
The most egregious is Krakatau. In order, the dramatis personae are: a Dutch pilot, a Dutch geologist, a Dutch newspaper, a French poet, an English poet, a Dutch botanist, another Dutch botanist, an Australian biologist, and a Dutch zoologist. Apparently the Indonesians had no opinions on their own volcanoes! Except, of course, for "Javanese Legend" from the Book of Kings.
I think it is insane that a book about the role of volcanoes in human civilization somehow managed to completely bypass Mexico, Central America, Japan, the entire continent of Africa, and the entire continent of South America - and instead we get Tristan de Cunha? The fate of 200 inbred English settlers with zero casualties and exactly 1 house destroyed is somehow more relevant to human civilization than multiple continents?
I know this sounds ridiculous, but it really bothers me that the book focused entirely on European experiences and whitesplained volcanoes. The role of POC in this book is anonymous, mythic past (Hawaii and Indonesia) and anonymous revolutionary rabble-rousers (Martinique). I do appreciate how the author explores the long term effects of volcanism on human civilization. I just wish the humanity the author explored had a little more melanin.
My only complaint about the book is its implicit Eurocentrism. Looking at that list, 3 (Thera, Vesuvius, and Iceland) are in Europe, 2 (Tristan de Cunha and Mt. St. Helens) are in places with basically just white people, and Tambora was prehistoric. So let's look at what's left.
The Hawaii chapter has a lot about anonymous Hawaiian legends and the deeds of past kings. But the people who get quoted are Mark Twain, John McPhee, and Lord Tennyson.
The Mount Pelee eruption in Martinique was actually fascinating because of the role of politics in the disaster. There was apparently an effort driven by black and mixed race laborers to elect a socialist government. To forestall this event, the white governor encouraged the predominately white populace of St. Pierre to not evacuate, so that they could vote in the election. However, it is only white politicians who are quoted in this chapter - the black socialists who were so crucial to this have no voice.
The most egregious is Krakatau. In order, the dramatis personae are: a Dutch pilot, a Dutch geologist, a Dutch newspaper, a French poet, an English poet, a Dutch botanist, another Dutch botanist, an Australian biologist, and a Dutch zoologist. Apparently the Indonesians had no opinions on their own volcanoes! Except, of course, for "Javanese Legend" from the Book of Kings.
I think it is insane that a book about the role of volcanoes in human civilization somehow managed to completely bypass Mexico, Central America, Japan, the entire continent of Africa, and the entire continent of South America - and instead we get Tristan de Cunha? The fate of 200 inbred English settlers with zero casualties and exactly 1 house destroyed is somehow more relevant to human civilization than multiple continents?
I know this sounds ridiculous, but it really bothers me that the book focused entirely on European experiences and whitesplained volcanoes. The role of POC in this book is anonymous, mythic past (Hawaii and Indonesia) and anonymous revolutionary rabble-rousers (Martinique). I do appreciate how the author explores the long term effects of volcanism on human civilization. I just wish the humanity the author explored had a little more melanin.
June 13, 2017
Rather stiff in its attempt to walk the line between volcanology and history. The volcanology part is too complex for historians, the history part is clearly insufficient.
January 19, 2013
I read this for research. This book is a mix of science and history. Each chapter covers a major volcanic eruption in human history, from Thera, which destroyed the Minoan civilization and allowed the Greeks to rise up in their place, to Vesuvius, to Mt. St. Helens. Hawaii and Iceland, regions of high volcanic activity, are also discussed.
Each chapter covers both the science of what makes a particular region volcanically active--which tectonic plates are at work and how--and what type of eruptions are common for that region. Then the chapter dives into the social and historical issues: what mythological tales are told in this region and what historical basis they may have in the geological record, the major eruption of this region and what impact it had on history.
The reading is a little bit dry in places but I found it to be a gold mine of information.
Each chapter covers both the science of what makes a particular region volcanically active--which tectonic plates are at work and how--and what type of eruptions are common for that region. Then the chapter dives into the social and historical issues: what mythological tales are told in this region and what historical basis they may have in the geological record, the major eruption of this region and what impact it had on history.
The reading is a little bit dry in places but I found it to be a gold mine of information.
June 7, 2016
As with "Earthquakes in Human History", this is exactly as it describes itself. A mix of science and history, the authors begin with an explanation of volcanic activity before moving on to cover a few key eruptions. Volcanoes illustrate that the world is constantly remaking itself, forming and destroying islands as the years go by. Like "Earthquakes", "Volcanoes" is most commendable as a collection of the immediate impact of various eruptions, supplemented by scientific explanations. The most 'far-reaching' effect of a volcanic explosion documented here are the disruption of weather patterns across the northern hemisphere; twice in the 19th century, 'summer' practically never came, with famines ensuing.
February 18, 2011
This was the equivalent of an impulse purchase done at the library.
It was a good one. Just the right amount of details of these volcanic disasters from Thera to Mt. St. Helens. Tidbits: Tambora in 1815 was far more powerful than the later Krakatau in the same area of the world. Many of the tragic deaths from Mount Pelee were avoidable. The authors brought out the humanity of these tectonic-prompted blasts. Maps, drawings, photos were all helpful. Nicely done.
It was a good one. Just the right amount of details of these volcanic disasters from Thera to Mt. St. Helens. Tidbits: Tambora in 1815 was far more powerful than the later Krakatau in the same area of the world. Many of the tragic deaths from Mount Pelee were avoidable. The authors brought out the humanity of these tectonic-prompted blasts. Maps, drawings, photos were all helpful. Nicely done.
October 4, 2017
Picked this up at the library after reading (and NOT recommending) Harry Turtledove's "Supervolcano" book. This non-fiction book reviews relatively recent eruptions and their impact on human life, both in the immediate aftermath and months to years afterward. The authors are geologists, and the book is dry as dust, volcanic or not, veering from geology, unintelligible discussions of plate tectonics followed by garbled sociologic musings.
Read
August 25, 2024As suggested by the title, Volcanoes in Human History explores the effects that past volcanic eruptions have had on human history and culture (and teaches some fundamental volcanology as well) via recounting the stories of nine eruptions. Though the selected eruptions and sources do show a western bias, the book accomplishes this goal admirably. The text is well-written and should be accessible even without a basis in geology.
May 2, 2023
A very good book about volcanoes. I enjoyed how the discussion about each volcano not only told about the eruptions but also the human and ecological impacts of each.
June 8, 2024
What an incredible book. Excellent pacing and explored the eruptions in a neat chronological format.
August 12, 2008
So with a) my rediscovery of the local libraries and b) my having to sit still 1/2 hour a day...(don't ask)...I've been reading more...
Loved this book. Volcanoes are just cool and this book went through 8 significant (though sometimes not sizable) eruptions, including one on Tristan da Cunha, which is this teeny island in the middle of the Atlantic...barely inhabited.
It's just a fun exploration backed up with some serious science about how each volcanic eruption had long last effects on the history of the people that survived it.
Read it.
Loved this book. Volcanoes are just cool and this book went through 8 significant (though sometimes not sizable) eruptions, including one on Tristan da Cunha, which is this teeny island in the middle of the Atlantic...barely inhabited.
It's just a fun exploration backed up with some serious science about how each volcanic eruption had long last effects on the history of the people that survived it.
Read it.
September 18, 2013
I recommend this book since it combines science and story telling in a coherent manner. The reader learns about the effects of volcanoes on the lives of people both near and far. For example, the eruption of Tambora (in present day Indonesia) caused immediate death & destruction to those living nearby. But the aftermath was even worse as Tambora spewed so much volcanic ash and debris into the atmosphere that there was an immediate global cooing to such a degree that the following year was known as the year without a Summer. I recommend this book for those interested in this subject.
June 27, 2011
This book was perfect for my research purposes. Now only does it cover nine famous--and very different--eruptions, throughtout the course of human history, but it also went over how each one affected the people, both locally and across the globe, both before, during and AFTER the event. I absolutely LOVED this book, for the human equation. It is a graphic reminder that, no matter how full of ourselves we get, Mother Nature will always have the upper hand!
May 12, 2015
I enjoyed this book as I am very interested in geology and related earth sciences. The book takes major volcanic eruptions and first explains the processes that happened within the crust, plates and rising magma, as well as the geological record of what happened once the volcano erupted. Next the author explains both the long and short term ramifications of how the eruption affected humans and nature. Myself. I found the geologic processes more interesting than the human equation.
January 15, 2013
Like its sequel Earthquakes in Human History, which I've reviewed in more detail, this book focuses very heavily on the geological end of its topic while covering the "human history" part of the matter rather cursorily. There are some interesting sections and snippets, but overall I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I had hoped.
July 9, 2009
This is my favorite kind of academic press book - one with an interesting story that is tightly written and well-conceived. It gives a decent chapter's space to 9 different volcanic eruptions or regions and ties them to long range effects. Interesting stuff.
July 26, 2012
Interesting, covers several past and present large Volcanoes...and makes one wonder
What another Tambor or such might do to a world like ours..
What another Tambor or such might do to a world like ours..
December 4, 2013
The other books I have on volcanoes deal with volcanoes in general, plate tectonics, etc. This one deal with 10 specific volcanoes and their far-reaching effects on the world and its people.
August 27, 2014
I read this book at the same time as Earthquakes in Human History. They are a good set and I reccommend both to anyone interested in how geological forces helped shape our history.
October 29, 2015
Picked this up for the chapter on Tristan da Cunha. Cool info, I'll probably page through the rest of the book as well.
April 5, 2016
This is a book about volcanoes and how they affected humans
November 4, 2016
The book looks at several volcanic eruptions and their effects on human society. Interesting read. Readers in geology and/or volcanoes would find this book a good read.
September 30, 2023
Thorough and interesting! Wasn't expecting this to be as much of a textbook as it was but I'm glad I read it
August 25, 2016
human life on the edge
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews