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Krakatoa | 
| Author: Simon Winchester
Publisher: Harper Collins
Category: Book
Buy Used: $4.99
Used (5) from $4.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  213 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0141015624
EAN: 9780965738026
ASIN: 0141015624
Publication Date: 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Bottom corners are a little curled but in overall VG Cond -Clean Pages--- NOTE: I HIGHLY Recommend that you select Expedited Shipping (Priority Mail) OTHERWISE standard shipping is the Postal Service's MEDIA MAIL and can be VERY slow (12 -21+ business days) on average
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| Customer Reviews: Read 208 more reviews...
 Winchester misfires August 3, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Gratuitous slaps at creation science didn't help to positively influence my opinion of this book, but ultimately this book just wasn't as well-written as expected from Winchester, renowned as he is for his popular scientific treatments such as
--The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary
--A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906
The book takes too long to get going with too many side trails from the main subject that are only marginally interesting.
In the side trails that are of interest, we learn that
--amateur weather observers indulging in their newly-popular pastime helped record the shock waves that circled the globe seven times after the explosion.
--the explosion is believed to be the loudest ever in human history, and was heard nearly 3,000 miles away.
 Fascinating, interesting, but wordy. July 22, 2008
This is a generally well-written account of the famous volcanic eruption which was one of the first such major events to take place after the development of worldwide communication technology. The author has been criticized for including details - many details - about not only geology, but also the history of the region and it's people, in addition to the narrative of the explosive eruption itself. If you are not a geologist or an Asia specialist, you will unreservedly enjoy this book! All the details provided by Mr.Winchester give the reader a feel for the place and the time. A perfect "read" for the intelligent non-specialist! My only complaint is that this book could be one-third shorter without losing any information, if the author would curb his use of literary devices like foreshadowing and the use of rhetorical questions. These are not bad writing "tricks", to be sure - but enough is enough! The fifth or sixth time that Winchester tells you of other volcanic eruptions, or of lesser events in the Krakatoa volcano which "would pale compared to what was about to take place" ( or some such comment ) you have a feeling which is beyond "deja vu". Despite this, I recommend the book wholeheartedly. The missing fifth star is due only to my quarrel with the writer's style.
Thorough and interesting July 18, 2008
I bought this book because of a reference to it in an earth sciences lecture on iTunesU, expecting to learn all the details of the Krakatoa eruption. Simon Winchester fulfilled that expectation and gave me a detailed and interesting snapshot of the times as well. In that way it was reminiscent of William Manchester's excellent work, A World Lit Only By Fire. Winchester also covered the subsurface causes of the event in a substantial but readable way. I was pleased to find a very up to date account of the current geological state of the site. His ability to paint word pictures is obvious and enjoyable, and I'd recommend the book to anyone.
Exceptionally interesting, detailed account of the worst volcanic eruption in recorded history July 1, 2008
The first 90 pages of this book are boring, but after that point, the story picks up into a gripping, detailed account of the worst volcanic eruption in recorded history.
This book not only recounts the geology and history of the event, but aptly points out the complex interplay between natural events and people. Moreover, it shows how much the world had become a global village, even by 1883 and that politics and the environment are intertwined.
It is masterfully written (minus the first 90 pages) and is perhaps the best science related book I have read this year...and as a geologist I read quite a few.
 Not what I wanted May 7, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you want a book that tells you about the Krakatoa eruption only--this is not your book. This one goes back to the settlement of the area in extreme detail. You don't get close to the eruption until after 200 pages. This is more like a history text in my opinion. I am not even sure I will finish reading it.
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