as with all winchester's books, full of interesting facts and asides from multiple disciplines. marred a bit by his imperialist tendencies and sometimes unsympathetic or carping nature. Yet I read everything he writes, as he certainly can write ( )

I'm a big Simon Winchester fan, but admit I didn't find this outing as engaging as some of his others. Yes, there's a ton of engrossing info here about the Great San Francisco earthquake of 1906, but you'll have to wade through some extraneous material to get to it. I'm a professional geologist, and even I found his chapters on the geology of California to be tedious! Apparently he's got a passion for geology and is unaware that, at least here in the U.S., the concept of plate tectonics is introduced in the 4th grade, rendering much of his hand-holding tedious. There are also several over-long sections devoted to his personal travels, interests, theories, and opinions.

But this being a Simon Winchester book, this is also filled to bursting with fascinating detail, all of it extensively researched and entertainingly retold. Winchester's tangents - the settlement of California, the integration of Chinese immigrants in San Francisco, the emergence of insurance agencies, the roots of Pentecostalism, etc. - are often as intriguing as his central narrative. Most folks will go into this with some prior knowledge of the earthquake and its consequences, but I guarantee they'll emerge with a much deeper appreciation of the historical, cultural, and geologic implications of this seminal event.

My recommendation: definitely worth a read, but give yourself permission to skim the long chapters on plate tectonics and cut Winchester some slack for the parts that come off as self-indulgent or opinionated, because the payoff is worth the price. ( )

From soup to nuts, Simon Winchester's Crack in the Edge of the World tells the complete story of the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 with humor, intelligence, and clarity. He begins with the humble birth of the city coupled with the scientific explanation for earth's volatile nature.
Curiously, when talking about other disasters which have wiped out entire regions Winchester mentions Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but only hints at the destruction of a large portion of Manhattan after the attacks of 9/11. And speaking of the attacks on the World Trade Center, I imagine that witnessing the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake was similar to east coast residents watching the events of 9/11 unfold on their smartphones and television sets. If you were not suffering personal tragedy and your barometer for compassion was at an all-time low, you looked upon the destruction with awe and a strange but removed fascination.
My favorite post-disaster response. The post office was the hero of my childhood, keeping me connected to friends and family miles away. San Francisco's post office employees made and all-out effort to save their building. As a result they were able to resume service two days after the earthquake. The postmaster understood the importance of communicating with loved ones; an early version of "marked safe." ( )

Dramatic, well-told story of San Francisco's 1906 earthquake/fire - its geological backstory and the ensuing societal fallout. Having lived in San Francisco during the 1989 Loma Prieta quake, this story of the more powerful quake triggers terror at the awesome power of the earth and the plates that float just beneath the surface. I was a bit put off by all the geologic background, but the story and its myriad roots and detail are quite engaging, held my interest. I especially enjoyed the sections where Winchester inserts his own personal take on the journey that the investigation into the quake inspired. ( )

Bookbox - ABC VBB; while partially about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the book also delved into the understanding of Teutonic plates and the backstory of the birth of San Francisco