In a book that combines personal observations, travelogue and history, Winchester succeeds at being dull in all three. His is the only voice, and the quality of the insights from this globe-trotting correspondent underwhelm the reader. Even in catastrophe, Winchester cannot conjure any hint of human drama. What he does conjure is his own astonishment at the painfully mundane—driving east to west, Tennessee seems to go on for a long time; there are four families named Angel in the town of Paradise, KS; there is a seismograph in a general store in a small town in Oklahoma; both the fabulously wealthy and the wretched poor lived in San Francisco in the early 20th century; some people think that the earthquake (which was felt far away) began at 12 minutes after 5am, others insist it began 7 minutes after the hour. Wow.

“The only way one can make any attempt at rationally planning for earthquakes in places like this, where, generally speaking, earthquakes do not happen, is to look very closely at those places where they have, albeit very infrequently, taken place. By doing this, one has a faint hope of imagining what could take place at some infuriatingly unspecifiable time in the future: It is only by looking at what has occurred in years gone by that one can imagine what might yet occur.”

Blithering Idiot Barleywine
Mendocino Oktoberfest

As a native Californian who lived in San Francisco for many years, I really enjoyed reading this book. It contains lots of SF and California history in addition to the fascinating geologic and earthquake information. Highly recommended. ( )

http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2...

There is no need to be an avid earthquake junkie to enjoy this book,* though it would be fair to say a passing interest in natural disasters helps. Former journalist Simon Winchester, who is trained in geology, has written an intensely compelling account of the famous 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The earthquake was simply devastating. Striking early in the morning on April 18, 1906, it reduced a large part of San Francisco, one of the United States' most vibrant cities, to rubble. And what the earthquake did not destroy, the widespread fires that subsequently broke out finished off. Many thought the city would not be able to rebuild, but within a few months, it was back on its feet.

This is not just a social history of the people of San Francisco, detailing how peoples' lives were interrupted by the earthquake. While that in itself might be interesting enough, it certainly would not be adequate to sustain my interest for ~400 pages. Instead, in addition to bringing the 1906 earthquake and its reluctant participants to vivid life, Winchester also takes us on a fascinating geological tour. To research this book, he in fact traveled from just outside Albany in New York State, and straight across the southern United States to California. He then continued his travels northwards, through British Columbia up to Alaska (which is frequently hit by large quakes), and then back down through the Rockies and across the North American plain to his starting point in New York State. Along the way, he visits some of the most important geological hotspots, and tells us about their most interesting histories. Who knew, for instance, that a little tiny town in Missouri has suffered tens of thousands of earthquakes in the years since it was rocked by some quite violent ones in 1811, and that someday (in another 100 years or so) it will be hit by more big ones? Also, have you ever stopped to think that Yellowstone Park's Old Faithful is really just biding its time before, one day, it will turn into a super-volcano?

Set against the backdrop of the 1906 earthquake itself, Winchester tells us about these quirks of geology, and also takes us on a fascinating tour through the history and world of earthquake science, plate tectonics. This book should be called 'Earthquake Science for Dummies (and It's Interesting, Too!)'. Winchester knows his subject, and he gives just enough of a personal touch to every part of his subject (throwing in anecdotes, etc.) that what ought to be dry geological theories become quite interesting.

In fact, I suspect Winchester could make the phone book sound interesting.

* Unlike your beloved reviewer. ( )

I've read and enjoyed several of Simon Winchester's books, and this is my favorite thus far. This story abounds in historical interest, geological drama, and the bizarre coincidences that delight both Winchester and his readers.

The early chapters paint the broad backdrop of the 1906 earthquake -- both a cultural portrait of 19th century San Francisco and a geological profile of Western North America. In some Winchester books, the sections on geology can be largely review for readers who are (now or have ever been) geology majors. Here, however, the basic earth science is mixed with the history of scientific discovery and Winchester's travelogue of seismologically notable America. It never fails to engage and intrigue.

Of course the earthquake itself is fascinating, and Winchester weaves a compelling story out of past destruction, present danger, and the mythos of frontier America. ( )

Another entertaining, highly informative book from Simon Winchester. He begins by musing about a small town in Ohio, the hometown of astronaut Neil Armstrong and the sea change to geology that resulted from his walk on the moon, the development of the theory of plate tectonics. He then goes on to give a chatty account of the history of geology and California, all the while veering off into fascinating and humorous side stories about people and places, as he winds his way towards April 18, 1906 and the destructive earthquake that devastated San Francisco. ( )