The Illustrated History of Natural Disasters

Introduction.- Natural disasters in historical pictures.- Pictorial reproduction techniques.- Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis.- From ancient myths, through medieval perceptions to present understanding.- Volcanoes.- Earthquakes.- Tsunamis.- Plate Tectonic Theory.- Vesuvius-Somma volcano, Bay of Naples, Italy.- Etna volcano, Sicily.- Stromboli volcano, Lipari, Tyrrhenian Sea.- Phleghraean Fields.- Santorin/Thira volcano, Greece.- Ferdinandea, a new submarine volcano.- Volcanism in Iceland.- Pico de Teide, Tenerife Island, Canary archipelago.- Mt. Pelée volcano, Martinique Orizaba volcano, Mexico.- Jorullo volcano, Mexico.- Pacaya volcano, Guatemala.- Cotopaxi volcano, Ecuador.- Chimborazo Mt., Ecuador.- Antujo volcano, Chile.- Kusatsu-Shirane Mt. 1660s eruption, Japan.- Volcanoes of Indonesia.- Gamkonoro Mt., Moluccas Islands.- Avacha volcano, Kamchatka, Far East Russia.- Volcanoes of the Hawaiian Archipelago.- Kiyev Earthquake, 1230.- Aix-de-Provence (France) Earthquake, 1708.- Basel Earthquake, 1356.- Rhodes (Greece) Earthquake, 1481.- Istanbul Earthquake, 1566.- Two earthquakes at Yedo (Tokyo), around 1650 (?) and 1855.- Earthquake at Port Royal (Jamaica) in 1692.- Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755.- Calabrian earthquakes of 1783 and later on.- Valona (Albania) earthquake, 1851.- Zagreb (=Agram) earthquake, 1880.- Two earthquakes In Italy: 1881 (Ischia) and 1883 (Casamicciola).- Imperia earthquake (French/Italian Riviera), 1887.- Earthquake at Shemakha, Azerbaijan, 1902.- Submarine explosion near the Juan Fernadez Island, 1835 (OR 1837).- Guadeloupe (Antilles) earthquake 1843.- Earthquake at San Jose (Costa Rica), 1868.- Mendoza (Argentina) earthquake, 1861.- Arequipa/Arica earthquake, 1868.- San Salvador earthquake, 1873.- Charleston earthquake (South Carolina, USA), 1886.- Hayward (California, USA) earthquake, 1868.- Great San Francisco Earthquake, 1906.- Two Calabrian earthquakes, 1905 and 1908.- Milestones of seismology.- References.- Index.

From the reviews:

"The Illustrated History of Natural Disasters, by geophysicists Jan Kozak and Vladimir Cermak, is a timely collection of pictorial records of earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis from antiquity to modern times. ... This events is well documented in the book which includes stories ... . helps us to understand that catastrophes are part of the history of humanity while reminding us of the vulnerability of the human species in the face of natures wrath." (Alexis Drahos, Nature, Vol. 465, June, 2010)

"This work provides historical accounts and folklore supplemented with images that convey perspectives on nature and the role and fate of humans. Kozák and Cermák ... organized images primarily selected from Kozák's personal collection. ... Summing Up ... Earth and environmental history collections serving upper-division undergraduates and above." (L. S. Zipp, Choice, Vol. 48 (3), November, 2010)

"What a surprising book! ... European earthquakes are the main focus of the study but volcanoes and significant tsunamis are also comprehensively discussed and illustrated ... . This is a timely review of this disaster given the choice of Lisbon by the International Association for Earthquake Engineering to host the 2012 World Conference on Earthquake Engineering. ... it will appeal to a wider audience those interested in the history of science and/or the conjunction of art and science." (Kevin McCue, The Australian Geologist, March, 2011)

"The Illustrated History of Natural Disasters is based on a selection of reproductions of rare engravings from the private collection of one of the authors. ... This book is likely to be of interest to historical geologists, as well as art historians interested in the geological background of the many striking works of art that have been produced ... . serves as a very visual reminder to readers that these major geological events have been impacting on our society and shaping our history for