A Crack In The Edge Of The World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906

The book itself is in good condition (this is topic unrelated) but the inner leaf is torn out. This bugs me somewhat that the price is not lower since the damage is not small.

An absorbing account of a timeless subject delivered in near perfect prose.

This book makes geology exciting! Past and present processes in plate tectonics are beautifully described here. I grew up in the foothills of Mount Diablo, California, which is a special example described in a chapter of the book. I had always wondered about how the rippling layers of rock could possibly have formed, and how fossils from the former sea floor made it up so high! I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in California, general history, geology or the natural world. Winchester writes well and tells a good story. The book is gripping.

Another fabulous story of man’s efforts and failures, this time in managing a major earthquake and subsequent devastating fire. Here Simon Winchester takes us to 1906 San Francisco, which is located on the western edge of the North American plate. San Francisco then was a new town, built hastily and not soundly, to soak up people and capital closely following the gold rush and statehood. As we know now, San Francisco never became the principal western US city, as it is located directly on the San Andreas fault whereas its competitors in SoCal are not. Winchester is a fine writer with an inquisitive and scientific mind, so we can luxuriate along with him, meeting the great and eccentric men living in the scientific and political realms. No bongo players in strip clubs, but several nudists, vegans, and sex crazed experts are identified in geology, physics, and chemistry. If you want to be forever associated with scientific devices, equations, or theorems, the key is brand management, as well practiced here by Richter. Good explanation and comparison with other major earthquakes like Lisbon, where the rebuilding process still proceeds slowly and carefully. Fascinating accounts of the people involved directly and those that provided aid. In the early 20th century much of the support was provided by the military directly who fortunately had people nearby in the Presidio and priority access to the transcontinental railroad which ensured more people, supplies, and tents were soon on the way. Note that like the 2025 LA fires, essentially no water was available to the firemen. Hence much of the city burned, especially Chinatown. Eventually the army controlled some of the fire using dynamite to create firebreaks where many nice buildings had once stood. As expected, the insurance companies did not have adequate funds, especially the Central European ones. Negotiations, refusals, fine print reading, and quick retreats to homelands were the typical response.

Un altro dei libri di Simon wintchester che torno a rileggere di tanto in tanto. Oltre ad un resoconto preciso del terremoto della città offre una pletora di informazioni e osservazioni sulla geologia e sociologia. Assolutamente consigliato