The Last Volcano: A Man, a Romance, and the Quest to Understand Nature's Most Magnificant Fury

By Marjorie Sarnat

Volcanoes have fascinated--and terrified--us for ages. They have destroyed cities and ended civilizations. This exemplary new book explores the early scientific study of volcanoes, as well as the life of Thomas Jaggar, the man who pioneered the field.Educated at Harvard, Jaggar went to the Caribbean after Mount Pel e exploded in 1902, killing more than 26,000 people. Witnessing the destruction and learning about the horrible deaths these people had suffered, Jaggar vowed to dedicate himself to the study of volcanoes. In 1912, he built a small science station at the edge of a lake of molten lava at Kilauea volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, with the goal of solving the mystery of why volcanoes erupt and how they could be predicted. Jaggar found something else at Kilauea, too: true love.She was Isabel Maydwell, a widowed school teacher who came to Kilauea to restart her life. Maydwell would quickly become one of the world's most astute observers of volcanic activity.Mixed with tales of myths and rituals, as well as the author's own experiences and insight into volcanic activity, The Last Volcano reveals the lure and romance of confronting nature in its most magnificent form. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1605989215
• ISBN13: 9781605989211
• Release Date: December 2015
• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Haunted house, old spinster, hidden treasure, murder.... and more!

Two hallmarks of the typical Mary Roberts Rinehart (The American Agatha Christie) mystery include both a rich, aristocratic lady (usually single), and a large, spooky house -- this one features both. "The Circular Staircase" is one of Rinehart's better works, rating just slightly below "The Yellow Room" and "The Red Lamp," in my opinion (I've read all her works). Here's THE STORY: A noble and older lady, Miss Innes, rents...

The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart

A few years ago, in my quest to meet all the mystery writers that have influenced the genre, I discovered Mary Roberts Rinehart. Her books may fall into the gothic romance category, but I love them for another reason. She spins a good mystery story, a "cozy" that lets us have a relaxing read without getting too graphic. But what I really enjoy is experiencing the modes/attitudes of the times she wrote about. Reading her...

A classic mystery thriller.

For decades Mary Roberts Rinehart was the queen of mystery thrillers -- the American Agatha Christie. The Circular Staircase was Rinehart's first published novel (The Swimming Pool was her last), but it is a well-constructed work in ever way. Rinehart's special gift was in the evocation of an overlying and unremitting atmosphere of unease and potential danger and it is under such an atmosphere of apprehension that she spins...

Circular Staircase

A wonderful classic mystry, involving bloodless murders without murderer's intention. In detail nicely described complicated situations with a pinch of humor. Very well connected story dots. After reading it over 20 times, I still enjoy it. I wish they had or (will) make a movie on it.

Absorbing, detailed mystery set in a bygone era

Wealthy family goes to the country for a rest and gets more than it bargained for - and it doesn't include much rest! The narrator is a tart-tongued lady, the mystery is complicated, and the view of life for the well-off in the early 1900's gives a whole other dimension to this book. Very enjoyable reading.