The Great International Disaster Book

by James Cornell

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684147807
• ISBN13: 9780684147802
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: Not Avail
• Length: 382 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

FINE SURVEY OF OUR DISASTROUS HISTORY

The Great International Disaster Book is divided into three sections. The first covers disaster sociology and looks at contemporary threats and management. How, for instance, have people reacted to different disasters? The second section covers natural disasters. The author begins each chapter with a listing of the top ten disasters by type, and then goes on to list and describe others in the category. The third does the same for man-made disasters, like plane crashes and building fires. While I found it an interesting read, I would say it suffers from two familiar problems. First of all, the writing is a bit dull. Cornell rarely does more than give us a brief acount of each calamity. A good writer should do more. The top ten lists are a nice addition, but are also a bit subjective. There are also several major errors in the book. Bruce Ismay, for instance, is said to have perished in the Titanic disaster. One might be forgiving of things like this, except that it calls into question the accuracy of everything else. Perhaps Cornell will update the book and come through with a twenty-first Century edition, minus the errors in the original.

A perfect resource for disaster junkies

This is a great reference book for those of us who like to read about catastrophes from a comfortable distance. Cornell has split his catalogue of horrible happenings into two sections: "Natural Disasters," and "Manmade Disasters." My copy of "The Great International Disaster Book" was published in 1979, so events such as the Union Carbide poisoning of Bhopal, India (12/84), the Kobe, Japan earthquake (01/95), or the cataclysmic 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines are not included. However, there are more than enough calamities to horrify and fascinate disaster buffs. Although Mount Pinatubo, the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century may not be included in this book, the largest is (the 1912 eruption of Mt. Katmai in Alaska). Cornell's list of the ten worst volcanic eruptions runs as follows: 1. Krakatoa, Indonesia (1883),2. Mount Pelee, Martinique, West Indies (1902),3. Mount Vesuvius, Italy (A.D. 79),4. Mount Etna, Sicily (1669),5. Tambora, Java (1815),6. Skaptar (Lakagigar), Iceland (1783),7. Mount Kelud, Indonesia (1919),8. Mount Vesuvius, Italy (1631),9. Galunggung, Java (1822),10. Mount Lamington, New Guinea (1951)And the author doesn't just list the ten worst volcanoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, etc. He writes anywhere from a paragraph to several pages of fascinating detail on each catastrophe. Although the greater part of Cornell's book is devoted to natural disasters, he also spends time on calamities that we've inflicted upon ourselves. One of the most bizarre is the 20-foot wave of molasses from the Purity Distilling Company explosion that poured through the streets of Boston in 1919, knocking down buildings and drowning 21 people."The Great International Disaster Book" is filled with fascinating vignettes such as the above, and the author also supplies an extensive bibliography for those of us who would like to read a more detailed version of a particular disaster. Here are some of my own favorites:"A Wind to Shake the World : The Story of the 1938 Hurricane" by Everett S. Allen "The Coming Plague : Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance" by Laurie Garrett"The Johnstown Flood" by David McCullough"A Weekend in September" by John Edward Weems (Galveston Hurricane)"Isaac's Storm : A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History" by Erik Larson (Galveston Hurricane)"Rats, Lice, and History" by Dr. Hans Zinsser (a `biography' of typhus)"The Earth Shook, the Sky Burned, a Moving Record of America's Great Earthquake and Fire : San Francisco, April 18, 1906" by William Bronson

Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes of the World

This is a great reference book for those of us who like to read about catastrophes from a comfortable distance. James Cornell has split his catalogue of horrible happenings into two sections: "Natural Disasters," and "Manmade Disasters." My copy of "The Great International Disaster Book" was published in 1979, so events such as the Union Carbide poisoning of Bhopal, India (12/84), the Kobe, Japan earthquake (01/95), or the cataclysmic 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines are not included. However, there are more than enough calamities to horrify and fascinate disaster buffs. Although Mount Pinatubo, the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century may not be included in this book, the largest is (the 1912 eruption of Mt. Katmai in Alaska). Cornell's list of the ten worst volcanic eruptions runs as follows: (1) Krakatoa, Indonesia (1883), (2) Mount Pelee, Martinique, West Indies (1902), (3) Mount Vesuvius, Italy (A.D. 79), (4) Mount Etna, Sicily (1669), (5) Tambora, Java (1815), (6) Skaptar (Lakagigar), Iceland (1783), (7) Mount Kelud, Indonesia (1919), (8) Mount Vesuvius, Italy (1631), (9) Galunggung, Java (1822), (10)Mount Lamington, New Guinea (1951).And the author doesn't just list the ten worst volcanoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, etc. He writes anywhere from a paragraph to several pages of fascinating detail on each catastrophe.A random sample taken from Cornell's description of the Ohio River flood of March 16, 1913:"A sudden spring thaw, accompanied by heavy rains, flooded the Ohio River Valley network, causing over $100 million damage and killing between 500 and 700 people. The worst damage was at Dayton, Ohio, where some 60 people died and the city was nearly destroyed when the Miami, Scioto, and Muskingum rivers all reached flood crests simultaneously."Although the greater part of Cornell's book is devoted to natural disasters, he also spends time on calamities that we've inflicted upon ourselves. One of the most bizarre is the 20-foot wave of molasses from the Purity Distilling Company explosion that poured through the streets of Boston in 1919, knocking down buildings and drowning 21 people."The Great International Disaster Book" is filled with fascinating vignettes such as the above, and the author also supplies an extensive bibliography for those of us who would like to read a more detailed version of a particular disaster. Here are some of my own favorites:"A Wind to Shake the World : The Story of the 1938 Hurricane" by Everett S. Allen "The Coming Plague : Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance" by Laurie Garrett"The Johnstown Flood" by David McCullough"A Weekend in September" by John Edward Weems (Galveston Hurricane)"Isaac's Storm : A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History" by Erik Larson (Galveston Hurricane)"Rats, Lice, and History" by Dr. Hans Zinsser (a 'biography' of typhus)"The Earth Shook, the Sky Burned, a Moving Record of America's Great Earthquake and Fire : San

Excellent resource

Whether you're doing research or just reading for interest, this book is a gold mine. The "top ten" list of each disaster shows you which ones were the worst, followed by a story about each disaster. Better than any "list" book, Cornell actually writes about each and every disaster, which makes for great reading. Did you know that the worst conflagration was not Chicago, San Francisco, or London, but a forest fire in Peshtigo, WI, that killed over 2000 people?Great book - I'd love to see a new edition.