Product Description

Unleashed by ancient geologic forces, a magnitude 8.25 earthquake rocked San Francisco in the early hours of April 18, 1906. Less than a minute later, the city lay in ruins. Bestselling author Simon Winchester brings his inimitable storytelling abilities to this extraordinary event, exploring the legendary earthquake and fires that spread horror across San Francisco and northern California in 1906 as well as its startling impact on American history and, just as important, what science has recently revealed about the fascinating subterranean processes that produced it—and almost certainly will cause it to strike again.

Though the epicenter of this marvelously constructed book is San Francisco, Winchester covers much more than just the disaster. He discusses how this particular quake led to greater scientific study of quakes in an attempt to understand the movements of the earth. Trained at Oxford University as a geologist, Winchester is well qualified to discuss the subject, and he clearly explains plate tectonics theory (first introduced in 1968) and the creation of the San Andreas Fault, along with the geologic exploration of the American West in the late 19th century and the evolution of technology used to measure and predict earthquakes. He also covers the social and political shifts caused by the disaster, such as the way that Pentecostalists viewed the quake as "a message of divine approval" and used it to recruit new members into the church, and the rise in the local Chinese population. With many records destroyed in the fire, there was no way to distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants, and thus many more Chinese were granted citizenship than would have otherwise been. Filled with eyewitness accounts, vivid descriptions, crisp prose, and many delightful meanderings, A Crack in the Edge of the World is a thoroughly absorbing tale. --Shawn Carkonen ... Read more

Customer Reviews (110)

Geology, History and Stories
If you liked the informal scientific writing style of James Burke in "Connections", you'll enjoy this work.

Winchester is an engaging storyteller and effectively translates technical and historical information into memorable and understandable ideas.He presents a very wide variety of California history, geology and geological history all connected in some way to the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake and fire.The diverse content hangs together nicely.The reader will come away from this book with a good understanding of plate tectonics and earthquakes, plus nineteenth century California history - commerce, politics and society.

The reader won't find an exhaustive review of the earthquake itself or the impact of the fire.There are a few stories of individual scientists, participants and incidents, but only a small part of the book is devoted to local events in 1906.The context of what happened and why is 100% crystal clear, but the specific immediate impact is barely covered.

As noted by other reviewers, the author can be long-winded and preach from the liberal academic pulpit.He devotes too much space to a variety of speculations about topics like the interconnectedness of the earth (Gaia) and the impact of the earthquake on San Francisco art and Pentecostalism!

This work is not as sharply focused, nor does it provide as much new information as the author's bestselling Krakatoa or The Professor and the Madman, but it is an enjoyable read.The audio version (read by the author) is a good drive-time companion.

Mr. Sally Field's Wonderful Book (with Acknowledgements!!!)
"This has got to go...I'm not running a Hall of Fame, Book Blunders Division.Xerox the maps & then pulp... his "Krakatoa" was wonderful..."The Professor & The Madman" was great - This is crap!What the HELL happened?!"

This was written on the title page while in flight from Newark to Los Angeles.But I couldn't wait.This expensive, hard-cover horror - written on appallingly cheap paper - was then heaved with gusto into a garbage can next to the boarding gate, about three minutes after we landed.

Irreversibly verbose & redundant, the "tone" of the writing was also bugging me."I've 'heard' this somewhere before...but where?"

About page 50, after slogging through endless paragraphs, I already knew this book was a goner.So, for a change of pace, I looked at the Acknowledgements.

"With Gratitude."And he wasn't kidding.Thirty-five individuals were profusely thanked by Mr. Sally Field before the answer to my question finally appeared:

"By chance, I found that my apartment in San Francisco was just one floor above the flat belonging to California's most renowned living historian & author, Kevin Starr."

Mr. Starr is the author of "California, A History" - a work so relentlessly boring that the first word of my review was "Snoooooooooze."

Book notes: "I knew the 'tone' of this book sounded distressingly familiar!"

Also from the review of "California": "I could have done without [Starr] using - without the decency of acknowledgement - in his preface, Winston Churchill's rhetorical technique: 'Where did it come from - this nation-state, this world commonwealth, this California?' "

Churchill, now deceased & thus presumably at a great distance, had influenced Starr.

Starr, in turn & now in close physical proximity to Winchester, must have witnessed an author obsessed with the abandonment of all restraint & infused with an inexplicable enthusiasm for the writing found in excruciating advertising copy.

Since the Amazon review posting oddly does not accept either underlined or italicized words, Winchester's effusive words of zirconic praise are first listed en masse, for emphasis:

"Most renowned [Starr]... that most legendary... most earnest & sincere... a most intelligent & attentive... delightful... universally helpful... enthusiastically sharing... enormously helpful... particularly sympathetic... immensely helpful... universally helpful... peerless [&] enormously proud... enormous thanks... infectious enthusiasm."

And the same, in context:

It could not have been a coincidence that "that most legendary of editors, Larry Ashmead" - Winchester's 19th or 29th nominee for Best Supporting Gratitee - elected to retire "during the writing of" the manuscript (a decision that may have been solely based on having read the first rough draft of "A Crack In The World").

Prior to "most legendary," his "most earnest & sincere thanks" were extended to "a most intelligent & attentive group of students," after which a "delightful" university official was lauded.

This was trumped by the salute to various geologists who were "universally helpful...enthusiastically sharing...enormously helpful" & "particularly sympathetic."

City officials were "immensely helpful."An entire book store staff was "universally helpful."

And even a "peerless" & "enormously proud" restaurant waiter & serious memorabilia collector was unashamedly showered with the author's "enormous thanks" for his "infectious enthusiasm."

Mr. Winchester himself is so infectiously overwrought that it turns out that he needs the services of, & acknowledged - not one, but two literary agents, Mr. Matson & Mr. Hamilton.

But this unimpeded orgy of gratitude then ended strangely, with a stunted & maladroit attempt to express his affection for his girlfriend.

(Whom he labeled as his "companion."Is there a less romantic word?)

"...A thousand thanks, my dearest Elaine.You've been an absolute brick."

I hope that when she read this, she tossed one at him.Attentively.

Geology, history, and personal ramblings
Winchester writes about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. He began with some accounts of the quake, launches into some geology, and begins describing a trip he made to California. Yawn. For all of this, his writing style seems overly dramatic. Then he spent a few chapters giving a good little geology lesson. If not for his dramatic voice, this would have been dull indeed. Instead it was quite interesting. He follows that with a history of California and the SF area. Eventually he gets to the event in question.

I'd compare Winchester's approach to David McCullough's in "The Johnstown Flood." He moves through the destruction, looking at it from a distance, and then darts in for anecdotes.

From "A Crack in the Edge of the World" you get a riveting retelling of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, a geology lesson, and a quick tour of the history of the American West.

The crack in my sidewalk
As I was walking down the street, the most amazing thought crossed my mind while dazing down at a crack in the sidewalk. This was after I had departed from the home of a Mr. Johnson, who by all accounts is the smartest man in town. His theories on subjects as wide as the Grand Canyon have continually left me perplexed. It is his theory of human psychology as it relates to ego is what struck me as I stared down at the crack. Within that crack is another reality, thought I, one in which small invisible worlds exist and one in which myriad drives and desires compete. But I digress since in actuality I am writing a review of a said book, entitled in English A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906. This said book, written in the year we call 2007, is what one might call misleading or perhaps overloaded with non-linearity and ramblings beyond comprehension. One might even wonder what this book is really about. But what are books really about anyway? As I remember on my last journey to San Francisco, driving down a long and winding road that passed Mt. Diablo. A mountain that stands high above the crack in the eart, a place where the winds blow off of the Pacific in wild bursts. I was camping, my tent was shimmering in the wind. Oh, the joy. And what did I remember? I forget and you, my friend, can forget this very annoying book.

A MOST readable study on earthquakes -- San Francisco & relates!
Simon Winchester has given birth to another true winner!His detailed and fascinating on-site research at dozens of related venues and his creative approach to telling his story make this an extremely readable and very clearly presented education on everything related to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.Easy to read -- unforgettable! ... Read more

Product Description

The purpose of this book is to get a practical understanding of the most common processing techniques in earthquake seismology. The book deals with manual methods and computer assisted methods. Each topic will be introduced with the basic theory followed by practical examples and exercises. There are manual exercises entirely based on the printed material of the book, as well as computer exercises based on public domain software. Most exercises are computer based. The software used, as well as all test data are available from http://extras.springer.com.

This book is intended for everyone processing earthquake data, both in the observatory routine and in connection with research. Using the exercises, the book can also be used as a basis for university courses in earthquake processing.

Since the main emphasis is on processing, the theory will only be dealt with to the extent needed to understand the processing steps, however references will be given to where more extensive explanations can be found.

Includes:
• Exercises
• Test data 
• Public domain software (SEISAN)
available from http://extras.springer.com

Customer Reviews (2)

His predictions never came true...
I read this book back in the late 1970's when it first came out. It predicted that California and much of the West coast of the United States would suffer massive earthquakes and fall into the ocean by 2000. He based this on the predictions made by different psychics, whose predictions all seemed to point to the same pattern of future events. It seemed pretty scary at the time, but as the years rolled on, none of his predictions ever came true. There are, of course, still others out there making various psychic predictions of massive disasters. While massive disasters can and do happen, I think the lesson of this book is that we should take psychic predictions with a grain of salt. We're probably better off looking at scientific predictions, although they are not infallible either (has your local weather-person ever been wrong?). In the end, we all have to live with the fact that we cannot know the future for sure. Yes, tomorrow something could happen and any one of us might die, but we just have to accept that this is a part of all life and make our peace with that.

His predictions never came true.
I read this book back in the late 1970's when it first came out.It predicted that California and much of the West coast of the United States would suffer massive earthquakes and fall into the ocean by 2000.He based this on the predictions made by different psychics, whose predictions all seemed to point to the same pattern of future events.It seemed pretty scary at the time, but as the years rolled on, none of his predictions ever came true.There are, of course, still others out there making various psychic predictions of massive disasters.While massive disasters can and do happen, I think the lesson of this book is that we should take psychic predictions with a grain of salt.We're probably better off looking at scientific predictions, although they are not infallible either (has your local weather-person ever been wrong?).In the end, we all have to live with the fact that we cannot know the future for sure.Yes, tomorrow something could happen and any one of us might die, but we just have to accept that this is a part of all life and make our peace with that. ... Read more

Product Description
The perfect science fair idea books… Spectacular Science Projects Janice VanCleave’s Earthquakes

• What is the San Andreas Fault?
• Where are earthquakes most likely to happen?
• How can you make a seismograph?

Customer Reviews (1)

Great ideas for science projects and class projects
I first saw this book on sale at the Liberty Science Center and decided I could use it as a source of ideas to help me teach earthquake science.There are not a great deal of hands-on activities suggested by text booksto help students relate to the ideas underpinning earthquake science.Thisbook satisfies a void by suggesting many relevant experiements.I wouldhave loved to receive this book as a gift when I was a student. ... Read more

Product Description
This edition of Burkett's bestseller has been expanded to include the Clinton agenda, and discusses the President's new budget package, the NAFTA proposal, and the national health care issue. Burkett is the bestselling author of The Complete Financial Guide for Couples. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Just as relavent today as 20 years ago.
I read this book back in 1990 and parts of it have stuck with me every since.I let someone borrow it and now I don't have it any more.I purchased this updated version to re-read and have my kids and friends read it.It is a great book.

explains why we are in the economic mess we're in and what you should do
This book is written well.Cleanly, to the point.There is cause and effect to how we have been living: lots of debt/credit.At the national level.Those of us that have been prudent with our personal finances need to take heed of this book as well, because it illuminates what the gov't has set the country up for, a massive collapse.Out of everyone's control at this point.

A+ must read.

He warned, but as usual, nobody listened.
One of many who were right, but ignored. Yes, his timing was off, but that doesn't really matter now, does it? He was undeniably right about the problem and the earthquake that would result if something wasn't done about it. Needless to say, nothing was done, and the earthquake is underway. Mr. Burkett passed away several years ago, but what I find most disturbing of all, is that he and others like him were, and amazingly, still are, criticized by those who never saw it coming, argued that it wasn't coming, and would argue we are through the worst of it. I take this state of denial to be a sure sign that we will not be addressing the problem anytime soon.

I read this book back in the 90's, just after it was written. I remember that it put me on a state of alert as I waited for the sky to fall. Well .......... nothing happened. The economy seemed to get better, much better, and my state of alert faded away - totally ignorant of what was fueling the party....debt. National economies will rise, fall, recover, and repeat; but debt isn't like that, unless you attack it, it only grows. Anyhow, my state of alert is back.

I have undertaken a more recent study of the problem, and find myself more alarmed than ever. The size of our real debt (federal/state/local/personal) and "unfunded liabilities" are beyond belief. We have managed to kick the problem down the road for years, but that will cease to be an option very soon. The financial realities of the world will require that the debt be addressed...soon. It really is amazing we were able to get as far as we have under these conditions, and I'm sure Burkett was thinking the same thing. Nevertheless, a few years reprieve will be meaningless when it all falls apart.

The internet boom and massive credit gave the economy tremendous momentum (I believe it warped our view of a sound economy and sound personal finances), and the U.S. dollar being the world's reserve currency gives us a HUGE homefield advantage over the rest of the world, otherwise, Burkett's timing would have been more accurate. However, the world is getting fed up with our currency shenanigans and are going to stop footing the bill, at that point the US taxpayer will pick it up and the party will officially be over, and no way to kick it down the road. The U.S. is not Greece - there will be no bailout, except from the US taxpayer.

The outbreak of the problem was delayed a few years, but in those few years in grew exponentially. Instead of a painful, but treatable condition; we now face a crisis.

burkett predicted todays problems long ago
larry burkett is the best on finances. he predicted todays economic meltdown back in the early 90s. great book.

[...]

Jesusonomics...Don't waste a dime on this book
This book is a joke........He blames financial problems on God..."America has taken God out of investment decisions"....I guess if you like Christian Investing..then this book is for you..it even has bible quotes and proverbs!! w00t!!! and his predictions are all wrong..there are much better economic doomsday books out there..especially in these trying times... ... Read more

Product Description
In 1906, after a devastating earthquake hits San Francisco, twelve-year-old Philip struggles to save the horses in his family's livery stable. Reprint. SLJ. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Good Little Book To Bring History Alive
Reason for Reading: Read aloud to the 10yo as part of our history curriculum.

This short historical fiction chapter book takes place over only a moment in time. From the first shakings of the earthquake in 1906 until the morning afterwards the reader joins Philip has he lives through this devastating disaster. The first half of the story focuses on Philip and his family as they struggle with the earthquake and its aftermath along with the shocking sights and sounds as people walk en masse out of the city. The last half concerns Philip as he is left behind to watch the stable while Pa takes Mama and his younger brother to Aunt Eleanor's in a not too distant town for safety. Philip is left to deal with the worst of the situation by himself as the fires rage out of control and ultimately head towards him. He loves the horses and they are his family's livelihood. Will he be able to save them in time?

An entirely plot driven story with continuous action from the get go. It puts one right in the middle of the historical event and was an exciting experience for my son. A good little book that brings history alive. ... Read more

Product Description
The Oakland Athletics had won the pennant, the San Francisco Giants would win theirs the next day, and the long-awaited first-ever Bay Area World Series was at last a reality. This book, which began as an upbeat collection of photographs about a community's reaction to hosting both sides of the 1989 World Series, came to tell a much larger story.

Before it was all over, the Bay Area would be rocked by a major earthquake that resulted in death and widespread destruction not felt in Northern California since the great quake of 1906. Coming only minutes before Game 3 of the Series was about to begin at Candlestick Park, the 7.1 earthquake jolted Northern California, collapsing portions of interstate 880 in Oakland, knocking down the Bay Bridge roadway, causing a major fire and devastation in San Francisco's Marina District, and heavily damaging Santa Cruz and other South Bay communities.

The entire Bay Area was plunged into darkness and chaos for a time. Chaos gave way almost immediately to a sense of purpose as the community coped marvelously, even heroically, and soon rebounded fully. It would be a week and a a half before the World Series could finally resume, before people could divert their attention from the unthinkable events of the previous ten days.

This visual record of a remarkable three-week period in Northern California history, and the longest World Series ever, represents a unique publishing collaboration involving the Giants, the Athletics and Major League Baseball.

More than 250 stunning color photographs by 21 talented Bay Area photographers, serve as a potent and emotional reminder of this unusual time.

Texts by Ron Fimrite of 'Sports Illustrated, 'San Francisco Examiner' columnist Bill Mandel and 'San Francisco Chronicle' sportswriter Bruce Jenkins ... Read more

Product Description
This book takes you to San Francisco, California, shortly before, during, and after April 18, 1906. What would you have done when the quake struck? ... Read more

Product Description
The first indication of the prolonged terror that followed the 1906 earthquake occurred when a ship steaming off San Francisco's Golden Gate "seemed to jump clear out of the water." This gripping account of the earthquake, the devastating firestorms that followed, and the city's subsequent reconstruction vividly shows how, after the shaking stopped, humans, not the forces of nature, nearly destroyed San Francisco in a remarkable display of simple ineptitude and power politics. Bolstered by previously unpublished eyewitness accounts and photographs, this definitive history of a fascinating city caught in the grip of the country's greatest urban disaster will forever change conventional understanding of an event one historian called "the very epitome of bigness."
Philip Fradkin takes us onto the city's ruptured streets and into its exclusive clubs, teeming hospitals and refugee camps, and its Chinatown. He introduces the people--both famous and infamous--who experienced these events, such as Jack and Charmian London, Enrico Caruso, James Phelan, and Abraham Ruef. He traces the horrifying results of the mayor's illegal order to shoot-to-kill anyone suspected of a crime, and he uncovers the ugliness of racism that almost led to war with Japan. He reveals how an elite oligarchy failed to serve the needs of ordinary people, the heroic efforts of obscure citizens, the long-lasting psychological effects, and how all these events ushered in a period of unparalleled civic upheaval.
This compelling look at how people and institutions function in great catastrophes demonstrates just how deeply earthquake, fires, hurricanes, floods, wars, droughts, or acts of terrorism can shape us. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Good educational book on California
I bought this book for my California History class. It reads easy, and I thought it was very good.

Jamaeca Dedrick
Jamaeca Dedrick
MR. Pointer
History 11/Period 5
08 March 2010
Research Book Critique
In The Great Earthquakes and Firestorms of 1906 , Philip L. Fradkin's purpose was to get readers to be more connected to the fact that this natural catastrophe was the most significant in American History. By comparing this earthquake to the other natural disasters and quakes around the same time, Fradkin emphasized the greater meaning of the 1906 earthquake. He wanted his book to make this huge event unforgettable,making it anything but a cliché in the reader's mind.
There was most definitely a need for this book, it covered all aspects of the quake and aftermath, giving a skin tight insight to what was really going on from real witnesses and survivors. He brushed up on facts that many people are taught in elementary school, and gave them a more lively explanation. He explains how the city council in San Francisco had an emergency water shortage, thus creating the fires, and made them have to run water pipes over the two fault lines to water in other states.
Fradkin went about explaining his thoughts in a direct, fact-filled manner, perhaps maybe too fact filled. As I read on, the sentences came to be so rich with detail with comprehensive adjectives that I found myself having to stop and wonder about the meaning of whole paragraphs on a page. Philip relied on cold hard evidence of countless pages of research in the back of the book. He explains how the law war strictly enforced to kill looters without hesitation and how officers did this with no emotion. He doesn't let the reader know where exactly he got his information inside the text, but it can easily be looked up in the back.Fradkin uses pictures when describing the debris after the earthquake and how full streets were twisted and mangled after the earth had finished its tantrum. One picture shows a "fireproof" house that was made of mostly cherry and oak wood, and was ironically burnt to a crisp. Other pictures showed how the city healed itself after the damage done to buildings, his explanation of architecture was very helpful. The front and the back inside cover is a map of when the fires hit, it provides the reader with abetter understanding of how the fires spread so rapidly, and so quickly because of the wind carrying the coals. However some of the pictures had mixed meanings that confused me. It was hard to tell which one was he was talking about with pictures of debris. Those black and white debris pictures came to become boring and they almost looked as though they were not from San Francisco. Toward the end of the boo, they felt just like padding to entertain the reader with his complex sentences.
Overall I feel that Fradkin covered all the necessary elements needed to write a good educational book, and more. He planted his readers right in the very homes and restaurant that were hit, or with the people who had they had done something different from their daily routine, would've been killed. Fradkin persuaded me to believe that all the events were real and happened, but not to the extent that was totally sure what I was believing in. His far-reaching sentences and structure of his writing was difficult to comprehend. I feel as though I may have missed a lot of key explanations resulting from my smaller vocabulary to Fradkin's dictionary of a mind.
It was indeed abook that needed to be written, it gives the world a place to find excellent and precise facts about the earthquake and everything else that was going on at the time that was effected by the catastrophe. Fradkin defined the purpose of the phrase "research book" and executes the concept of the event in the most clean-cut manner. Though his conepts were confusing to me, the rigid and layered structure of his book was very interesting to read.

Excellent Revisionist History of SF Earthquake
Much new information, much better insights into how the City fought back when the disaster struck. In our times of repeated natural disasters, be they fires, earthquakes or threatened pandemics, this historical reconstruction of all the things people did to make the toll of the 06 earthquake even worse than it might have been is absolutely necessary reading. Anyone who would take up a hand to prepare for the next great disaster should read and understand all that went wrong back in 06.

Great
This is just plain old great. It's interesting reading, and it takes a stand, exposes political corruption, and does not glamorize something that is often overlooked. This is basic reading, but it's interesting, and reads almost like a thriller. You will enjoy this book, but you will also get mad, and spend time reflecting on things that are preventable, not preventable, or even corruption induced.

Disjointed, Poorly Written, Useless Info
I have no idea what the folks who highly rated this book were reading/thinking. This is not a good book about the 1906 SF earthquake. All over the map with useless info, particularly the post-earthquake SF government graft trials. This last info was pointless, long, boring and was never tied in by the author to either the 1906 earthquake or the direction of SF government since then. Stilted writing. Not an enjoyable read. ... Read more

Product Description
A deluxe matching folio to Tori AmosÂ’s debut album, Little Earthquakes. Piano/vocal arrangements with complete lyrics, color and black-and-white photos, and notes on the songs by Tori herself. Includes the hit singles Crucify, China, and Winter, plus a complete discography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

My book fell apart too
Is there a reason why the don't make spiral bound songbooks?I know it doesnt look as nice. But, it seems it would function better that way.

Tori Amos is a gifted writer and a rain drop from a cloud of mystery
Sometimes I question whether or not Tori Amos is a genius or not, however when i first listened to this album I was blown away by her sense of pure honesty and profound goodness, her words speak to the soul and hang from the heart and her memorable gentle touch is brilliant. She is a wonderful pianist and her lyrics are vivid, intense and often overwhelming although her music never fails to amaze me. I believe my favorite songs on this Cd are Crucify, Girl, Precious things, and Little Earthquakes. Her ability to use her words to blend the truth together has inspired me.

One of my most prized possessions...
This collection of sheet music, is an absolute godsend. My favorite songs are China and Crucify. When playing, I feel like I am "channeling" Tori. Quite a rush. Anyways, though, the book doesn't stay open unless you rip the pages out. Aside from that, though, it's a great collection of songs.

Great, fun times!
If you like Tori and like to play piano, this book is for you!Some of the songs are pretty hard, but if you really get into them, they will start to dominate your world.Most of the songs are true to the cd versions, with some changes because most of us can't play like Tori.However, you can hear the song you know and love when you play it.Playing the songs helped me understand them on a deeper level.Definitely fun!

Beginners only
I sympathise with the reviewer who reported the faulty binding. Mine fell apart too... I am a trained pianist and like others, I was disappointed somewhat that the arrangements are never 100% faithful to Tori's versions,a trend obvious in all the Tori albums. This is especially puzzling whenoften the excised parts are NOT that technically diffcult. But for peoplewith the skill and a good ear, it is possible to improvise your owncorrections to make the pieces more faithful - change octaves, maintainaccompaniment themes like 'Precious Thing's' famous opening past the intro,as this music *doesn't* do. And what is this thing that publishers *love*to do where they write the melody line into the accompaniment?! It doesn't*exist* in the accompaniment, you *sing* it. This barbaric heresy onperformance practice is a sad fact of music publishing, it seems. Butoverall, it provides good song foundation....but experienced players mustbe prepared to work around some parts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Coming Economic Earthquake
Excellent.The economic situation confronting us is well explained.Every citizen should read and be aware.And each of us should accept responsibility toward restoring America to its beginning foundation and principles, beginning with our own personal money management.Jean Loggins ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

excellent
The book was in much better condition than I had expected. I had purchased this book when it first came out but lost or misplaced it. The copy I've just received is exactly like the original I purchased.I wanted to read this book again because, although I don't profess to being a phychic, lately I been sensing some turmoil beneath our earth surface.

His predictions never came true...
I read this book back in the late 1970's when it first came out. It predicted that California and much of the West coast of the United States would suffer massive earthquakes and fall into the ocean by 2000. He based this on the predictions made by different psychics, whose predictions all seemed to point to the same pattern of future events. It seemed pretty scary at the time, but as the years rolled on, none of his predictions ever came true. There are, of course, still others out there making various psychic predictions of massive disasters. While massive disasters can and do happen, I think the lesson of this book is that we should take psychic predictions with a grain of salt. We're probably better off looking at scientific predictions, although they are not infallible either (has your local weather-person ever been wrong?). In the end, we all have to live with the fact that we cannot know the future for sure. Yes, tomorrow something could happen and any one of us might die, but we just have to accept that this is a part of all life and make our peace with that. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent guide
The book contains plenty of factual and historical data on the New Madrid fault as well as information on other earthquakes throughout recorded history in other parts of the world.It also has some relevant, valuable data on how it will affect the areas and people involved should there be a major earthquake.This book is a must read.

I'm glad I read this book before I read "8.4" by Peter Hernon.It made 8.4 come alive and made it a fun read, if by fun read, you mean that the story gives you the *screamin' willies*.

Interesting, but...
I thought the first part of this book was fascinating.I thought it probably gave a pretty accurate picture of what the damage was likely to be, and how the damage would occur.I was looking forward to reading about the probable psychological responses to a catastrophe like this.Once I got there, I found myself nodding my head, remembering Katrina.What gave me pause was when the author cited several quotes by a Dennis Mileti. Mileti claims that looting is almost non-existent in catastrophes."Sociologists, in fact, have tried to interview arrested looters after over one hundred disasters, according to Mileti, but they can never find any."I then looked at the date of publication of this book - 1989.Even so, to say that looting has almost never occurred during disasters is very hard to believe.

It's not my THINGS that I care about, it's the psychological unease of bands of criminals roaming the area. I felt that should have been researched and written about a little better.

California ain't got nothin' on New Madrid
Very well researched book on the New Madrid fault line.Chronicles many of the major earthquakes including the 1811-1812 quakes that rerouted the Missippi.Interesting graphs and charts.Nice comparision to other major earthquakes.Good information especially if you are teaching geology in the midwest.

From a Member of New Madrid, Missouri
From a person who lives in New Madrid, this book is very helpful. It lists all the things, you need to know. Strategies for your survival, stuff for an emergency case; food, water, toliet paper.

Required reading for anyone inthe Mississippi Valley
The dangerous propensities of the midcontinental earthquake zone known by the name of the New Madrid fault system are part and parcel of life in the area where the Ohio River joins the Mississippi river system.In 1811 and 1812, a bone-shattering series of earthquakes took place here, three of which are estimated at over 8.3 on the Richter scale, devastating this region, creating new lakes, making the Mississippi run backwards for a time, raising hills, and changing river courses.If such a series of events took place today, the consequences would be almost unimaginable.

Atkinson's book explores these matters with a studied eye, an easily understoood writing style, and contains many excellent diagrams forecasting where future quake damage will occur, and in what amount.It also contains a shocking series of narratives about how little has been done to prepare for the next emergency.Make no mistake, the New Madrid earthquakes of the early nineteenth century are not the last seismic events in this region.

This book should be required reading for every local and state government official in this region and, especially for every civil defense person.While no one knows when the next giant eathquake will occur, and it may be some hundreds of years away, the magnitude of the potential disaster dictates readiness now.Examples would include strict rules regarding construction of building highways, bridges, pipelines, levees, sewage and water systems and the like.This book points out clearly what should be done.

I recommend the book highly. ... Read more

Product Description
Developed as a resource for practicing engineers, while simultaneously serving as a text in a formal classroom setting, Wind and Earthquake Resistant Buildings provides a fundmental understanding of the behavior of steel, concrete, and composite building structures. The text format follows, in a logical manner, the typical process of designing a building, from the first step of determining design loads, to the final step of evaluating its behavior for unusual effects.

Includes a worksheet that takes the drudgery out of estimating wind response.

The book presents an in-depth review of wind effects and outlines seismic design, highlighting the dymamic behavior of buildings. It covers the design and detailing the requirements of steel, concrete, and composite buidlings assigned to seismic design categories A through E. The author explains critical code specific items and structural concepts by doing the nearly impossible feat of addressing the history, reason for existence, and intent of major design provisions of the building codes. While the scope of the book is intentionally broad, it provides enough in-depth coverage to make it useful for structural engineers in all stages of their careers.

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Customer Reviews (2)

Informative & Interesting
WERB:Structural Analysis & Design.
This book brings to life what a lot of structural engineers grapple with. It is informative and interesting and provides a very clear direction of how to understand and deal with Wind & Earthquake Resistent Buildings.I highly recommend this volume.

DISEÑO DE EDIFICIOS ALTOS
EL LIBRO PRESENTA EL ESTADO DEL ARTE TANTO EN LOS ASPECTOS SISMICOS COMO DE VIENTO A TOAMR EN CUENTA EN EL DISEÑO DE EDIFICIOS ALTOS.-ME RESULTA UNA ADQUISICIÓN MUY IMPORTANTE PARA MANTENERME ACTUALIZADO EN LOS METODOS Y CRITERIOS DE DISEÑO.

ATENTAMENTE

ING. ALBERTO BORREGO SANCHEZ ... Read more

Product Description
It's April 18, 1906, and a powerful earthquake has just rocked San Francisco. Photographer Edith Irvine and her assistant, Daisy Valentine, survive the tragedy. Armed with Edith's camera, the two women set out to document the devastation--even as buildings crumble around them and soldiers promise to shoot anyone trying to photograph the crippled city.
Based on the real-life experience of photographer Edith Irvine, this harrowing tale of bravery and survival includes many of Irvine's now-famous photographs.
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Customer Reviews (10)

Earthquake at Dawn
This book was great from the very beginning. It is a story about a young photographer , Edith Ivrine, and her assistant, Daisy Valentine, traveling the world to take pitures an show Ediths prints of yosemite at a convention. Their first stop is in San Fransisco where they were planning to leave straight away to sail to Australia. But isntead they found themselves enduring the overwhemliing tragedy of the San Fransisco earthquake and fire. Edith uses this disaster to record the events happening, with her camera against the will of the police officers. This novel has you feel like you are walking the streets covered in crumbled buildings alongs side these two girls.

Book Riview
This book was exellent. Earthquake at dawn, while maintaining the readers interest through highly interesting events, is quite informative, giving information about the earthquake and a firsthand view of what it was like through the eyes of Daisy Valentine, Edith Irvine(a famous photographer)'s assistant. Daisy and Edith arrive in San Francisco hoping to catch a boat to Australia and travel around the world. Unfortunately, disaster strikes right before they dock, and the women find themselves in the middle of one of the biggest earthquakes in history. With the help of the McGregor and Somers families and their friend, Mary Exa, the women are forced to survive in the city by any means possible. Edith does her best to capture the ruins by photograph, but the mayor threatens to shoot anybody who dares to take pictures. An exciting, informative story, Earthquake at Dawn is the perfect book for anyone who wants to learn about the earthquake, or somebody who just wants something to read.

A great historical fiction novel
Earthquake at Dawn is a great book. It is about Edith Irvine, a dedicated photographer, and her 15-year-old assistant Daisy. On their way to Europe, the earthquake hits and they have to stop in San Francisco, which is mostly destroyed and collapsing. After the quake, a great fire erupts and several of the city's houses and buildings they had not already fallen burn to the ground. The two are separated from Edith's father, who was traveling with them, and they become friends with a few other survivors. Meanwhile, the mayor is creating even more trouble. Men and women are threatened to being shot for using toilets or electricity, and dynamite, in an attempt to stop the fire, is being set off. But, Edith documents the trip with her photographs, even though that could mean death if she was caught by the mayor, who doesn't want the rest of the country to know the real disaster that is happening in San Francisco. In this incredibly realistic novel, Kristiana Gregory tells the exciting story, based on a letter written by survivor Mary Exa Atkin Campbell and the real photographs taken by Edith Irvine. I would highly recommend this book.

Earthquake at Dawn
Kristiana Gregory really brings out Edith Irvine as a devoted photographer. Even in the midst of all the turmoil, she snaps 60 photos, possibly more! In this true-to-life novel, the famous San Francisco earthquake takes place, however, the quake is not the worst that happens! The fire that the quake created was. It lasted three days and killed an estimated five to ten thousand people. The mayor exploded dynamite to try to get rid of the fire, but the dynamite only created more. This novel also illustrates the annoying floor length dresses that the ladies of 1906 had to wear and the automobiles of Daisy's time. In some books earthquakes are made up just for entertainment. Not this one! This earthquake was real. The first shock was on April 18, 1906 and was recorded at 5:12:05 a.m. and it lasted for 45 seconds. There were 27 earthquakes that were actually recorded that day. Mary Exa Atkins Campbell told the earthquake's story.

An excellent historical fiction book
I really enjoyed the book Earthquake at Dawn. It's about the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake/fire that happened at dawn (hence the name Earthquake at Dawn). Even though it is historical fiction, it had a lot of true thingsthat made it incredibly believable. Kristina Gregory definitely made thestory good by adding some subplots that kept your interest. The subplotswere real things too, like Edith and Daisy getting separated from theirfather, and Molly dying of lack of healthcare. This was a really good,captivating book which I think many people will cherish for years to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good summary, lots of photos
After visiting Anchorage, Seward, and the earthquake museum at Valdez, I wanted to know more about this famous Alaskan event. This book does the job quite well. It does get a bit technical but those portions can be overlooked. It has lots of photos that are nice because you can see places you've been and how they were damaged. Easy read, but informative.

VERY INFORMATIVE BOTH IN PICTURES AND TEXT
I found this book very interesting.I can speak with some amount of authority, as I was in this event, on the top floor of the Anchorage Westward Hotel.

In addition to the magnificant pictures I feel that theauthors explaintions of the the cause and results of earthquake was veryinteresting and informative, being a Geologist my self, I thought thesebasic explainations would be very helpful for a keener understanding ofthis event.

I found the chapter concening the Birthday Party for BobReeves in the Petroleum Club of the Anchorage Westward of particularinterest to me as that is where I was.

This book brought may memories ofthe earthquake that happened some 35 years ago, some bad and some good, andsome I had completly forgotten.

The Authors coverage of the differentlocals that were included gave on a good impression of the magnitude anddestructive force of Mother Nature. To me, it is absolutly amazing thatthere not more fatalities on that fateful day in 1964.

All in all a"Great Book" that I throughtly enjoyed but would recommend toall. ... Read more

Product Description

While successfully preventing earthquakes may still be beyond the capacity of modern engineering, the ability to mitigate damages with strong structural designs and other mitigation measures are well within the purview of science. Fundamental Concepts of Earthquake Engineering presents the concepts, procedures, and code provisions that are currently being used to make structures as earthquake-resistant as is presently feasible.

The book begins by describing the purpose, main aspects, and historical development of earthquake engineering and provides an overview of the type and extent of damage an earthquake can produce. It then introduces the concepts of seismology, the mechanisms of earthquake generation and propagation, and the difference between the various scales used to quantify the size of an earthquake and its potential to cause damage. The book also discusses the response spectrum and the different ways earthquake ground motions may be characterized and how local soil conditions may affect ground motion characteristics. Later chapters examine the design spectrum, conventional methods used to calculate the response of structures, soil-structure systems, and nonstructural components to earthquake ground motions.

This comprehensive resource is certain to advance the knowledge of those tasked with taking preemptive action against the devastating effects of major, catastrophic earthquakes.

Customer Reviews (1)

Best so far
This is the best book so far to cover all the essential and state-of-the-art topics regarding earthquake engineering, such as earthquake mechanisms, basic soil dynamics, ground accelerations, Fourier spectrum (this is one of the best books to explain it), seismic hazard assessment, design response spectrum, structural response to strong ground motion and structural dynamics, code design concepts, soil-structural interaction, seismic response of nonstructural elements, base isolations, energy dissipating devices, to name a few. Excellent figures/drawings and examples.

949 pages-->$103. Good deal.
... Read more