About this title: The San Andreas fault runs along the coast of California. In April, 1906, it cracked, resulting in the devastating earthquake, measuring 8.25 on the Richter scale, that leveled much of San Francisco; this was followed by fires that raged through the city for days. All told, the loss of life was estimated in the thousands, and many thousands more were injured. In A CRACK IN THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, Simon Winchester recounts the events of this memorable disaster, bringing to the tale his training as a geologist, as he explains what happened above and below ground. Winchester also explains what ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
Date Published: 2006-02-22
ISBN-13:9781597221870ISBN:1597221872
Description: Very Good. Great title in great condition. Large print edition. Pages are free of marks and writing. Covers have light wear on edges and corners. Satisfaction guaranteed. If item not as described, return for refund of purchase price. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060571993ISBN:0060571993
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket has some edgewear present. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Very Good. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060571993ISBN:0060571993
Description: Good in Good jacket. 285-V Books rated "Good" may have some notes, underlining, or highlighting. These books also may contain the previous owner's name, stamp, sticker, or gift inscription, or may be library discards. read more
Description: Very good. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Dust Cover Missing. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Edition: 1ST
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 2005-10-01
ISBN-13:9780060571993ISBN:0060571993
Description: Good. Minimal damage to the cover, dust jacket not necessarily included minimal wear to binding, majority of pages undamaged, minimal to no highlighting/underlining of text, no missing p. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 2005-10-01
ISBN-13:9780060571993ISBN:0060571993
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. VG/VG. Very Good Hardcover book with Very Good Dust Jacket. Binding tight and straight. Pages clean and unmarked. read more
Description: Good. 1597221872 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060571993ISBN:0060571993
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. Hard Cover--VG/VG--Other than small tape pull to front of dust jacket, book and dj are clean and bright with only slightest of wear. 462 pages with index and illustrations. Stated First Edition w/full # string and original price of 27.95. read more
"I had really high hopes for this book. . . I loved his earlier book, The Professor and the Madman Generally speaking, I enjoy disaster history (Isaac's Storm, The Children's Blizzard, etc). But the science bits, explaining plate tetonics and exactly what kind of earthquake hit San Francisco in 1906 too far too long. I ended up skimming quite a bit of it, something I rarely do. His trip across the US, checking out fault lines, also got skimmed. The stuff about the actual disaster was good--there just wasn't enough of it. Not near enough about the aftermath and the human stories and the rebuilding. And then more pondering on other earthquakes and future earthquakes and. . . When I read in his bio that the author was trained as a geologist, it all made a lot more sense. It just wasn't what I was expecting, and I still don't feel like I have a good grip of the San Francisco disaster--unlike the masterful Isaac's Storm--where there's plenty of science, but also plenty of history."
"What better book to read while on a trip to San Francisco than this one? A Crack in the Edge of the World tells the tale of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. The fires that started just shortly after the earthquake exacerbated the devastation the earthquake created. It took three days for the fires to be completely put out. By that time, all of Chinatown and much of San Francisco was in rubble and ashes.
It's a little scary to read a book about an awful earthquake while visiting the site of the earthquake, reading expert opinion that there is a 65% probability that another terrible earthquake will hit San Francisco before 2032."
"This book makes for an excellent companion to his previous work about Krakatoa. One would have thought he exhausted the field of plate tectonics in that edition but Winchester finds ample stories and information to easily intrigue and further one's knowledge. While the work focuses on the Earthquake of 1906 he uses it more as a stepping stone to launch into a whole host of information covering not only the geological phenomenon of earthquakes but large drafts of history both social, cultural as well as physical. Winchester's easy manner of writing is clean, elegant, always interesting and above all never condescending. He explains complex information with amusing sidelines that expand on his basic themes. If one could fault him (no pun intended) it is that sometimes he diverts his train of thought to stories or information that can distract as much as entertain. His bit on the meteorite site as an example is never fully developed and seems to not have real place in the work other than some connections with friends and travel. But this is a very minor complaint and doesn't alter the enjoyment of his work. Like Stephen Gould he offers science that informs and entertains."
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