Product Description
What was it like to be a gladiator? How many people died in the destruction of Pompeii? How did Roman children spend their days? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide: Ancient Rome and Pompeii. This is the nonfiction companion to Vacation Under the Volcano (Magic Tree House #13). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

AWESOME BOOK!!!!
What a delightful experience you get with the Magic Tree House Books.
Go on a magic adventure with your kids and there imaginations.
Hands down winning by an easy victory for our Family!!!!!!!

Great for travelers
We bought the guide for a trip to Rome and Pompeii. It gave excellent information that made the trip more interesting for our 8 year old, breaking down history into usable information for a child. It also gave her a sense of participation in the planning/learning aspect of our voyage, and she loved being the tour guide, especially in Pompeii.

Magic Tree House never fails
I only wish I'd discovered this series of books sooner!These books are great supplements to teaching history to your kids.The Magic Tree House website even offers a few free activity pages to go with many of the books and in addition to the history study guide, we use the companion story books to really get "personal" with history.

Good Read for Children
I ordered this book for my 9 year old son.He absolutely loves it.Since he has started reading Magic Tree House books his reading has drastically improved.I believe this book and the Magic Tree House books are a must have for this age group.These books help them learn history facts in a fun way.

Packed with information...
There was a lot involved... so much infact that my 8 year old son wasn't very attracted to it.However in the next few years perhaps he'll take another look thought it or use it for a project he does at school.I wouldn't recommend buying this book for 'fun' but rather for direct use with a project you might be working on. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is suitable for ages 8-10. Dramatic full-color photos of eruptions such as Mount St. Helens help show how volcanoes are created, different kinds of eruptions and cone formations, and why tsunamis often follow. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Very Fun for Kids and Educational for Adults too
This book was great read for any young child wanting to learn more about volcanoes.The information was delivered in an easy to read manner and well illustrated.

Book Appeals to Wide Age Range
Sometime between 18 months and two years of age, my son suddenly became obsessed with volcanoes - I can't remember the exact trigger.I do remember going through a lot of books with him before finding this one, and it was the only one that appealed to him, at his young age.It has great photographs as well as informative illustrations that show him what goes on inside the volcano.

There is quite a bit of written information, especially about the different types of volcanoes, lava flows, and the rocks that are formed.My son found the drawings of the different rocks just as interesting as the pictures of explosions.

When he is older, and able to read for himself, I see this book coming in handy for "research" papers.I recommend this to anyone interested in volcanoes, but I think homeschoolers doing unit studies will find it most useful.

Although it might seem a bit much to buy a book at this level for a toddler, I think it is a great building tool to teach them that there is so much more than just explosions and hot lava.

Excvelent
Educational and entertaining. Children 4 to 15 will love it. Good for adults too.
L.A.

EXCELLENT TEACHING TOOL!
I homeschool my 7 year old daughter.Before a recent family trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, I did a unit study on volcanoes.This book was filled with great, easy to understand information. By far, the best book I purchased for the unit study!

Great volcano book. Wonderful illustrations.
I grabbed a whole bunch of volcano books from our local public library (because our little boy thinks volcanoes are "neat").

This book was the best.

It is so excellent that I decided to buy it. ... Read more

Product Description
Caught between love and duty, can she make an impossible choice?

Five years ago, Aera was called away from everything she had ever known:her home, family, and Coram, the boy she was growing to love. She was given nochoice. As the only living lava-shifter-able to transform her body into moltenrock-she is destined to serve the volcano god as his fire priestess. Now, beforeshe takes her ordained role, she must face her final test. Execute a criminalsentenced to death for the most unforgivable of all sins. Blasphemy.

She's shocked to discover it's no anonymous law-breaker waiting chained atthe center of the labyrinth. It's Coram. For the crime of being a gargoyle, awinged stone-shifter. A gift akin to hers-except his gift is unsanctioned by thetemple, his powers proclaimed unholy.

Customer Reviews (1)

4
Heart of the Volcano is a poignant story filled with unusual magic, controlling priests and characters with very unhuman gifts poised in battle against their very human fears and desires. I was totally captivated by Imogen Howson's world and the way she slowly brings Aera and Coram back together. She does an excellent job of revealing the differences between the various powers her characters have over stone and fire, and how their lives are wholly ruled by the priests charged with ensuring the volcano god's rule remains supreme and unchallenged.

I highly recommend Heart of the Volcano, and I look forward to reading more by Imogen Howson very soon. - Kathryn ... Read more

Product Description
Eric, Julie, and Neal have a problem. The nasty Lord Sparr has stolen a magic jewel from their friend Princess Keeah. The princessreally needs their help. The good news is the jewel is in Lord Sparr's secret palace. The bad news is the secret palace is in a volcano! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Heart of a Volcano
The Secrets of Droon
Journey to the Volcano Palace

Eric, Julie and Neil have returned safely to their homes. Princess Keeah told them they would have a dream when it was time to return to Droon. All three children have had a dream and know they will soon return.

This time they are after the villian, Spar. He lives in the heart of a volcano. They have never heard of anyone who would climb into a volcano. The children must find the missing jewel. If they don't find the jewel, it will give Spar the power to enter their world. What danger could come to their world with Spar on the loose?

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
Author:Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

The secrets of Droon no.2
The story begins when 3 friends Julie, Eric, and Neal find a little room under the basement stairs. They closed the door and the lights went off.Then they found themselves on a multicolored stairway. To a new world called Droon.This time the three friends have a bigger problem than before. The evil Lord Sparr has stollen the red eye of dawn from princess Keeah. Eric, Julie and Neal help Princess Keeah get the jewel back.They must travel through Droons magical dunes to get to Sparrs volcano palace.

Excellent book for young readers!
I've been very pleased with this series as a whole. My 8 year old son is reading an average of one Droon book a week - which is very exciting to see. It is the first book that has peeked his intrest in reading. If your child likes fantasy, magic and adventure and isstill in the developing stages of reading give these a try.

Cool book!!
I like this book because it has lots of magic and fantasy.And I like it!I am 8.I want to read more of these books.

What a great book! A review by Grade 4 students
We enjoyed the magic in the story.It was a wonderful fantasy story.We definitely would like to read more books from this series.The book has funny parts, risk-taking, interesting characters and a good story.We would recommend it to anyone!
Alex Z., Aran, Nakita, Joey, Ricarda
Bavarian International School ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Creative and science poetry
Like volcanos that create new land, Lisa Peters has created a fun volcano book that combines poetry, visually interesting art, and volcano information. It's tops on my list of volcano books for kids of all ages.I have given this book to a number of budding volcanologists. ... Read more

Product Description
A guided tour of the major sights and features of fascinating Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A 48 page guide with 50 color photos as well as 20 maps and drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Little Book
Book has great pictures and maps, lists driving/walking distances between stops and is easy to read. I have not been to Hawaii yet, so I can't say how accurate it is, especially since it was published in 2003. However, paging through the book made me look forward to my Geologic adventure.

An Excellent Resource
an excellent resource full of detailed maps, full color photographs,and detailed explanations of the geological features of each area of the Park.It will greatly enhance your exploration of the park. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Delivers You to the Wolves
I am an experienced world traveler and mountain climber who used this book in 1999.I must say, I have never been so disappointed with a travel book in all my life.A few points:in the little town of Tlachichuca, Secor leads you to ONE person for climbing assistance.Knowing that, they take FULL advantage of climbers, grossly overcharging for services.Two: Secor's route descriptions are seemingly detailed but upon use are revealed as painfully inadequate.For instance, at Citlaltépetl, Secor makes not one word of mention regarding "la lengua", the tongue of the glacier, which turns out to be the most difficult part of the whole ascent.Finally, and this is the most personal and non-important point to a casual reader, I don't like Secor's decision to follow the poor precedent set by the Mountaineers of favoring non-indigenous peak names.Thus as Tahoma and Koma Kulshan became Rainier and Baker, the majestic Citlaltépetl is reduced to Pico de Orizaba.All in all, this is a good start (given the lack of anything better) but definitely make sure that every piece of information used from this book is followed up by a second source to avoid certain rip off and/or disappointment.

Very good
The book has a comprehensive list of routes for each mountain, it also provides good advice for begineers. However, there are two things I don't like form this book: 1) Need an update to reflect latest changes (Popo for example) 2) The book looks too simplistic, the format is ver bad for the type of information. The book has very few quality photos and the routes are difficult to follow.

I wish I could find a more up-to-date book about these beatiful mountains

Superb
RJ did a great job with this book. I used it way back in 1988 to climb the 3 big ones and found it absolutely accurate. He's got some great tips in there too! ... Read more

Product Description
A completely unique approach to illustrated reference, DK's new Experience series uses panoramic storyboard sequences to help readers dive into the printed page and learn in a whole new way as the action unfolds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

We love this series
My son has a few of the Eye Wonder books and he loves to read them with me. Plenty of information for my 4 year old but not too complicated - he'll enjoy them for a couple years. ... Read more

Product Description
This impressive scientific resource presents up-to-date information on ten thousand years of volcanic activity on Earth. In the decade and a half since the previous edition was published new studies have refined assessments of the ages of many volcanoes, and several thousand new eruptions have been documented. This edition updates the book's key components: a directory of volcanoes active during the Holocene; a chronology of eruptions over the past ten thousand years; a gazetteer of volcano names, synonyms, and subsidiary features; an extensive list of references; and an introduction placing these data in context. This edition also includes new photographs, data on the most common rock types forming each volcano, information on population densities near volcanoes, and other features, making it the most comprehensive source available on Earth's dynamic volcanism. ... Read more

Product Description
The Cascade volcanoes dominate the landscape in thePacific Northwest. For years adventuresome locals have explored theglaciated flanks of these impressive giants, and climbers around theglobe are drawn to the region with sights set on snow-cappedsummits. For many, climbing one volcano is the achievement of alifetime; for others, the pursuit of these mountains becomes alifelong obsession. Described in this book are routes up eighteen ofthese majestic peaks, from British Columbia south through Washingtonand Oregon to California. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Cascade Climber
Very accurate book about the Northern Cascade Range. This book will tell you all the main routes like a dummies guide would. If you want the real deal for climbing the cascades, then spend the money on Oregon High, for the really obscure routes that nobody has ever heard of. For 10 bucks, the Falcon Guides are bar none, "the one".

Great Cascade climbing synopsis
This is a fantastic overview of climbing the Cascade Volcanoes. Aerial photographs of the mountains supplement the schematic route descriptions. Can be used alone to climb the routes, especially the popular ones, however a specific guidebook would be better for some of the lesser-known peaks as the route descriptions for those peaks are somewhat vague. Unfortunately for route book publishers, the internet now has robust resources for current route descriptions and conditions. That said, there's usually no wifi at basecamp and this book doesn't require batteries! A great inspirational book

Clarification about editions, revision date is actually 1993
I bought this item recently in new condition, and the copyright dates are actually "1992, 1993", and there are no bibliography entries after 1992. ... Read more

Product Description
Sumno and Duffy pugg (brothers) are told they must travel to a volcanic island to help an aunt they have never met. When they arrive on the island, they soon discover that their mysterious auntie is up to no good. They are sent on an expedition that take them on a wild boat ride straight into an errupting volcano. Facing extreme danger, they hike inside the volcano and eventually escape--after Sumno saves Duffy's life. Here is an action adventure that will immidately hook young readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Awsome experience!
Wow!This book was delivered right away, and was flawless.Thank you seller!!!

Great value, good art, mediocre story
Don Wood's "Into the Volcano" is a handsome graphic novel in every sense of the word.For starters the publisher's MSRP is a fantastic deal when considering the oversize, hardcover construction along with quality, glossy paper stock that makes Wood's illustrations pop with color.And yes, Wood's illustrations are worth noting.His unique children's book stylings makes for an interesting visual look when framed in the narrative of a graphic novel.It is this narrative, however, that prevents this book from cracking the 4-star barrier.While the base premise is interesting in its own right there are a scattering of sequences that seems out of place at times and at certain moments the action becomes difficult to follow.If you are curious though I still recommend the purchase - it is a beautiful book and a good enough value to take the risk.

An outstanding graphic novel by an award-winning artist who himself lives in a tropical jungle
Don Wood's INTO THE VOLCANO presents an outstanding graphic novel by an award-winning artist who himself lives in a tropical jungle. His story tells of two brothers facing an erupting volcano, and how their expedition changes a vacation hike into a dangerous battle for survival against not only nature, but human greed. Reluctant readers who love graphic novel/comic book formats will find the detailed adventure easy to absorb, with its pages packed with action and color illustrations.

Into the volcano and out of the volcano and home before dark
Look, I hate to burst your bubble but not every picture book illustrator born is necessarily cut out to write his or her own graphic novel. It's an entirely different set of muscles, after all. Melding text and image well enough to sustain a story means having a firm grasp of what does and does not work as a comic. So I know you might have gotten all excited when you heard that Don Wood had written a graphic novel, but don't be happy because a great Caldecott-winning illustrator has dipped his toe in a new format. Be happy because the man is good at it. Crazy good. He may have amused you with King Bidgood's in the Bathtub or entertained your children with his The Napping House but sister you ain't seen anything like to compare to his breathtakingly beautiful Into the Volcano. The past ten years have seen incredible strides in graphic novels for children. Into the Volcano appears to be the next logical step in the process. A full-color adventure with double crosses, death-defying escapes, and personal growth, it has no equal.

The Pugg brothers Duffy and Sumno are just sitting in their classroom in the dead of winter one moment and the next they're being whisked off to the island nation of Kocalaha. It seems their Aunt Lulu has been longing for a visit from her nephews and Duffy, for one, is thrilled. Sumo's far more reticent and likely to complain, a quality that doesn't serve a person well in Kocalaha. Soon they meet their cousin Mister Come-and-Go who disappears and reappears without a warning. They meet the beautiful Pulina, her boyfriend Kaleo, and Mango Joe, a fellow in the witness protection program. But not all is right on this beautiful island. Why won't Auntie let the boys talk to their dad on the phone? Why is everyone so gung-ho certain that the boys should go on this "expedition" that they're told is done for all the tourists but seems to mask a sinister plan. Before Duffy and Sumno know it they're dodging lava streams and spelunking in dangerous territory. But in a world where no one is what they seem, people of seeming weakness can find the strength to do what must be done.

I've been saying for a while that at some point an artist is going to create a graphic novel so visually stunning that the American Library Association will either have to start handing Caldecott Medals over to comic books or create an entirely new award for them. We've come close in the past. Mouse Guard was beautiful, but the story didn't hold up its end of the bargain. The Arrival would have been ideal, but the book wasn't originally published in America. Into the Volcano, though... now here's a title with potential. The entire enterprise is so lush you find yourself just poring over the images for long periods of time. Honestly, I could see a real push put to have this considered as the very first graphic novel worthy of a major children's award. Yet in many ways, it may come down to the way in which it was drawn. According to Scholastic's press material, Mr. Wood drew AND colored this entire enterprise on the computer. No fully computer created children's book has ever won a Caldecott, and perhaps none ever will. If there was a candidate, however, this would be it.

At the beginning I found Wood's boy heroes off-putting. With their snub noses and blunt faces, they resemble nothing so much as a pair of kids that could have jumped out of a Maurice Sendak book. Maybe We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy. Wood utilizes the grotesque in a variety of ways. Sumno is a dislikeable character in a lot of ways so the book makes him the more unattractive of the two, both personally and physically. Aunt Lulu's sheer mass, weight, and injured foot will focus on her entirely one moment and then close in on her long grotesque toenails. Yet everything that I initially found off-putting in this book eventually grew on me. My resistance must have fallen apart entirely when I got to Chapter Seven: Lava in the Water. Trust me.

It takes skill to build the kind of excitement and tension Wood conjures up here. I wish I could get a sense of what comics Mr. Wood looked at before writing Into the Volcano. He's said in the past that he's a Carl Barks fan, but that doesn't explain what I see here. How did he learn to draw these action sequences? Who were his other influences? His references? Because when push comes to shove and people are fighting nature (lava, earthquakes, tides, and waves) you can't help but be sucked in. Reading Into the Volcano you have no sense that this is the man's first book of this kind. Clearly there are years and years of work in this pup. The biography in the back says five. It shows.

And take a close look at Wood's style here too. The sheer range of artistic styles and impressions... I mean this man has scope. There's a weight and a breadth to his art that we just haven't seen in graphic novels for young readers before. And just look at his ability to play with light and textures. As one of a million examples, take a close look at the sequences where the small boat is trying to navigate the rapids past streams of hot lava. Wood has managed to draw or illustrate the effect of hot orange light beneath water and steam. Now look at Aunt Lulu in all her full fleshy glory. You can practically feel her sweat and smell her moist possibly perfumed body. I mean this woman has a physical presence that seems to extend beyond the page. And look at how he changes angles in his panels. We're constantly looking at each scene from every possible viewpoint. It's as if Wood had a camera and he's using it to swing around his action, now below in the water, now up above.

I should probably talk about the story too, eh? Certainly Into the Volcano hits on all cylinders in terms of visuals but how does the writing itself stand up? Well, it's complicated. The story concerns the boys Sumo and Duffy and we watch as Duffy accepts and enjoys everything new while Sumo cowers and questions. For much of the first half Duffy is clearly the stronger, braver kid but as time goes on Sumo's suspicions appear to be well founded. Some younger kids may have a hard time figuring out who's a good guy and who's a bad guy from moment to moment. Sometimes you think you're rooting for the heroes and the next minute they appear to be villains. The plot requires a close reading, but it holds up (particularly on subsequent re-readings, which is crucial). In a way, this title is perfectly positioned to appeal to younger kids in terms of its danger and heroes and to older kids who need a complex story to bite into.

I'm the kind of person who wants to label everything. To slot every book into a neat little category, even if I didn't know the category existed before I read the book. For example, name me the greatest children's book out there about volcanoes. They exist. I know they do. But until now I've not seen or read a book that really worked factual information with a breakneck plot as seamlessly as Into the Volcano. And more to the point, I've never seen a graphic novel written with a child audience in mind that was as out-and-out beautiful and gripping as this puppy here. Read it cover to cover and you will find a title like no other that is sure to make a few waves when it hits bookstore and library shelves. A true original.

Into The Volcano
I've been trying to think of unique ways to describe this graphic novel without using "visually stunning" and "breathtakingly beautiful," but I can't do it.Every panel is a work of art.The scenes where the lava meets the ocean are perfect.It's just ink on a page, but Wood captures the light, the hiss, and the heat.The graphic novel not only stands up to artistic scrutiny, but also has a gripping story.

It's a mystery, adventure that appeals to a younger audience, but I found myself engrossed. Brothers, Sumo and Duffy, are pulled out of class unexpectedly by their father to be shipped off to an island with a mysterious cousin they've never met.The whole enterprise is shady, and when the boys meet Auntie, it gets even more suspicious.The book twists and turns, so the reader is never quite sure who's good and who's bad.The boys have to do some self-reflection.

Wood's artistic portrayals of the characters captivated me.I was shaken by overweight Auntie with her greenish-pink skin and broken foot.I immediately knew something wasn't quite right with her.You can almost smell her.The boys have apugish Hawaiian look, which made me not fall for them right away.That's a good thing.Most books aimed at younger audiences try to win the reader over to the protagonist's side with sentimentality too soon. Wood's style and scope gives the book a cinematic depth that I have rarely seen in graphic novels.One panel you're in the boat with the characters, waves pounding; the next you have a bird's eye view.It sets a fast adventure pace that young readers will love.

Overall, I'll be shocked if Into The Volcano doesn't win some awards. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The definitive reference on Hawaii geology
For those whose observation of landscape and scenery fosters a curiosity to know how it came to be, and for whom increased understanding increases appreciation and enjoyment, this book is nearly perfect.

The first edition of the book was written by two professional geologists in 1970, and revised in 1983 by a third, all of whom spent their careers in Hawaii.

It covers just about every geological and geographical detail one can find on the islands. It includes detailed descriptions of the historic (i.e. viewed and recorded) volcanic eruptions through 1982.

The eruptions since then of course are not covered. Mauna Loa erupted in 1984, and Kilauea has erupted nearly continuously from 1983 to the present, from Pu'u 'O'o and associated vents.
On the other hand, these later eruptions have been very similar in character to earlier ones that are thoroughly described, specifically the 1940 and 1942 eruptions of Mauna Loa and the 1969-1974 eruption of Kilauea at Mauna Ulu.

Also particularly interesting were eyewitness descriptions of the Kilauea eruptions of 1954-1955, most likely by author MacDonald.

This book is a great resource. My only caveat is the absence of any results from the ongoing studies made since 1983. A considerable amount of work has been done since then in investigating the internal structure of the volcanoes, in better dating of the rocks, and especially in mapping the seafloor in much greater detail. For example there is an additional extinct volcano below the surface to the northeast of the big island. It has also become clear with better mapping that massive landslides have played a significant role in shaping the islands. It would be great if this book were brought up to date in these areas, and perhaps others of which I'm not aware. ... Read more

Product Description
Set in 18th century Naples, based on the lives of Sir William Hamilton, his celebrated wife Emma, and Lord Nelson, and peopled with many of the great figures of the day, this unconventional, bestselling historical romance from the National Book Award-winning author of In America touches on themes of sex and revolution, the fate of nature, art and the collector's obsessions, and, above all, love.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Passions and Fancies
Hamilton was a collector, married for sixteen years to Catherine, childless.He lived in Naples.He had a reputation as a connoisseur and a man of learning.Hamilton was the British envoy.The Marquis de Sade was in Italy in 1776.

William Beckford arrived in Naples after a pet monkey was acquired by Hamilton.Beckford spoke to Catherine about THE SORROWS OF YOUNG WERTHER.They played the piano together.

Catherine was dying.Hamilton fretted he was being inconvenienced.At her death he realized he had deep feeling for her, (but collectors are misanthropic, detached).

He met Emma through his nephew Charles.He was fifty-six and she was twenty-three.Hamilton, Sontag refers to him as The Cavaliere, claimed the impossibility of describing Emma's beauty.He found she had natural authority.

The rest of the story is known, it is history.The telling of it by Sontag is adroit, light, and richly cultured.

The idea of the volcano is masterful.There is the notion of collecting objects and then collecting volcanic events, collecting emotion, passion, the stages of a dynamic system.There are visual effects and there is danger.Excitement is produced.The volcano is a metaphor.

The reader's imagination is engaged.Whereas Susan Sontag was by nature an essayist, not a novelist, her voice does come through in this splendid work.

Not worth it unless one loves the subject or the author
If rather slow, The Volcano Lover is not really a hard read, and although I suspect that some of Ms. Sontag's higher flights are over my head, I did not find it particularly rewarding either. As an essayist she is no doubt better, but this novel is somewhat bloated and lacks focus (as well as quotation marks). I bought it principally because Sir William Hamilton (the Cavaliere) fascinates me, which was disappointing. Sontag never really completes his character convincingly, despite all the authorial digressions about the psychology of collection, and treats her half drawn sketch with more cold-heartedness than that unfortunate man merits. In the end, it turns out to be yet another exposition of the intrigue between Nelson and Emma Hamilton; Sir William gradually fades into the scenery.

As a history, The Volcano Lover is fanciful at best, despite the gruesome detail with which Sontag describes the White Terror of 1799. (Some might please to call it euphemistically "gritty") While it is evident that some research was involved- the numerous unsited quotations from actual letters of Hamilton, his wives, and Nelson which Sontag weaves into the text, quite artfully and to good effect- I am not convinced her attempt at anything like factuality went much deeper. The usual jabs are leveled at British conduct in the suppression of the Jacobin rebellion, driven home with scenes of great pathos and gore; Ferdinand and Caroline are conveniently caricatured in two dimensions (so much for the victors rewriting history); the officially sanctioned robbery practiced by the French military and bureacracy is not mentioned and the Neapolitan Jacobins are of course innocent as a fold of lambs.

That said, the writing style was interesting. Suprisingly, the absence of quotes around dialog was not as annoying after the first hundred pages as one might expect, and Sontag manages some elegant turns of phrase. On the other hand, some of her metaphors lack finesse. Modern expressions and anachronisms, which occur often enough to be irritating, and frequent unpredictable shifts in time make the story a little fractured. Minor characters fly in and out of the plot with distracting rapidity and the eschewing of almost everyone's proper name becomes irksome. Overall, I would not recommend The Volcano Lover unless one has a deep interest in either the subject or the author.

Self-Portrait in a Concave Mirror
For readers of Sontag's most celebrated essay collections it was obvious that the most intimate connection of her early writing life was with the ideas of the great European thinkers and film makers (Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, Jean Luc Godard). She was more political than the decidedly apolitical Roland Barthes but her essays were never part of a larger political project either perhaps because like Walter Benjamin she wanted to believe but perhaps never really did believe that art and politics really made much of an impression on each other. The only place art and politics did seem to come into contact was when one of those rare individuals who were interested in both tried to understand what the nature of that connection might be. And when one of those rare individuals did try to describe the connection between these two apparently disparate realms what resulted was a melancholy realization that when it came to politics/history art really did not count for much. Only in the essay form itself does it seem that art and politics are mutually dependent realms and that individuals (and not impersonal forces like class or national interest) shape history.

What I suspect Sontag is doing in The Volcano Lovers is trying to negotiate that connection between art and politics/history in a form other than the essay, but the result is not particularly riveting, or, for that matter, in any way engaging either as a piece of cultural history or as a piece of cultural criticism as each of the characters come across as either curiously self-involved (Goethe, Lord Nelson) or self-detached (Sir William Hamilton). In fact few characters in the history of literature have been as detached from the events of their own life as Sontag's main character, Sir William Hamilton.Self-detachment could potentially make for an interesting topic for a novel but Sontag just doesn't make it interesting enough and most readers, I suspect, will put this novel down before they get very far. What is most disappointing about this novel is that in her essays Sontag is particularly good at giving quick biographical sketches of her favorite thinkers in which she sums up the connection between the life and the body of work, but in this novel it becomes clear from very early on that not one of the characters in The Volcano Lovers are really capable of holding her attention in the way that Walter Benjamin or Roland Barthes held her attention in the essays and so the novel just feels like an exercise, an endurance challenge. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the first half of the novel is really a long meditation on the nature of collecting and Sontag's sentences sound like essay sentences. Granted Sontag understands the collector's impulse better than anyone (with the possible exception of Benjamin) and while this kind of meditation can be very exciting in a 15 page essay, this kind of meditation just gets tedious in a 400+ page novel. Unless you are a self-detached and sexless collector yourself, Sir William Hamilton just isn't a character you will want to spend 400 pages thinking about. At the end of the novel, when the female characters are finally allowed to speak for themselves, it would seem that (at least one of them) shares this sentiment as well--Sir William Hamilton in their eyes is a tedious bore--but it takes a long, long, long time before she is allowed to say so.For some this payoff might be enough to forgive the tedium of the first half but for me it wasn't.

The tone of the novel is one of melancholy. And the ultimate revelation, if the tedious accumulation of data that The Volcano Lovers affords can be called a revelation, is that we are all pawns of history but that some of us see this more clearly than others. In Sontag's eyes Goethe and Lord Nelson come across as egotists who see themselves in larger than life terms and next to them we might be more inclined to sympathize with the relatively humble William Hamilton who accepts the relatively small and inconsequential role that history has assigned him. At one time he may have wished for a larger role in history but really its obvious that he's living a life that suits his temperament pefectly. The mystery of the novel for me is whether Sontag's intention in writing it was to demystify the great man theory of history (and art) or to demystify the novel itself. Most novels, or at least most exciting novels, show characters caught up in historical changes and the exictement is following the characters as they negotiate those changes within society and within themselves but here Sontag chooses as her focus a man who because of his elite status is relatively immune from social and psychological change and thus the drama and conflict that usually pervades a novel is for the most part simply absent. Without that drama/conflict of character and context the novel just feels like a spent force. Like Sir William Hamilton this novel is curiously barren. The only thing in the external world that catches Sir William's attention or excites him is the volcano itself which puts all human action into perspective and is thus perhaps a great source of solace for this man who has never assigned much meaning to anything that takes place in the human world or even to his own life.To such a detached person as Sir William no merely historical change can really make that much difference anyway, but the volcano fascinates because of its potential to wipe out everything once and for all. And a death wish is really what seems to be the prime motivator here.

In short this is a novel about a man who is disappointed in the world and aware of the futility of human passions and as a result cultivates only one pastime: collecting (which is not so much a way of assembling an alternative/ideal world, as Sontag states, but of treating this one as if it were already dead). Most likely Sontag is examining her own life while examining this character but if that is so one wishes this were a more sympathetic self-portrait.

Note: In her last published essay Sontag wrote about another pair of novels that took place around a volcano: Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth & Laxness' Under the Glacier. It seems Sontag was examining her own mortality as well as her own fascination with art (and whether art is just some kind of solace for the eternally solitary & melancholy reader/writer).This essay can be found in the Sunday, February 20th 2005 edition of the New York Times.

Go slow is worth it.
What a wonderful book, I had never read anything written by the author, so I decided to give it a try and was not disappointed. The first 20 pages I had my doubts as her style was a bit odd as some of the conversations of the characters are mingled with the prose, which on third person describes the surrounding circumstances. However the book takes a rhythm quite unique that takes into account the slow passage of time in Napoli during the XVIII century while simultaneously crafts the peculiarities of each one of the persons involved in the drama.

Eventhough the books lacks that intensity that sometimes bind the reader to the pages of a novel, you want to stay with it an keep on reading. Its like having a great conversation with someone together with a pleasant cup of coffee in a wonderful setting. You don't want to rush, while you pay attention to everything that is going on around you.

Besides for those who like to underline pages or makes comments on the side of them, the most likely event is that the book will end severely scratched.

"Good" literature, butboring
The book is well-written, not a pot-boiler, but it was hard to work up any empathy for any of the main characters. If the author had killed them all in the middle, I couldn't have cared less. ... Read more

Product Description
This dazzlingly illustrated volcano guide documents the 20 hottest volcanoes of the 1,900 that pockmark Earth's surface, including recent eruptions that seared landscapes and lives. It is a relevant reference for the 500+ million people who live in active volcano zones and others who are intrigued by our planet's primal pageantry.Amazon.com Review

A Look Inside Vocano
(Click Thumbnails to Enlarge)

Mt. Etna	The Piano del Lago Cone	African Volcano Facts	Ol Doinyo Lengai

Product Description
Winner of the American Book Award for Easy in the Islands, Bob Shacochis returns to the setting of his first collection of stories with Swimming in the Volcano, a haunting and evocative novel possessed of the same beauty as the places and people of the Caribbean. Set on the fictional Caribbean island of St. Catherine, an American expatriate becomes unwittingly embroiled in an internecine war between rival factions of the government. Into this potentially explosive scene enters a woman once loved and lost, but who remains a powerful temptation-one that proves impossible to resist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

swimming in the volcano
its amazing when a very good novel sells for a dollar! story is about young people caught in the crossfire of black power and revolution on a small island. Proves there is more than sunshine and beer in the tropics.

1st Installment in a Trilogy?
I'm a big Shacochis fan. I've devoured all of his work,and have had the good fortune to see him do a reading of 'Squirrelly's Grouper' down in Key West, several years ago. I loved this book, but, was told, at one point by the author himself,that it was the 1st installment in a trilogy. In fact, I was told the second book's working title was 'The Magnificence of All that Burns". As good as "Swimming in the Volcano' is,it begs for a follow up. What happens to Mitch? What happens to Issacs? What happens to Cassius Collymore? Perspiring minds want to know!

Magical, Frightening and True
This book caused me to add Bob Shacochis' name to the list of authors whose prose is absolutely brilliant--sometimes even a bit blinding, as some other reviewers have suggested, but it is superb writing nonetheless.Shacochis joins Reynolds Price, V.S. Naipaul, Annie Proulx and Don DeLillo in my pantheon of modern literary geniuses.Maybe "economy" was not one of the author's strong suits when he wrote "Swimming in the Volcano," but to me this is an absolutely trivial objection when weighed against the power of his language and the unflinching accuracy of his observations.

Unnecessary verbosity and flashy writing are literary sins, to be sure, but Shacochis doesn't commit them here.If "Swimming in the Volcano" is overwhelming at times, it's because the author is sounding depths of the human experience other writers don't dare to plumb.He is not indulging himself or merely playing with words.He gets into the minds of his subjects, Caribbean and American; and their voices, whether in Caribbean or American dialects, ring jarringly true.

I would rank this novel with Don DeLillo's "Underworld" for its rare synthesis of power and substance.Like DeLillo's masterpiece, "Swimming in the Volcano" has plenty of sound and fury, but signifies something profound about men and women and the lives they create.

The Next New World.
"Swimming in the Volcano" follows in the brilliant footsteps of Graham Greene's library.This book is full of lush prose and novel metaphors, on top of a thought-provoking and involving story. By the way,you may want to have a dictionary nearby.

Waiting for the volcano to blow
The obvious comparison is to Robert Stone and Graham Greene. Alright, no problem. If you're going to "borrow," might as well borrow from the best. But the author expends too much energy on trying to impress thereader with the quality of his prose and not enough on characterization.I'm impressed, however, with the scope of his knowledge oncultural mattersrelating to the Carribbean -- he obviously knows his subject. A good book,but next time, Bob, lighten up on the literary pyrotechnics. Go back andread G. Greene and you'll be reminded how simply and eloquently he stateshis case. ... Read more

Product Description
From the author of the award-winning book of poems, Miracle Fruit, comes the eagerly anticipated second collection, At the Drive-In Volcano. In this new and imaginative followup, Aimee Nezhukumatathil examines the full circle journey of desire, loss, and ultimately, an exuberant lovetraveling around a world brimming with wild and delicious offerings such as iced waterfalls, jackfruit, and pistol shrimp. From the tropical landscapes of the Caribbean, India, and the Philippines to the deep winters of western New York and mild autumns of Ohio, the natural world Nezhukumatathil describes is dark but also lovelyso full of enchantment and magic. Here, worms glow in the dark, lizards speak, the most delicious soup in the world turns out to be deadly, and a woman eats soil as if it were candy.Her trademark charm, verve and wit remain elemental and a delight to behold, even in the face of a crumbling relationship. These poems confront delicate subjects of love and loss with an exacting exuberance and elegance not hardly seen in a writer so young. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Lovely
There's much to admire in Nezhukumatathil's collection of poetry. The use of language is gorgeous. Her style and use of language reminds me of Neruda, a favorite. Creative imagery, recurrent motifs, and approaches to lovers coming together were the three most powerful elements for me.

Brilliant and Moving
Aimee continues to amaze me. She has a strong voice reminiscent of Neruda, moving easily from lost love to humorous observation with equal passion and lyrical gifts. Be sure to check out her first collection too: Miracle Fruit.

some of these poems resist finishing
The most interesting thing about the poems in this book is how many of them resist my finishing them.Often I would come across a line or an image that would momentarily push me out of the poem, seeming to say, "That's enough.That's what you needed to 'get' out of this poem."I would continue and almost always find double delight in the end. But these poems are quite like hiking up the side of a volcano, only to be arrested every few steps by some new and intriguing vista, forgetting, for a moment why you are climbing.

Just as good as I was expecting.
Aimee Nezhukumatathil, At the Drive-in Volcano (Tupelo Press, 2007)

Anyone who's read Aimee Nez' two previous books, Miracle Fruit and Fishbone, certainly knows what to expect from one of America's fastest-rising poetic stars-- another volume of witty, insightful, incredibly observant poems. (Reading her blog the last few years, I think I've found the source of the "observant" bit-- Nez is also an excellent photographer.) And, of course, the author does not disappoint:

"You are the father of my father and I am the mosquito of the rain barrel.
I give to you three ripples of night water, one single white petal

of a frangipani tree. I give to you four limes to crush
into a spicy pickle sauce. A clasp of coconut gives me back

a day when you were alive, when you showed me the monkeyface
of the shell, the gallop in each clap...."
("What the Mosquito Gives")

Miracle Fruit got itself a very high place on the Beast Reads list the year I first read it; I imagine At the Drive-in Volcano will do the same this year. I've been reading a decent amount of poetry so far in 2008, and Nezhukumatathil is, in my estimation, certainly capable of hanging with the big dogs; this is great stuff, as usual. If you haven't yet discovered her wonderful poetry, this is as good a starting point as any of her books, and I cannot recommend her work highly enough. She's right up there with Richard Siken and Timothy Donnelly as one of the next generation's classics-in-waiting. **** ½ ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The answers to hundreds of questions—about everything from bears to snakes, tarantulas to volcanoes— are here in these books for second and third graders. The questions are intriguing, and the answers are easy to understand and often quite funny. Full-page art shows the animals and environments in vibrant detail. Kids will love quizzing their friends and adults. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Why do Volcanoes Blow their Tops?
When I showed this book to my son he was very excited and proceeded to skim through the pages. Not even half way through Why Do Volcanoes Blow Their Tops? Questions and Answers About Volcanoes and Earthquakes, he found a page that portrayed a volcano model to do in your own home. In four easy steps the picture guides you along with the text on watching your own volcano blow its top.

This was truly the highlight of the book for my two children and they insist on repeating this experiment. But on to the forty-eight pages of the book that includes an index at the back listing where you can find craters, epicenter, foreshocks, landslides, lava, nuclear bomb, seaquakes and volcanic ash. The illustrations portray craters, ash and eruptions in various stages and color.

The authors also welcome letters from any readers that have experienced either a Volcano or Earthquake as they prefer research to experience on these matters. There are answers to seventy-eight questions on both these topics. A Volcano will erupt due to pressure. Lava comes out as a red-hot liquid before it cools and becomes solid. A cinder Volcano is when rock and ash shoot into the air and fall back around the opening. Composite Volcanoes are also known as Strato Volcanoes, which would be the Mount Fuji in Japan.

At the top of Volcanoes are craters that can be measure from a few feet to one mile. Australia is the only continent where a Volcano does not exist. They are near the Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean Sea. Rift Volcanoes erupt under the sea and happen more frequently than Volcanoes on land. Venus and Mars also have Volcanoes.

I felt that Why Do Volcanoes Blow Their Tops? Questions and Answers About Volcanoes and Earthquakes was quite fascinating and worth investing in for the facts and details on these two events that can happen at any given time.

The recommended age is from kindergarten to second grade and older as well as adults. I learned much about Volcanoes that I never knew about or thought I would care to know but found it informative as well as always wanting to know about Earthquakes. This happens when you live in what we call "earthquake country".

... Read more

Product Description
When the volcano Tambora erupted in Indonesia in 1815, as many as 100,000 people perished as a result of the blast and an ensuing famine caused by the destruction of rice fields on Sumbawa and neighboring islands. Gases and dust particles ejected into the atmosphere changed weather patterns around the world, resulting in the infamous ''year without a summer'' in North America, food riots in Europe, and a widespread cholera epidemic. And the gloomy weather inspired Mary Shelley to write the gothic novel Frankenstein.

This book tells the story of nine such epic volcanic events, explaining the related geology for the general reader and exploring the myriad ways in which the earth's volcanism has affected human history. Zeilinga de Boer and Sanders describe in depth how volcanic activity has had long-lasting effects on societies, cultures, and the environment. After introducing the origins and mechanisms of volcanism, the authors draw on ancient as well as modern accounts--from folklore to poetry and from philosophy to literature. Beginning with the Bronze Age eruption that caused the demise of Minoan Crete, the book tells the human and geological stories of eruptions of such volcanoes as Vesuvius, Krakatau, Mount Pelée, and Tristan da Cunha. Along the way, it shows how volcanism shaped religion in Hawaii, permeated Icelandic mythology and literature, caused widespread population migrations, and spurred scientific discovery.

From the prodigious eruption of Thera more than 3,600 years ago to the relative burp of Mount St. Helens in 1980, the results of volcanism attest to the enduring connections between geology and human destiny.Amazon.com Review
In 1815, Napoleon's armies fell to defeat at Waterloo, a clash that would change the course of world events. Far more Europeans died that year, though, as a result of a volcanic explosion in Indonesia--one cataclysmic eruption among the many that figure in this sidelong view of the Earth's history.

The explosion of Tambora in April 1815, geologists de Boer and Sanders write, sent a plume of volcanic ash high into the planet's atmosphere, bringing on a "nuclear winter" that devastated crops in the northern hemisphere, yielding famine and plague. Moreover, they add, the explosion cast a hazy pall over much of Europe, a gloom that inspired Mary Shelley to write her famed novel,Frankenstein. Another explosion, more than 3,000 years earlier, pulverized the Mediterranean island of Thera, giving rise to the legend of Atlantis and causing whole civilizations to collapse. Still another eruption on the island of Tristan da Cunha, in 1961, "brought [the 20th century] to this most isolated of the earth's inhabited places."

The authors' overview of nature's ability to thwart human intentions makes for fascinating reading, sure to appeal to fans of Perils of a Restless Planet, Surviving Galeras, and other chronicles of the trembling earth. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

marvelous book
The afterword of this book says:In this book we have tried to bring volcanoes to life..give them a human dimension...how their aftereffects can resonate in human affairs........why volcanism exists and how selected volcanoes came to be.The authors did a excellent job.

Authoritative and Very Accessible
In this fascinating book, the authors do an excellent job of outlining the effects that volcanic eruptions have had on humanity over the millennia all over the globe. The authors have approached their subject from both the scientific side, i.e., nature of volcanoes, eruption mechanisms, etc., as well as the human side, i.e., direct effects of eruptions on humans. The writing style is clear, authoritative, friendly and very captivating. With plenty of diagrams, charts and pictures, this book will appeal to history buffs and armchair volcanologists alike, as well as to anyone fascinated by the effects that volcanoes have had on our history.

MOTHER NATURE DOESN'T ALWAYS WIN
There is a lot of great stuff here. I particulary enjoyed some of the later chapters on the more recent volcanoes.The inclusion of Tristan Da Cunha is a real plus, as so little has been written about it.The destruction of St. Pierre in 1902 is also covered well.So why only three stars?

First of all, it is not clear just what kind of book the authors intended to write.This is not a history book about volcanoes.Very little is actually said about the historic significance of these eruptions.It's not a science book, despite being laced with geologic terminology.Nor is it a disaster book, focusing on the human impact of the events.As a consequence, the work does not hold together or catch one's interest as it might.

Secondly, I found the writing style a bit bothersome.The authors appeared to be attempting to win us over to an interest in science and geology, with violent eruptions as the bait.This is especially true for the first half.The inclusion of metric only measurements supports this.It is no wonder that few scientists make great authors.

A final comment must be made on 'mother nature'.It is so often said that nature always wins in its struggle with humanity.In the chapter on Iceland's volcanic history,we learn that advancing lava was stopped from destroying a crucial harbor, by, the US Navy.Enough water was used to cool the flow and stop the movement.Few could ever have believed such a thing possible.So let's remember that mother nature doesn't always win.

Well-written and fascinating
This book offers a very well told story of some of the classical volcanic eruptions.

Even though factual informations are plentiful the text never dries up or dies out on you.

The stories are also kept in a sober voice without the irritating "CATASTROPHY-the-world-is-coming-to-an-end-today" rhetoric, but still the stories are frightening and thrilling by their own account.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the evolution of humans and their societies as well as all volcano enthusiasts.

Historical
Volcanoes in Human History- The Far-reaching Effects of Major Eruptions. This book gives stimulating, factual information on some of the worlds most influential Volcanic Eruptions. Volcanoes have influenced the worlds ecological existance from the begining of time, with some of the major eruptions being in recent times. this book is a great book for anyone who finds the field of Volcanology and Vocanoes interesting. ... Read more