• Krakatoa

  • The Day the World Exploded, August 27, 1883
  • By: Simon Winchester
  • Narrated by: Simon Winchester
  • Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,142 ratings)

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Krakatoa  By  cover art

Krakatoa

By: Simon Winchester
Narrated by: Simon Winchester
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Publisher's summary

The best-selling author of The Professor and the Madman and The Map That Changed the World examines the enduring and world-changing effects of the catastrophic eruption off the coast of Java of the earth's most dangerous volcano - Krakatoa.

The legendary annihilation in 1883 of the volcano-island of Krakatoa - the name has since become a byword for a cataclysmic disaster - was followed by an immense tsunami that killed nearly 40,000 people. Beyond the purely physical horrors of an event that has only very recently been properly understood, the eruption changed the world in more ways than could possibly be imagined. Dust swirled round die planet for years, causing temperatures to plummet and sunsets to turn vivid with lurid and unsettling displays of light. The effects of the immense waves were felt as far away as France. Barometers in Bogotá and Washington, DC, went haywire. Bodies were washed up in Zanzibar. The sound of the island's destruction was heard in Australia and India and on islands thousands of miles away. Most significant of all - in view of today's new political climate - the eruption helped to trigger in Java a wave of murderous anti-Western militancy among fundamentalist Muslims: one of the first outbreaks of Islamic-inspired killings anywhere.

Simon Winchester's long experience in the world wandering as well as his knowledge of history and geology give us an entirely new perspective on this fascinating and iconic event as he brings it telling back to life.

©2003 Simon Winchester (P)2003 HarperCollinsPublishers, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"Thrilling, comprehensive, literate, meticulously researched and scientifically accurate....It is one of the best books ever written about the history and significance of a natural disaster." (The New York Times Book Review)

"If you're looking for drama, you'll certainly find it here....Winchester manages a dry and ironic delivery, very much in keeping with his writing style. But the main point of interest when the dust has settled is the far-flung ramifications of this eruption upon world events. This is a winner." (AudioFile)

"All readers, science-prone or not, will be delighted by this experience-expanding book." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Krakatoa

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book!

Beautifully told. He mentions Frederick Church's painting whose sky was inspired by the afterglow from Nov to Mar. Not mentioned is the sky in the famous painting "The Scream" which was also inspired by that same sky effect seen worldwide, despite having been painted a decade later (see Sky and Telescope magazine a month or two ago).

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

speaker and story good, audio quality not so much

this audio really needs to be reedited with modern technology and it’s possibilities, one can tell that it is dated.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Truly enlightening

This is a studied history of one of the greatest natural events in human history, placed in its historic, social, economic and scientific contexts. Profoundly instructive and timely given our current climactic concerns.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Detailed account of the history and details around the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa.

Detailed account of the history and details around the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa. Very nice prose and narration.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Phenomenal book

This book was so much more than I expected. I was expecting a book just about the disaster, but it covered so much more. It starts off covering the initially Portuguese, and subsequently Dutch, colonial history of Indonesia and the Phillipines. Then, onto a thorough discourse about the development of the theory of evolution through natural selection, but focused on the discoveries of Alfred Russel Wallace as I have never heard that story told. Then he follows that with the discovery of the only other unifying scientific theory: Plate Tectonics. Then he gets into the geology of the Indonesian archipelago, and finally, the disaster. He describes both the disaster itself from a natural and geologic standpoint, but then he follows that up with first-hand accounts of the people who survived it. Then, a discourse on the after effects of the volcano, both from a scientific and cultural/political angle. The book is incredibly well written and narrated as all Simon Winchester's works are. With a wry wit, he tells the story of the greatest volcanic disaster in modern history in an unforgettable way. Highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Author’s voice is amazing

I could listen to that deliciously snobby Oxford voice endlessly. I think I will. His writing is is amazing to match.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It was OK. I think it would be a better read.

This book just didn't float my boat. I have a degree in Geology, but I just didn't enjoy this as an audible. Maybe I could follow it better if I read the book and not as and audible.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best writing I've ever encountered!

Narrator and author of this masterpiece composed layers of research and brilliant descriptions. Simon winchester is a true artist and I'll be searching for more titles from him now. This book looks at Krakatoa as a geological event and as catalyst for many other types of scientific and social improvement.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

So Boring

This could have been an essay, didn’t deserve to be a book. I hung in there for most of the book but it l made me so tired while working. Interesting idea but the author goes into minutia of every aspect of the history and geography. Would make a great setting for historical fiction novel!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Easily The Best Reason Why There Is Audible

The name Krakatoa has a air of mystery about it and in August 1883 it revealed itself to the world as one of the most terrifying volcanic activity producing the loudest sound ever shock waves around the world seven times and destruction
Simon Winchester and his incredible words and descriptions tells of what lead to this cataclysm deft written and spoken by Mr.Winchester it engaged the listener into the true force of Mother Nature easily one of the best audiobooks I've heard and given time will listen to it again Ten Stars!!!!!!

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