A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906

I could listen to Simon Winchester read the telephone book because he has a great voice, but he happens to be a wonderful author and brilliant geologist as well. At the end he speaks about the Anchorage earthquake of 1984. I think you'll enjoy this story.

I am considered it to be a rambling concoction. It lacked the drama of Krakatoa.

Very well researched. Details superb and presented in a very entertaining way. We'll done!

Very interesting book on the history of Frisco, as it relates to the 1906 earthquake. Being a California resident I was surprised how much I didn't know about this event and what happened before, during, and after. A little deep scientifically in the middle of the book for a non-scientist, but informative and pertinent to the topic so I learned much about geology I didn't know. Good read as always from Winchester, and well researched as always.

I appreciated not only the depth of science, but also the history and humanity surrounding the major historic world tremors.

Winchester's tendency to focus on the human element while avoiding getting bogged down in triviality is one of his most admirable traits as a writer.

The tale of Enrico Caruso's variety of experiences on the day of the Earthquake is memorably funny

Enrico Caruso stands out as the funniest of the bunch, though thankfully, there isn't a lot of "character" voicing.

Some Cities Live Dangerously!

A nice western companion to Winchester's Krakatoa, though I still slightly prefer that book.

If you are looking for a book about the San Francisco earthquake, read chapter 10. If you are interested in earthquakes, eclectic information about quakes, and a story that jumps like a conversation, this is it. It is an interesting book with information on seismographs, beliefs about the causes of earthquakes by various groups (before modern understanding of quakes), and how at least one religion got its start because of the San Francisco quake.

I only made it thru half of this book and I'm surprised I held out this long. You would have to be a tremendous geology fan to enjoy this in my opinion.

This is a stellar book which takes a historical event and allows one to see it through the lense of its affect in the USA. For a non-Bay Area the author has an increible insight to the local area and its impact on the world.

Mr. Winchester is not a geologist or even a scientist. Rather he is a journalist whose writing wanders around the 1906 earthquake, declares the evils of capitalism (including an anti-Walmart rant) and delineates a plan for terrorists to blow up the Alaska pipe line. This is geology??