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WHY THE EARTH QUAKES

Name: WHY THE EARTH QUAKES
Author: Matthys Levy
ISBN: 0-393-03774-6

THE STORY OF EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES

by Matthys Levy & Mario Salvadori ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 9, 1995

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A nifty popularization of the hard science and history of volcanoes and earthquakes. Levy and Salvadori are structural engineers who admit that we ``still do not entirely understand `how earthquakes work,' '' and the ability to predict when they will occur still eludes us. But we can ``forecast quite accurately where they will happen and how powerful they might be.'' The understanding that an earthquake is the ``sudden slipping'' of tectonic plates goes back only 40 years, the authors note, and represents the ``resounding triumph of seismology.'' A prime objective of Levy and Salvadori is to demonstrate the interrelationship of volcanoes and earthquakes. They do so successfully by using several examples such as the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. It is believed that a series of earthquakes in 1990 triggered that eruption, which, though it claimed 900 lives, could have been far worse but for the attentive monitoring of seismographs, thermometers, and inclinometers spread throughout the islands. The authors recount numerous other quakes and eruptions, including that of Mount Saint Helens in 1980; Krakatau, an island off Sumatra that ``destroyed itself'' in 1883; and the ruin of the glorious city of Lisbon in 1755 from ``three great shock waves'' and the resulting tsunami and raging fires. The Lisbon disaster and the devastation of southern Italy in 1783 led, according to the authors, to the formal study of earthquakes, i.e., seismology. They also provide a look at what architects have learned from these occurrences and offer advice to individuals and homeowners on safety precautions and correct survival behavior during these powerful phenomena. A fun, sturdy book filled with helpful charts and dozens of illustrations.

Pub Date: Oct. 9, 1995

ISBN: 0-393-03774-6

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1995

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.