s/t: America & the Great California Earthquake of 1906
Geologically speaking, 1906 was a violent year: powerful, destructive earthquakes shook the...
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reviews
Apr 01, 2009
Trevor
rated it: 
I have to say that I really do like this man’s books. I think the only reason I would read a book on Krakatoa is because Winchester wrote it. It is also very likely that the only reason I would read a book on an earthquake is because Winchester wrote it.
Let me tell you what there is to love about this book.
Firstly, Winchester starts off by talking about the Gaia Theory – essentially that everything is related to everything else. He does this because talk of earthquakes More...
Let me tell you what there is to love about this book.
Firstly, Winchester starts off by talking about the Gaia Theory – essentially that everything is related to everything else. He does this because talk of earthquakes More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Grumpus
rated it: 
This one was tough to rate. I loved Simon Winchester’s books Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 (P.S.) and The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (P.S.) for their story-telling style. This one however, is written in a very scientific manner. Indeed, according to Amazon’s text stats, this book was written at 15.2 grade level as measured by Flesh-Kincaid readability—for comparison, Amazon indicates that only
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Dec 17, 2009
Andrew
rated it:
It takes Winchester nearly 100 pages to get into the meat of the story -- the 1906 Earthquake that destroyed San Francisco. Until then, we have to wade through tales of his Oxford days and camping on Mt. Diablo. A tough read that brings little joy -- although he does capture the sense of magic we all feel when discovering, and re-discovering, San Francisco.
Some exerpts:
"There is a tendency common to most of us to take the more modest of our landscapes for granted. More...
Some exerpts:
"There is a tendency common to most of us to take the more modest of our landscapes for granted. More...
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Aug 28, 2007
JZ
rated it:
Now I'm surprised to see so many people who didn't like this book, but I'm guessing it's more a matter of style. Winchester certainly does take his time getting to the San Francisco part of this book but it is "America and the Great California Earthquake...", and like his previous book on Krakatoa he does like taking the discussion far afield. However, it's the kind of book I like, much more about "why" and "how" rather than "who" and "when". I w
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Jan 23, 2008
Shawn
rated it:
Like a train wreck, I can't look away.
The 1906 earthquake that most notably affected San Francisco is a fascinating topic, and I like books with a bit of Science in them, but oh my god! could this author be any more of a pain in the ass? I just have to prove it with a couple of examples, but truly sir: Mr. Winchester, I implore you, where are your trustworthy editors? Nowhere, mon frere. Example One in my hypothetical thesis entitled "why Simon Winchester is a pain in the ass" More...
The 1906 earthquake that most notably affected San Francisco is a fascinating topic, and I like books with a bit of Science in them, but oh my god! could this author be any more of a pain in the ass? I just have to prove it with a couple of examples, but truly sir: Mr. Winchester, I implore you, where are your trustworthy editors? Nowhere, mon frere. Example One in my hypothetical thesis entitled "why Simon Winchester is a pain in the ass" More...
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Nov 27, 2007
Curtis
rated it:
Much of the discussion of tectonic theory and geology in Winchester's title on the Krakatoa eruption is not covered in this book for obvious reasons. I would recommend those with the interest to read that title at some point.
A fair amount of this book covers not the actual aftermath of the earthquake which most people remember as the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 but rather events leading up to it and the nature of American and world geology.
I'm not going to write a More...
A fair amount of this book covers not the actual aftermath of the earthquake which most people remember as the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 but rather events leading up to it and the nature of American and world geology.
I'm not going to write a More...
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Jan 06, 2009
Kevin
rated it: 
Wow, Mr. Winchester had a lot of time on his hands. I was expecting a different book, more concise regarding the earthquake in San Fran in the early 20th century. I wasn't expecting to learn about the Louisana purchase, and the myriad other little details that he discusses. It seemed as if in every CD the author goes off on a tangent. My wife listened in on a couple of CD's and without me prompting her, made the comment "this guy is all over the place." The last third really gets down
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Dec 01, 2007
Sarah
rated it: 
I LOVE Simon Winchester. The guy's voice is like audiobook crack: he's British and he's perfect. If you want to read his other works, definitely listen to them. Start with Krakatoa; it blew my mind.
This book is almost as good as Krakatoa. I learned a lot and couldn't believe how my public school education failed to educate me on history. I did get a little bored on the 9th CD, but the 10th picked up when he recounted his trip to Alaska and then back to Yellowstone. Certainly a must-r More...
This book is almost as good as Krakatoa. I learned a lot and couldn't believe how my public school education failed to educate me on history. I did get a little bored on the 9th CD, but the 10th picked up when he recounted his trip to Alaska and then back to Yellowstone. Certainly a must-r More...
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Jan 13, 2009
Carrie
rated it:
This was the perfect book for me to read on my vacation. Like so many of us, I love to read about the places I am traveling to while I am there, and this time I forgot to pack a California book. So, when my lovely parents-in-law gave me a copy of this book about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake I was psyched. I read the book as we were wending our way towards the City – perfect timing, because much of the book concerned the geologic causes of the earthquake, and discussed the very areas we had
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Oct 04, 2011
Gerald
rated it:
I chose this book because I was interested in the 1906 earthquake that destroyed San Francisco. That subject turned out to be less than 20% of the book’s content, which could be viewed as a benefit or a curse, depending on one’s interest in geology.
Not content to merely relate “what happened” in San Francisco during and after the earthquake, the book relates the details of world-wide tectonic plate science as it evolved over the centuries, along with earthquake and volcanic erupti More...
Not content to merely relate “what happened” in San Francisco during and after the earthquake, the book relates the details of world-wide tectonic plate science as it evolved over the centuries, along with earthquake and volcanic erupti More...
Oct 02, 2011
Elvis
rated it:
Review of the Audio Book.
Simon Winchester has one of those voices that can really get up your nose. I find him tedious and slightly patronising and smug. I've tried several of his other works and given up on them. I don't know why but this one worked for me.
I found it engaging and put across in a way that held my interest. I liked they way that he sprinkles factoids here and there and his little digressions I found filled in details in this huge canvas. I liked his system More...
Simon Winchester has one of those voices that can really get up your nose. I find him tedious and slightly patronising and smug. I've tried several of his other works and given up on them. I don't know why but this one worked for me.
I found it engaging and put across in a way that held my interest. I liked they way that he sprinkles factoids here and there and his little digressions I found filled in details in this huge canvas. I liked his system More...
Nov 22, 2010
Schmacko
rated it:
Boy howdy, Simon Winchester sure knows his geology! And while he’s telling you about it, he’ll also throw in a long tangent about camping on Mount Diablo. And then he’ll tell you about the Gaia theory. And then he might get distracted by a story from his college days. And then he FINALLY arrives – 205 pages into this book – at the Great San Francisco Earthquake, the theme of this book. But then – and I want to strangle him for this - he’ll forsake all the human lives of the city and their s
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Jan 10, 2012
April
rated it:
What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up.
Length? – Three or Four evening read.
Characters? – Many historical characters
Setting? – Globally, focuses mostly on California and how geology influences lives and politics.
Written approximately? – 2006.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – How have those influences changed since the 1906 quake. Has the politics improved, or is the town just as likely to be severely d More...
Length? – Three or Four evening read.
Characters? – Many historical characters
Setting? – Globally, focuses mostly on California and how geology influences lives and politics.
Written approximately? – 2006.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – How have those influences changed since the 1906 quake. Has the politics improved, or is the town just as likely to be severely d More...
Feb 05, 2009
Winchester's latest work is a lesson in unfulfilled expectations. Though he presents the book as a history of the San Francisco quake, over the first 200 pages Winchester offers an abbreviated version of John McPhee's Annals of the Former World. Where McPhee made clear his intentions to write a comprehensive geological history of the North American continent, critics feel duped by Winchester, or by the publisher's marketing department. Many reviewers are dismayed to see him reusing information f
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Oct 12, 2009
Melissa
rated it:
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 d More...
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 d More...
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Oct 21, 2009
Garrett
rated it:
Winchester writes about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. He began with some accounts of the quake, launches into some geology, and begins describing a trip he made to California. Yawn. For all of this, his writing style seemed over dramatic. Then he spent a few chapters giving a good little geology lesson. If not for his dramatic voice, this would have been dull indeed. Instead it was quite interesting. He follows that with a history of California and the SF area. Eventually he gets to the
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Dec 17, 2009
Big Apple Book Addict
rated it:
Similar to Erik Larson, Simon Winchester is able to carefully and meticulously render a significant historical event so that it reads like great fiction. A few chapters are little heavy on the geography side, but stick with it because it lays a great foundation for the reasons behind the 1906 San Francisco quake.
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Feb 09, 2011
Marcelo
rated it:
Very good book, and worth reading. It does take a bit to get going on the specifics of the San Francisco quake, since he first explains the whole science behind plate tectonics, prior quakes in the US, and the overall context of the California of the times. But I found that getting to know this information to better understand what really happens when the earthquake hits. if you are looking for a book trying to cover every little human anecdote of the quake, this is not it - while Winchester doe
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Jul 26, 2011
Bonnie
rated it:
A Crack in the Edge of the World is, supposedly, about the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. At least this is what I surmised from it's subtitle, America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906. Unfortunately, the greater part of the book is about the geology and science of earthquakes. It wasn't uninteresting but I admit a lot of it went way over my head. I would've preferred more on the earthquake itself and the human element of the tragedy. Instead, it felt like that part of the story w
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Feb 13, 2009
Audra
rated it:
Don't think that because I am giving this book four stars, it is an easy read. It took me six months - six PERSISTENT months - to get through it. And I loved it.
Simon Winchester graduated from Oxford University with a degree in geology, and he ABSOLUTELY writes like a British geologist. Sometimes the writing is dense, sometimes he gets off on brilliant tangents (loaded with remarkable trivia; one footnote took a half page), but his devotion to the story of the 1906 San Francisco ea More...
Simon Winchester graduated from Oxford University with a degree in geology, and he ABSOLUTELY writes like a British geologist. Sometimes the writing is dense, sometimes he gets off on brilliant tangents (loaded with remarkable trivia; one footnote took a half page), but his devotion to the story of the 1906 San Francisco ea More...
Aug 03, 2011
Michael
rated it:
Fresh back from a San Francisco trip I picked this up hoping for a social history of the Great Quake. What I've got is a book on geology with sprinkling of useless information such as a description of Neil Armstrong's Ohio hometown (huh?) and the fact that the word "muckraking" came into use in 1906.
Like Bill Bryson, Winchester is both discursive and digressive but not nearly so entertaining. In fact I would call him humorless, even with the inherently risable subject of ro More...
Like Bill Bryson, Winchester is both discursive and digressive but not nearly so entertaining. In fact I would call him humorless, even with the inherently risable subject of ro More...
Jan 26, 2010
Christopher
rated it:
Not Winchester's best book. I found myself constantly comparing this book to to Krakatoa (which I enjoyed immensely) in my mind.
Winchester spends much more time in this book explaining plate tectonics, including an over-arching travel thread from one end of the North American Plate (in Iceland) to the other (in California and Alaska). While I really do find plate tectonics fascinating (gotta love that the first supercontinent was named Ur), I found the shifting between the travel More...
Winchester spends much more time in this book explaining plate tectonics, including an over-arching travel thread from one end of the North American Plate (in Iceland) to the other (in California and Alaska). While I really do find plate tectonics fascinating (gotta love that the first supercontinent was named Ur), I found the shifting between the travel More...
Aug 24, 2011
Ellen
rated it:
I picked up this book thinking I would read about the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 - and I did. But it was so much more. I love when that happens.
Winchester has a way of weaving all sorts of minutiae into the big picture. He goes from talking about what individuals were doing at the precise moment of the quake (down to the second) to an explanation about the history of plate tectonics. He takes us on a continental trek to explain the geological basis for past earthquakes More...
Winchester has a way of weaving all sorts of minutiae into the big picture. He goes from talking about what individuals were doing at the precise moment of the quake (down to the second) to an explanation about the history of plate tectonics. He takes us on a continental trek to explain the geological basis for past earthquakes More...
May 30, 2011
Brendan
rated it: 
This book defeated me. The author teases us at the beginning with some fascinating first-person accounts of the 1906 quake and then goes into 100 pages of really dense geology. I suppose it's not unreasonable to include some discussion of plate tectonics in a book about an earthquake, but my God, this is a tedious read. There's also some contrivance about the author traveling the edge of the North American plate, which seems like a pretty thin excuse for the author to reminisce about going to
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Jan 26, 2011
Sonia
rated it:
Simon winchester is clearly a very well educated scholar and a wonderful writer. His writing style was not as raw or bland as I expected. Rather he uses sophisticated language in such a way that the story flows onwards.
Winchester opens his book with very detailed information about geology. I felt at times that I was in a lecture class at college. However, he managed to keep it interesting and had very helpful images and charts to help the reader keep up with some of the more co More...
Winchester opens his book with very detailed information about geology. I felt at times that I was in a lecture class at college. However, he managed to keep it interesting and had very helpful images and charts to help the reader keep up with some of the more co More...
Jul 02, 2009
Chris
rated it:
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
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Jul 29, 2011
Diana
rated it:
I guess I get to count this as a book read even though I borrowed it as a book on tape. I found the last half of the book to be a bit better than the first which could get bogged down a bit by the extensive discourse on geology. I do find geology interesting, but in this particular instance I was more interested in the history and wanted the same level of attention paid to the quake itself and the aftermath. It was overall a good book, but not quite as riveting as I had hoped. Also, for the sake
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Dec 13, 2011
Tom
rated it:
Another excellent Winchester history. The author tells the story not only of the famous 1906 earthquake, but the geological history and mechanics of the planet, American (West Coast largely) history and opines on the relatedness of signifignat geological events. (1905-1906 was as densely popualted with record-setting events as was 2003-2004.)
The personal, primary source based telling of the human impact and recovery of the San Fransisco quake if affecting and offsets the much thinner p More...
The personal, primary source based telling of the human impact and recovery of the San Fransisco quake if affecting and offsets the much thinner p More...
Jul 13, 2011
Kathy
rated it:
Having visited San Francisco I picked this book up on a whim because I like to read stories about familiar places. Simon Winchester begins by musing about a small town in Ohio, the birthplace of astronaut Neil Armstrong and the change to geology that resulted from his walk on the moon and the progress of the hypothesis of plate tectonics. He then goes on to give a lively version of the history of geology and California, all the while changing directions and going off into captivating and enterta
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Jul 24, 2009
Debbie (Readerbuzz)
rated it:
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 visi More...
It's a little scary to read a book about an awful earthquake while visi More...
