Disaster!: A History of Earthquakes, Floods, Plagues, and Other Catastrophes

by John Withington

Tune into the news today, and one would think that human beings were at risk of being wiped from the face of the earth-by tsunamis, earthquakes, swine flu, or terrorism. One could be forgiven for thinking that we are in far more danger today than ever before. The fact of the matter is that danger has always stalked mankind. From ancient volcanoes and floods to the cholera and small pox, to Hitler and Stalin's genocidal murders during the twentieth century, our continued existence has always seemed perilous. Now, out of our horror comes an entertaining and epic journal through the history of disaster. Disaster! offers perspective on today's fears by revealing how dangerous our world has always been. Natural disasters and man-made catastrophes mark every era. Here is the Black Death that killed seventy-five million in Europe and Asia during the 1300s; the 1883 volcanic eruption on Krakatoa; the Irish potato famine of the mid-nineteenth century; the Nazi Holocaust; the 1970 storm in Bangladesh, now considered the deadliest in history; and more. Train crashes, air disasters, and shipwrecks litter human history. Sure to scare, inform, and entertain, Disaster! is a book of serious history that is as much fun as any horror film.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Audiobook

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

John Wihtington is a television producer and writer, Among his television credits are 'Royal London' (LWT), 'From Marx to the Market' (BBC2) and 'Global Gamble' (Channel 4). He writes regularly for newspapers and magazines and the author of Shutdown, a book about the effects of shipyard closures on Teesside.

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for a general overview of various catastrophes of ancient and modern times, this book is okay. Each chapter is devoted to a specific disaster (quakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, madmen) along with the total count of human loss. I found the crazy leader section the most intriguing, noting that the Three Horsemen (Hitler, Stalin, Mao) did more damage than the plague.

However, I wasn't completely satisfied. There are grammar errors throughout and I was a bit upset that the author used centigrade as his unspoken temperature standard. That's fine if it's spelled out or notated as a number, but to assume the reader would think that "38 degrees" is hot means the American editors were lazy when it came to the U.S. edition.

Book Season = Year Round (because you never know)

[George Huss · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is more of an extensive catalog of catastrophes throughout history, covering everything from natural disasters to industrial accidents and pandemics. While the book provides a broad survey of tragic events, its structure leans heavily on brief, factual summaries rather than in-depth analysis. This approach makes it an informative reference, but to me, it lacks the narrative cohesion or thematic exploration that could have made it more engaging. I found this to be a difficult read, hence why it took me so long to finish it. Overall, readers looking for a compelling story or a deeper reflection on the human response to disasters may find the book dry and repetitive.

The absence of an overarching message or argument leaves Disaster feeling more like an encyclopedia than a cohesive work of nonfiction. Without a strong narrative or deeper discussion of the social, political, or scientific implications of these disasters, the book struggles to maintain momentum. If you’re looking for a detailed but impersonal collection of disaster facts, this book delivers. However, if you’re hoping for a thought-provoking exploration of how disasters shape societies and human resilience, I do not recommend this book.

[Ami · Rating 1 out of 5]

Encyclopedic in nature, there didn't seem to be any cohesive narrative. The book jacket says that the author "puts the dangers of the modern world in a new perspective and offers us a fresh way to look at our past", which is what I was expecting. I thought there would be some commentary about the types of disaster, one that would, maybe, put things in a new perspective. But I couldn't find anything like that, and without even the hope of an epilogue (there isn't one), I gave up reading. If I wasn't expecting a narrarative, if I was soley offered a compendium of Shit Happening, I would be happier to read one.

For unifying theses and a much better book in general, try Amanda Ripley's The Unthinkable.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading this in 2018 I made a note 'mediocre, nothing new' so I am not wasting time trying to review it now in 2025. The intervening years won't have improved it - books aren't like wine.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite ones were the diseases as I thought the natural disaster ones could have been written better. Which is where it lost the star. However when it was good it was really good. Like, I think it was about the plague when they were talking about quarantine and how they decided to let a ship with silk on it in before the days had past because it had valuable stuff on it. And then the next sentence is like. "50 000 people died." I'm sorry I laughed. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE THINGS LIKE THAT GUYS.

It was one of the books where I'm like. I have no idea how we as a species survived this long.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 376 pages of text, this book catalogs 19 different varieties of disasters, starting with the natural and moving on to the man-made. Warning: Most of these were included because they resulted in hundreds of casualties. Keep your tissues nearby.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of disasters covered, natural and human.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neither well organized nor comprehensive. Nevertheless a solid basic introduction to disasters throughout history bolstered only by a few random anecdotes. This is mostly about what, when where and type.

[c · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean it was fine, but really, it just read like a disaster porn Wikipedia entry after entry aftera while.

[Allyson Dyar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I subscribe to quite a few Kindle Bargain Book daily e-mails in hope that I’ll find something interesting enough to spend a whole $1 on or get for free (free is good!)

I’ve always been interested in disasters, how people cope despite the odds against their survival, and the aftermath. So when Disaster!: A History of Earthquakes, Floods, Plagues, and Other Catastrophes by John Withington showed up in one of those newsletters for either for free or a buck, I figured, why not.

I just hope I didn’t spend any money on this turkey. Seriously, I read the book in an afternoon and found that I wanted my time back. About the only thing I liked about the book was the fact that the author did choose a few obscure disasters and managed to convey the information decently.

I recommend this book if you are able to get it for a decent price (preferably free) and you are interested in a fairly superficial introduction to various disasters man-made and man-created.

I give this book 3/5 stars as it really isn’t worth a second read.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It covers every category you can think of, from prehistoric volcanic eruptions to modern rail crashes. There are some cases where you would like to know more, but I think that part of the purpose of the book is to encourage people to look for more details from a more specialist source if you want them.

There are a few typos in this edition and the author does seem to confuse flammable/inflammable on a regular basis, but it's an interesting read, if inevitably a little depressing when he gets to subjects such as the two world wars.

[Rebecca Haslam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I was even just a little aware of some of the tragedies and disasters that have befallen the world in recent times, but this book proved me wrong to a huge degree. To think of all the lives lost, the stories mentioned in the pages of this book is to think of how fortunate we are, to still be living, to do so in relative safety. I feel for anyone who has lost a friend or loved one in such tragic circumstances as those mentioned in this book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a few weeks to read this book. Usually I get impatient when books take that long but this one was really fascinating. I had never heard about a lot of these disasters. There were some typos and I wish some of the events were described a little more. I liked that the book was divided into a lot of sections so it was easy to start and stop.

[Barun Ghosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to remind us of how volatile our lives are on planet earth. From the Black Death that changed European history to the enormous volcanic eruptions in Indonesia which altered the world's atmosphere for more that a year, this book makes one realise how powerful Mother Nature still is.

[Mike Stuchbery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little waltz through human misery.

[Matthew Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a little overview. nothing spectacular.

[Mirunaaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book in order to improve my general culture and i believe I did it. Easy to read and full of information.

[SmokingChagga · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice collection of sad shit, though i wish some events were described more.