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

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.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
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, but in fact, these dangers have always stalked mankind. From ancient volcanoes and floods, to cholera and smallpox, to Hitler and Stalin's genocidal murders during the twentieth century, our continued existence as a species is always perilous.

Now, out of our horror comes an epic journal that goes through the history of the catastrophes that have ravaged the planet Earth. Disaster! offers perspective on today's fears by revealing how dangerous our world has always been, and giving the epic stories of some of the most devastating events to mar our history. Natural disasters and man-made catastrophes mark every era since the dawn of man. Here is the Black Death that killed seventy-five million people 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 much more. Train crashes, air disasters, and shipwrecks litter human history and by reading, you will find that these are only the beginning. Sure to startle, inform, and entertain, Disaster! is a book of serious history that is also as much fun as any horror film.