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Rating: 
Summary: I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: Hi, I really like this book. It's bben helpfully to me for my carrer. Thanks, Michelle Trzecisnki
Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction.
Review: In a unique and very handy A-Z format, here in one volume is all the information you are ever likely to need on these most dramatic natural phenomena.
The great earthquakes and famous volcanic eruptions are comprehensively covered, with clear explanations of the geologic concepts and terms, interesting photos and maps, and thumbnail biographies of leading figures in the study of these majestic forces of nature. A particularly interesting feature is the inclusion of each state with an evaluation of its seismic potential. (There are some surprises here). Highly recommended as a very useful single-volume introduction for libraries and interested individuals. (The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)
Rating: 
Summary: A work in progress
Review: This encyclopedia begins with an entry for 'aa' (a particular type of lava flow) and ends with a page-worth of data on Yellowstone National Park. In between, all geophysical phenomena associated with earthquakes and volcanoes are covered alphabetically, including anecdotes on many individual eruptions or shakings, e.g. the Kobe earthquake in Japan. I enjoyed reading the "Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes" but thought it must be a work in progress (I have the new edition) as there were many typos and errors that even a layperson like myself could spot: •"Io is the hottest place in the solar system outside the sun (p. 105)"---actually I believe that honor belongs to Venus. Io's average surface temperature is 130 K whereas the surface of Venus averages 740 K (hotter even than Mercury). •The destruction of Saint Pierre by Mount Pelée: "only six individuals from the city survived (p. 172)"---Actually there were three survivors, but two died soon after being rescued. "The third, a convicted murderer liberated from an underground jail cell three days after the disaster, recovered from his burns and emigrated to the United States to live out his years as an attraction in the Barnum & Bailey Circus." (from "Perils of a Restless Planet" by Ernest Zebrowski, Jr.). •"One of the most powerful ([Richter] M = 9.1) and destructive earthquakes of the 20th century, the Good Friday earthquake struck the south coast of Alaska along Prince William Sound on March 27, 1964 (p. 84)." On the following page, the caption under a picture states, "The [Good Friday] earthquake had a Richter magnitude of 8.5..." I checked a couple of other books which give the Richter magnitude as 8.3 and 8.6, so I am guessing that Richter M = 9.1 is probably incorrect. Another interesting oddity concerning earthquakes, is that the authors tend to favor the Mercalli Scale, which is based on ordinary human observations, rather than the Richter Scale which defines an earthquake's magnitude in terms of the seismographically recorded ground motion. Not all of the black-and-white photographs are dated, and the cover photograph of a volcanic eruption is not identified (although a friend of mine from Oregon swears it is Mt. St. Helens). Ideally, a newer edition of this book will label all of the photographs, and perhaps include a few in color. All quibbling aside, this is an interesting book that fills a useful niche. It will definitely remain in my reference library, although I may be cross-checking some of its entries. "Appendix B" which includes "Eyewitness Accounts of Major Eruptions and Quakes" is absolutely fascinating, and it alone is worth the price of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A work in progress
Review: This encyclopedia begins with an entry for `aa' (a particular type of lava flow) and ends with a page-worth of data on Yellowstone National Park. In between, all geophysical phenomena associated with earthquakes and volcanoes are covered alphabetically, including anecdotes on many individual eruptions or shakings, e.g. the Kobe earthquake in Japan. I enjoyed reading the "Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes" but thought it must be a work in progress (I have the new edition) as there were many typos and errors that even a layperson like myself could spot: * "Io is the hottest place in the solar system outside the sun (p. 105)"---actually I believe that honor belongs to Venus. Io's average surface temperature is 130 K whereas the surface of Venus averages 740 K (hotter even than Mercury). * The destruction of Saint Pierre by Mount Pelée: "only six individuals from the city survived (p. 172)"---Actually there were three survivors, but two died soon after being rescued. "The third, a convicted murderer liberated from an underground jail cell three days after the disaster, recovered from his burns and emigrated to the United States to live out his years as an attraction in the Barnum & Bailey Circus." (from "Perils of a Restless Planet" by Ernest Zebrowski, Jr.). * "One of the most powerful ([Richter] M = 9.1) and destructive earthquakes of the 20th century, the Good Friday earthquake struck the south coast of Alaska along Prince William Sound on March 27, 1964 (p. 84)." On the following page, the caption under a picture states, "The [Good Friday] earthquake had a Richter magnitude of 8.5..." I checked a couple of other books which give the Richter magnitude as 8.3 and 8.6, so I am guessing that Richter M = 9.1 is probably incorrect. Another interesting oddity concerning earthquakes, is that the authors tend to favor the Mercalli Scale, which is based on ordinary human observations, rather than the Richter Scale which defines an earthquake's magnitude in terms of the seismographically recorded ground motion. Not all of the black-and-white photographs are dated, and the cover photograph of a volcanic eruption is not identified (although a friend of mine from Oregon swears it is Mt. St. Helens). Ideally, a newer edition of this book will label all of the photographs, and perhaps include a few in color. All quibbling aside, this is an interesting book that fills a useful niche. It will definitely remain in my reference library, although I may be cross-checking some of its entries. "Appendix B" which includes "Eyewitness Accounts of Major Eruptions and Quakes" is absolutely fascinating, and it alone is worth the price of the book.
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