On May 8, 1902, Mount Pelée on the Caribbean island of Martinique erupted, devastating the city of Saint-Pierre and claiming the lives of approximately 27,000 people. This natural disaster is documented by Alwyn Scarth in La Catastrophe: The Eruption of Mount Pelée, the Worst Volcanic Disaster of the 20th Century. The book meticulously reconstructs the events leading up to the catastrophic eruption, offering a day-by-day and even hour-by-hour account. Scarth relies on eyewitness testimonies and highlights the human stories of tragic loss and rare survival. The book also explores the social and political context of the time, including the decisions and misjudgments that contributed to the high death toll.

Condition: Like New