A Crack in the Edge of the World Author:Simon Winchester America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906. — "An absorbing narrative of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 . . . a timely study of America's risky taste for civic culture on the edge of the abyss."--The Independent — In the early morning hours of April 18, 1906, an earthquake registering 8.25 on the Richter scale struck San Francisco a... more »nd a string of towns to its north-northwest and south-southeast. The quake, lasting little more than a minute, toppled 25,000 buildings, broke open gas mains, and cut off electric power lines throughout the Bay area. Then came the firest that raged for three days, cutting a deadly 200-mile-long swath across coastal California, leaving chaos and horror in its wake while effectively destroying the gold rush capital that had stood for a half century. It was perhaps the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.
Internationally bestselling author Simon Winchester vivdly bring the cataclysm to life--offering a gascinating, in-depth exploration of a legendary event that changed the wa we look at the planet on which we live.« less