Amazon.com
On September 8, 1900, a massive hurricane slammed into Galveston, Texas. A tidal surge of some four feet in as many seconds inundated the city, while the wind destroyed thousands of buildings. By the time the water and winds subsided, entire streets had disappeared and as many as 10,000 were dead--making this the worst natural disaster in America's history.
In Isaac's Storm, Erik Larson blends science and history to tell the story of Galveston, its people, and the hurricane that devastated them. Drawing on hundreds of personal reminiscences of the storm, Larson follows individuals through the fateful day and the storm's aftermath. There's Louisa Rollfing, who begged her husband, August, not to go into town the morning of the storm; the Ursuline Sisters at St. Mary's orphanage who tied their charges to lengths of clothesline to keep them together; Judson Palmer, who huddled in his bathroom with his family and neighbors, hoping to ride out the storm. At the center of it all is Isaac Cline, employee of the nascent Weather Bureau, and his younger brother--and rival weatherman--Joseph. Larson does an excellent job of piecing together Isaac's life and reveals that Isaac was not the quick-thinking hero he claimed to be after the storm ended. The storm itself, however, is the book's true protagonist--and Larson describes its nuances in horrific detail.
At times the prose is a bit too purple, but Larson is engaging and keeps the book's tempo rising in pace with the wind and waves. Overall, Isaac's Storm recaptures at a time when, standing in the first year of the century, Americans felt like they ruled the world--and that even the weather was no real threat to their supremacy. Nature proved them wrong. --Sunny Delaney
Amazon.com Audiobook Review
Reading in his signature dispassionate style, narrator Edward Herrmann brings an eerie calm to this powerful chronicle of the deadliest storm ever to hit the United States--a huge and terribly destructive hurricane that struck land near Galveston, Texas in September of 1900. Author Erik Larson re-creates the events leading up to the disaster in astonishing detail, tracing the thoughts and actions of Isaac Cline, a scientist with America's burgeoning U.S. Weather Bureau. Cline's unwavering confidence--"In an age of scientific certainty one could not allow one's judgment to be clouded..."--blinds the meteorologist to the deadly onslaught about to be unleashed. Herrmann's calculated performance reflects the impending doom and dangers inherent to an unquestioned and absolute faith in science. (Running time: 5 hours, 3 cassettes) --George Laney
Book Description
September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange deep-sea swells and peculiar winds that greeted the city that morning. Mere hours later, Galveston found itself submerged in a monster hurricane that completely destroyed the town and killed over six thousand people in what remains the greatest natural disaster in American history--and Isaac Cline found himself the victim of a devestating personal tragedy.
Using Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, Erik Larson builds a chronicle of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude. Riveting, powerful, and unbearably suspenseful,
Isaac's Storm is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets the great uncontrollable force of nature.
Customer Reviews:
NO PICTURES.......2007-09-30
My first thoughts after finishing Isaac's storm was, that for such a big and devastating storm, it didn't seem do it justice. I wanted understanding (why didn't people leave?). I wanted some PICTURES!!.
As luck had it, someone who checked out the book before me had tucked a newspaper clipping pic in the inside flap, of the Bishops Palace and surrounding survivors w/ tons of lumber stacked up against them. THANK YOU whoever you are. I returned the picture to the flap.
Whatever happened to Dr. Samuel O.Young the amateur meteorologist? Sam kept a diary. And it seems was the only proactive person in town, in that he telegraphed his wife and children warning them not to come to Galveston because in his opinion, a big storm was coming.
One reviewer here claims Cline is a hero in Galveston but "Cline gave his official meteorological opinion that the thought of a hurricane ever doing any serious harm to Galveston was "An absurd delusion". Many residents had called for a seawall to protect the city, but Cline's statement helped to prevent its construction."
"Local legend has it that Cline took it upon himself to travel along the beach and other low-lying areas warning people personally of the storm's approach. This is based on Cline's own reports and has been called into question in recent years.
Cline did issue a hurricane warning without permission from the Bureau's central office in Washington, D.C. but by that point the city was already under water. I don't recall reading that Cline actually told anyone to get off the island..
I enjoyed the book but minus one star for lack of pictures.
I hear that John Edward Weems' book 'A Weekend in September' is also recommended reading on the 1900 storm.
Erik Larson is Quickly Becoming a Favorite.......2007-09-10
"Isaac's Storm" is a fictionalized telling of a real-time tragedy. It tells the story of the hurricane that devastated Galveston and provides impressive details on the history and science of meteorology. For the story-telling aspect of the novel, Mr. Larson uses Isaac Cline, Galveston's weather observer at the time.
Erik Larson's committment to research and detail is impeccable. I wish he had been my history teacher in high school!
Book is a Category 4.......2007-09-10
I enjoyed the book. It reminded me of a hurricane, starting slow but building as it went along.
BEATS READING THE BOOK.......2007-09-05
THIS DEFINATELY BEATS READING THE BOOK, BUT TAKE NOTE THAT THIS IS THE ABRIDGED VERSION!!!
Issacc's Storm.......2007-07-23
Again, another book by a great author, Erik Larson. I couldn't put it down, but then again I live in Florida and Hurricanes are of special interest to me. I'm not sure if you didn't live in a hurricane area, example Alaska, that this book would strike you the way it did me.
Customer Reviews:
Gorgeous Galveston.......2005-03-23
I grew up going to Galveston and have always loved this strange city. This book does a wonderful job of capturing the architecture that made Galveston unique. Clayton is definitly the definitave Galveston architect, he shaped the style of the city. Galveston was so lucky to have had him as their preeminant architect. I loved the historic pictures in the book and the text was facinating, I learned a great deal about a subject I thought I knew much about. I urge anyone who visits Houston to make it their mission to go take in Galveston and take this wonderful book with you.
A Look at a Lost Galveston.......2004-02-28
Few people have shaped the face of Galveston and Houston as much as architect Nicholas Clayon. This book compiles the architect's works in Galveston during the boom of the Gilded Isle. This invaluable resource is filled with photographs and renderings of Clayton's projects, both commercial and residential. While many of his buildings remain, many more have been lost and this book helps recreate Galveston during Clayton's time. It also includes information on other architcts who were Clayton's contemporaries. A must for anyone interested in Galveston, architecture and how one was shaped by the other through Clayton's vision.
Book Description
In the last thirty years, the Upper Texas Coast has become a "must go" destination for birders around the globe. This book will serve as an essential companion to the customary field guide and pair of binoculars for all visitors to Houston, High Island, Galveston, Freeport, or any of the area's other exciting birding spots. It also places the birdlife of the region, a seven-county area with a larger bird list than forty-three states, into historical and ecological contexts.
Authors Eubanks, Behrstock, and Weeks—all recognized authorities on the migrant and resident birds of this region—present a thorough introduction to the area's history, physiography, and avifauna. Then, in generous discussions of bird families and species, they synthesize years of records, tracking the comings and goings of more than 480 birds and incorporating their own lifetimes of experience to create an "ornithological mosaic" of lasting significance.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent book........2007-03-11
This is not a field guide, but rather a compilation of short pieces about the bird species of the upper Texas Coast. It includes maps, photos, and habitat information. As such, it provides a greater amount of information about this area than has been available in any one place prior to this. If you live, or bird in this area, it is excellent addition to your birding literature. I will go further and say that even for someone out of this area, who is interested in birds, it is extremely worthwhile. Although the individual species accounts are necessarily brief, they give you quality information about the birds,and their history in the area.
I strongly recommend purchasing this book.
Birdlife of Houston...Upper Texas Coast.......2007-01-22
Great service from Amazon; good price on the book, but I was indeed disappointed in the book. While the book is very detailed and informative, there are no pictures to accompany the interesting information associated with the species' descriptions. Unfortunately, to enjoy the book, one has to have additional books to view the bird species that Birdlife of Houston... tells about... most disappointing. The book is a great idea, but falls short on being a great choice for bird lovers in the region. I would not highly recommend it.
TX Gulf Coast birds.......2007-01-16
The book is very good for helping me identify which birds are common in my area and where they can be spotted. When I use a companion book that shows a picture of the bird and I think it might be the one I saw, I refer to this book to see if my identification was correct.
Color Pictures Needed.......2006-12-27
Since my husband and I are semi-retired, we now have more time to travel around the Gulf Coast and have enjoyed noticing the birds in the area. We discovered that we need a book about birds that will help us to identify birds, besides the mockingbirds, cardinals, bluejays, and doves that we have seen in our back yard. So after reading a very favorable review in "The Houston Chronicle" about this birding book, I gave the book to my husband for a Christmas present. Unfortunately, I did not look at the book before I ordered it. The details about each bird are very interesting, but without pictures, we still don't know how to identify many birds that we have seen.
What a fabulous book!.......2006-12-24
As one who has birded the Texas Coast since I was in my teens, I love the information, the photos and history that is covered in this book.
It is a must for serious and weekend birders of the Texas Coast.
Feather Fest is coming in March! Bring this book for a successful and
informative birding experience.
Average customer rating:
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Galveston: Ellis Island of the West (Suny Series in Modern Jewish History)
Bernard Marinbach
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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Texas | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Emigration & Immigration | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0873957016 |
Book Description
For the businessman, newcomer, or visitor, "A Marmac Guide to Houston and Galveston" provides information on population, services, recreation, accomodations, restaurants, and main attractions.
Comprehensive information in an easy-to-use format on the area's past, transportation, lodging, dining, nightlife, entertainment, shopping, sights, and more highlight this volume. While Houston holds tight to its traditions, economic development and cultural diversity are rapidly molding it into the international city of the twenty-first century. And this newly updated edition is the perfect guide with which to explore it.
The list of attractions that includes the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Space Center Houston, the Astrodome, Six Flags AstroWorld, the Port of Houston, and the Downtown Pedestrian Tunnel System is essential for anyone seeking something new and fun to do.
Customer Reviews:
GUIDE TO THE BAYOU CITY.......2006-05-12
For whatever reason this guide is not nearly as thorough as the Marmac guide to Dallas. Houston, though larger, seems to get the short shrift. Having said that the guide is well put together and most of the reviews hit their mark, but it does not have all the great gossip and trivia the Dallas guide has and frankly Houston has just as much dish. Houston is a great town, with lots to do and deserved a better tour, but if you need some history and a solid travel guide to H Town, then I do recommend this book, but Big D gets the better workup.
Book Description
Galveston-a small, flat island off the Texas Gulf coast-has seen some of the state's most amazing history and fascinating people. First settled by the Karankawa Indians, long suspected of cannibalism, it was where the stranded Cabeza de Vaca came ashore in the 16th century. Pirate Jean Lafitte used it as a hideout in the early 1800s and both General Sam Houston and General James Long (with his wife, Jane, the "Mother of Texas") stayed on its shores. More modern notable names on the island include Robert Kleberg and the Moody, Sealy and Kempner families who dominated commerce and society well into the twentieth century.
Captured by both sides during the Civil War and the scene of a devastating sea battle, the city flourished during Reconstruction and became a leading port, an exporter of grain and cotton, a terminal for two major railroads, and site of fabulous Victorian buildings-homes,hotels, the Grand Opera House, the Galveston Pavilion (first building in Texas to have electric lights). It was, writes Cartwright, "the largest, bawdiest, and most important city between New Orleans and San Francisco."
This country's worst natural disaster-the Galveston hurricane of 1900-left the city in shambles, with one sixth of its population dead. But Galveston recovered. During Prohibition rum-running and bootlegging flourished; after the repeal, a variety of shady activities earned the city the nickname "The Free State of Galveston."
In recent years Galveston has focused on civic reform and restoration of its valuable architectural and cultural heritage. Over 500 buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and an annual "Dickens on the Strand" festival brings thousands of tourists to the island city each December. Yet Galveston still witnesses colorful incidents and tells stories of descendants of the ruling families, as Cartwright demonstrates with wry humor in a new epilogue written specially for this edition of Galveston.
First published in 1991 by Atheneum.
Customer Reviews:
Galveston lovingly analyzed by an aficionado.......2005-05-17
Anyone who begins a book on Galveston by describing it as haunted knows his Galveston. A wonderful history and guide to the island by someone who truly appreciates its uniqueness. I have a bookshelf of Galveston books that I love and this one is on it.
Galvanizing Galveston.......2005-05-14
This is the most facinating and interesting book. It's amazing how much history this small island has to tell. I grew up going to Galveston and have always loved the city, but I had no idea it had this much history. You really won't be able to put this book down, every section is more intersting than the previous. Mr. Carwright has always known how to weave a tale. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in facinating history, written in a compelling way. Be aware that after you read this book you will have the most incredible desire to visit this wonderful island. Galveston is truly a treasure and I always tell anyone visiting the Houston area to make it their top priority.
The heart of Galveston.......2001-10-03
This books gives a detailed history of the island of Galveston from it's first inhabitants to present day. Unlike some historical accounts this book is a real "page turner," completely absorbing the reader in each different time period from hostile indians to mafia men. The author lays out areas on the island to explore as well as important historical landmarks. He helps one understand the rise and fall of the island's fame and fortune along with it's leading families. I highly recommend it whether you are visiting Galveston or you are just interested in history.
The best of its kind.......1999-09-23
This is simply the best and most entertaining historical study that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It literally made me laugh out loud as well as tear up several times. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. It reads like a very well written novel whose topic is endlessly fascinating. I've given it as a present several times since I first read it about 10 or 11 years ago and the recipients have all been as thrilled with it as I've been.
What a unique, enjoyable history of Galveston!.......1997-10-07
I rarely read history for pleasure ( I lean more towards murder mysteries), but I read this on the recommendation of a stranger in the local library. I was pleasantly surprised at the breadth of content which the author managed to cover in a way that reads like a popular novel. It never gets boring, but I'm sure that I irritated my husband by laughing out loud a time or two and insisting he listen to a few paragraphs. Since I grew up near Galveston and spent days on the beach from infancy to last month, I'm probably biased, but I think this book would appeal to many. Enjoy!!
Average customer rating:
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Mythic Galveston: Reinventing America's Third Coast (Creating the North American Landscape)
Susan Wiley Hardwick
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Landscape | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Texas | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Midwest | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Landscape | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Human Geography | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0801868874 |
Book Description
Despite its appeal as a natural harbor, Galveston, Texas, is located on a small Gulf Coast barrier island that makes it ill-suited for dense urban development. Early American and European settlers envisioned Galveston harbor as a place with tremendous economic potential, appropriate for urban expansion. In Mythic Galveston: Reinventing America's Third Coast, Susan Wiley Hardwick examines Galveston's rapid rise and the myth created by immigrants and boosters to promote the vision of an abundant island with a highly temperate, even tropical, climate, ideal for settlement. Hardwick's historical analysis focuses on immigrant settlement patterns and the important contributions to Galveston's evolving sense of place made by diverse ethnic and racial groups.
As the Ellis Island of the Third Coast, Galveston served as a major gateway for immigrants heading for the Great Plains, the West, and other parts of North America during the latter part of the nineteenth century and into the early part of the twentieth century. Galveston's reputation as an ethnically diverse and cosmopolitan city fostered a myth of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic harmony. Although such harmony was largely illusory, Hardwick argues that Galveston was a truly global city from the earliest days of settlement, giving it a social ambience distinct from that of the mainland. Mythic Galveston vividly illustrates how a place especially vulnerable to the forces of nature has grown into a culturally vibrant city within America's Third Coast.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Author and Story!.......2007-04-08
I've been to Galveston and took tours of the many homes the author listed in this book and knew the streets and the very railroad tracks/beach areas he spoke of, but even if I hadn't been there, the author writes in a way that will makes you *feel* like you ARE there, as the story progresses.
I have read MANY books on this storm and I can safely say THIS BOOK "The Windows of Heaven" has got to be the best researched, investigated and well written book i have ever read and come across.
It's not all statistics, and weather, he writes of survivors and their lives that led up to that fateful day so you actually feel as if you're reading an ansestors diary or as if the people actually sat down and told him the stories.
His imagination is also so realistic that you walk away believing every single word he wrote although clearly some of it [like the drowning peoples viewpoints] couldn't have came from anyone.
It's a book that has SOLD me on the author RON ROZELLE'S talents and is a book that should be carried by all Texas schools and educational systems everywhere, as mandatory reading of what that night must have been like.
It left me feeling as if I had been there and suffered along with everyone--and in spite of the heartache and despair I actually felt sorrow when the story ended, and I faced the fact that I would never be a part of these peoples lives ever again.
If you don't read this book you will never know how lacking the others are and will miss out on an excellent example of great writing--destiny will deem this a classic in due time--trust me.
Rawness of emotion and reality of utter destruction.......2006-07-27
Galveston, Texas is the sight of our nation's worst natural disaster in our history. Ron Rozelle summered in Galveston as a child and that began his fascination with the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. He was driven to tell the story in a manner that was true to history and striking enough to recreate the terror of those in the path of this storm. This book is a fictionalized account of the Galveston Hurricane of September 1900. While the weather events are factual. The people he portrays are a mixture of real people and those that Mr. Rozelle created to add depth and heart to his story. His research into the facts of the hurricane's ferocious assault of Galveston and the utter destruction of life and property is vividly portrayed. The characters bring a rawness of emotion, making the reality of the vast loss achingly real. This is a realistic and intense tale of Mother Nature in full fury.
Outstanding Reading.......2002-03-28
Ron Rozelle did a wonderful job writing this book. It is a well written piece of history. This storm event was the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Mr. Rozelle paid tribute to the people that died during and in the days following this storm. He also paid tribute to the survivors. There were a lot of sub plots happening during the time, an Mr. Rozelle did a good job incorporating them in just the right place. This book is well worth reading. I highly recommend it.
And you thought the Titanic had it bad............2001-04-26
The events that transpired in September, 1900 have been too long forgotten in the annals of American natural disasters. Ron Rozelle has painted a picture that very accurately describes the horror and heroism that occurred when one of the most intense hurricanes virtually destroyed Galveston and claimed upwards of 10,000 lives. I discovered this book after reading the recent release Isaac's Storm, a non-fiction telling of the storm and also highly recommended. Ron Rozelle has fleshed out the story without damaging the historical accuracy and brings to us a harrowing story of the people who watched their town literally dissapear beneath the waves. Very highy recommended!
A skillful weaving of fact and fiction.......2000-10-28
Ron Rozelle's second book is a well-done blend of fact and fiction. He uses many actual people and events from the Storm of 1900, the worst natural disaster in the history of the US. He writes sketches of the lives of several characters in a flash-back format and then switches to the current time, describing the coming of the storm and the blase manner in which the people approached it. Weather forecasting was in its infancy, and no one on Galveston Island realized the full impact of the pending storm. Residents had ridden out many a storm and didn't look at this potent killer in any different way from the storms which had come before. Galveston's lack of preparation and failure to build a seawall resulted in terrible destruction of life and property. Rozelle uses these elements to create a story in which the reader learns to care about the characters and then watches the courage with which they faced this catastrophe. This is a very moving book and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in this subject.
Books:
- Journey Of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives
- King of Cons: Exposing the Dirty, Rotten Secrets of the Washington Elite and Hollywood Celebrities
- Kingdom Come: The Final Victory: The Final Victory (Left Behind #13)
- Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece
- Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City
- Lady Friday (The Keys To The Kingdom)
- Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language
- Magic Item Compendium (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
- Mary Kay: You Can Have It All: Lifetime Wisdom from America's Foremost Woman Entrepreneur
- Master of Dragons (Dragonvarld Trilogy, Book 3)
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