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	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
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Travel & holiday

THE LAST VOLCANO

John Dvorak

A Man, a Romance, and the Quest to Understand Nature's Most Magnificant Fury

Ranging from Yellowstone in Wyoming to Mount Pelee in the Caribbean, Bogoslof and Pavlov in Alaska, Sakurajima in Japan, and finally, the mighty Kilauea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii?The Last Volcano reveals the incredible journey of a man on a mission to understand the awesome power of volcanic eruptions.

Volcanoes have fascinated?and terrified?people for ages. They have destroyed cities and ended civilizations. John Dvorak, the acclaimed author of Earthquake Storms, looks into the early years of volcanology and its "father," Thomas Jaggar. Jaggar was the youngest of five scientists to investigate the explosion of Mount Pelee in Martinique, which leveled the entire city of St. Pierre and killed its entire population in two minutes. This explosion changed science forever, and Jaggar became obsessed with understanding the force of nature that could do this. A colorful cast of scientists wind their way through The Last Volcano, including an escaped slave who became the leading volcanic guide in Hawaii. But the focus is on Jaggar, who was so fixated on volcanology that he moved to a small house overlooking the lava lake of Kilauea, much to the derision of the scientific community. Falling in love a widowed schoolteacher who shared his passion, Jaggar devoted his life to studying volcanic activity and the mysteries beneath the earth's surface. From their precarious perch, this dynamic husband and wife duo would discover a way to predict volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, promote geothermal energy, and theorize new ways to study the ocean bottom. John Dvorak, PhD, has studied volcanoes and earthquakes around the world for the United States Geological Survey. He has written cover stories for Scientific American, Astronomy and Physics Today. Dvorak lives in Hawaii, where he operates the telescope at Mauna Kea.

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Book Published 2015-12-15 by Pegasus

Comments

In this vividly written exploration of Jagger’s life and work, Dvorak (Earthquake Storms, 2014) covers not only the early years of volcanology but also dives into what propelled Jagger to fight so hard to learn more about volcanoes and the price he paid?a failed marriage and distant children?to gain that knowledge. Dvorak brings him to life in a richly researched narrative as thrilling as his topic, creating the sort of popular science history that flies off the shelves.

Dvorak layers mini-portraits in chronologically complex strata. Volcanos can seem like a distant threat. But Dvorak raises the stakes by examining a wider geologic network of earthquakes and tsunamis?and a human network of scientists who truly saved lives. Their shared passion, and Dvorak's own palpable love for the subject, send up sparks.

Jaggar's thrilling adventures to volcanic hot zones like Alaska and Hawaii, where he explored inside active volcanoes, makes one appreciate the fearless nature required for a life of volcanology. Riveting. It leaves readers wanting to know more about how volcanology how has advanced since Jaggar's day.

First-rate reporting and erudition underlie this successful effort to re-establish the reputation of an indispensable scientist.

A lively biography of the forgotten father of volcanology. Jaggar investigated volcanoes with iron-willed determination and an often dangerous obsession. Dvorak is a great storyteller with a keen eye for details, he takes his readers into volcano craters and across molten lava. There are parts in The Last Volcano where Mr. Dvorak’s descriptions of the intense heat almost singe the page. Riveting. Read more...