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Publisher:
William Morrow / Harper Collins |
Release
Date: 08/10/2004 |
ISBN:
0-380-97310-3 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Advanced Reader Copy |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Nonfiction / History / Archeology |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Carisa Weeaks |
Reviewer
Notes: |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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Ghosts of Vesuvius
A New
Look at the Last Days of Pompeii, How Towers Fall, and Other Strange
Connections
By Charles Pellegrino
Volcanoes,
as far as modern terms, are geological vents for the inner layers
of molten earth to release excess pressure that builds up as the
continental plates shift and move. In historical terms, however,
they are the beginning and the end of many civilizations. They were
the keys to creating and shaping the continents we call home and
the seas that surround us. Mount Vesuvius is one of those volcanoes
that have been seen as the gods of destruction and rebirth. In 79
A.D., Mount Vesuvius’ eruption demolished two of the most
advanced cities of Ancient Rome: Pompeii and Herculaneum. Charles
Pellegrino expands on the continuous research and study of these
two preserved archeological sites, not only about the life that
surged through their streets, but also of the theories about how
the last day of those thousands of people was really like, but not
before taking us on a massive journey through the history and theory
about the true role of volcanoes in the creation of our planet,
and what even happened before that.
Pellegrino
has done an incredible job with this book. The writing style is
a bit hard to decipher, even for an English major like myself, but
once I started getting further and further into the book, I got
more and more into picturing the portrait that Pellegrino has painted
about the history of the universe and that horrific day thousands
of years ago. I definitely recommend it for anyone who is interested
in the deep, mysterious history of nature and its interactions with
the human civilization.
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