| Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 257 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1600
Category: Book
Author: Erik Larson
Publisher: Vintage
Studio: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Label: Vintage
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0375708278
Dewey Decimal Number: 976.4139
EAN: 9780375708275
ASIN: 0375708278
Publication Date: July 11, 2000
Release Date: July 11, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product 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.
Amazon.com 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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 252 more reviews...
 I've always said the Weatherman prevails even when he's wrong{{ September 6, 2008
Erik Larson has documented an extraordinary narrative of an epic storm which killed over 6,000 people and wiped out the City of Galveston, Texas.
Here we find Isaac Cline employed as the resident U.S. Weather meteorologist failing to warn the residents of Galveston of an epic hurricane which was larger and more powerful than Hurricane Katrina which happened 105 years later.
It's rather incredible that hardly any warning was given. Isaac Cline was a good man. He just made a great mistake. This is a gripping true tale. Larsen wrote a great book. Five Stars!!
a reminder of tragedy August 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Isaac's Storm, published in 1999, is the story of the most horrible hurricane in American history. While reading, I wondered if Hurricane Katrina had outstripped the Galveston hurricane described by Larson. It did not. The Galveston hurricane claimed at least 6,000 lives and the entire town. Hurricane Katrina, however, claimed less than 2,000 lives according to most estimates. While Katrina is the most tragic natural disaster of our age, our forebears experienced even worse. The Isaac of the title is Isaac Cline, the U.S. Weather Bureau's chief observer in Galveston. Larson weaves meteorological details of the storm with the story of Isaac and other Galveston residents as well as the bureaucratic failures that left the city vulnerable. The story is touching and, at times, horrifying. Larson clearly conveys the fear residents felt during the storm and the way it changed the lives of survivors forever. I cannot imagine living through such an ordeal. This is a wonderful precursor of Larson's later work, The Devil in the White City. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed that book.
Never thought I'd enjoy a book about the weather so much! August 18, 2008
I had never given much thought to the origins of weather forecasting. This book goes through much of the history (and the politics) of how it all began in the US through the life of weatherman Issac Cline, who, in being a perfect product of his time, makes it all fascinating . I did not want to put this book down. This book takes us back and forth between the history of weather and the creation and path of a dangerous storm that eventually devastates a Texas coastal town.
Highly recommend!
Isaac'sStorm August 9, 2008
Isaac's Storm,a non -fiction account of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, reads like a book of fiction. Itis all true. If you are interested in the weather and how The U.S. Weather Bureau began, or if you love to vacation on Galveston Island this is a must read. Thunderstruck and Devil in the White City by this auther are also really good.
J.S. Texas
There Have Always Been Harrowing Storms August 9, 2008
Much national attention was paid to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, and rightly so, but as Erik Larson so vividly illustrates in this book, there have always been harrowing storms. There has just not been, until recent years, the capability for extensive media coverage to keep everyone informed. In ISAAC'S STORM, Mr. Larson weaves a tense historical account of the approach of "the deadliest hurricane in history" to the then teeming city of Galveston, TX. The author also brings insight into the struggles of a fledgling national weather bureau, but the real heart of the book is the page-turning narrative of ordinary people dealing with the unbelievable effects of a monster storm.
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