Volcano is an emotive word, often romanticized. Many people, thinking about volcanoes, consider them thrilling, even glamorous. Etria and Vesuvius are well-known examples, and the momentous destruction of Pompeii is one of the oldest disaster stories in history. But what is a volcano? And where, how and why does volcanism exist? Are eruptions predictable, and how dangerous, or even beneficial, are they? How do they affect the environment and influence climatic conditions? This is a clear and detailed book which fully answers these questions and describes the volcanic phenomenon in all its aspects. With eyewitness accounts, ranging from Vesuvius in A.D. 79 (the younger Pliny) to Krakatoa in 1883, and other well-documented terrestrial and sub-marine instances, Dr. Peter Francis has produced an up-to-date and absorbing study, often surprising in its conclusions and always thought-provoking. - Back cover.