Editorial Review:
Volcanoes have destroyed and killed throughout history, but we have never known much about them. Now a group of brave scientists are working to understand the actual conditions that cause eruptions, how to predict them, and what we can do, if anything, to temper their destructiveness. Thompson, a Time magazine correspondent, takes us from the May 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington state through new concentrated efforts to construct a wider-reaching and more rigid discipline.
Thompson spent many hours with the relative handful of scientists whom he calls "volcano cowboys." They have loaned him their field notes and shared personal stories. That vivid material combined with Thompson's ability to bring a good story to life has resulted in a book that celebrates these "cowboys," their hazardous lives, and the often harrowing decisions they must make.
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
Great fun to read, and a really good look at what can be done to save people from volcanic disasters!  2008-03-28
A fun read, slightly light on the science for technical types, but very informative about the choices volcanologists have to make, the adventure of being a volcanologist, and the risks and amazing opportunities it affords them. Reading this book made me want to be a volcanologist. ;)
Hard to put down real life drama!!!  2005-09-02
Great book about volcanoes. No, not a lot of science. No, not a lot of cool pictures. Yes, the author could have used a little more editing.
BUT, those problems aside, this is a superbly fun book to read. When reading about Pinatubo, I had trouble putting the book down. You could easily make a movie about some of these events. And the author tells the stories admirably.
For armchair volcano enthusiasts everywhere, make this one of your reads. You will be very glad you did.
Great book for a non-geologist armchair observer 2005-08-04
I'm not a scientist nor particularly interested in volcanoes, but this is some great non-fiction. It isn't a science book, although I did pick up a few facts here and there. This is a dramatic tale about the world of studying and predicting the actions of volcanoes.
The reader will learn about the economic impact of closing an area for a potential eruption, the politics of getting grants and closing areas near volcanoes, the risk of being in an active volcano area, the inside operations of the USGS, and much more. It makes for a interesting read, and I know tons more about the history of volcanic eruptions after having read this book.
Any fan of good non-fiction in the journalistic style will appreciate this book.
Great book, even for geologists! 2004-04-23
Volcano Cowboys is an excellent book about the real people behind the science. If you are looking for a book about how volcanoes form - this is not it, but it you are looking for a book about how real science is done read Volcano Cowboys!! These guys aren't the stereotypical geeky scientists we often picture sequestered in labs and pale-skinned from lack of sunlight. This is what field geology is all about - getting your feet dirty (and your pants and shirt and hands and hair)! This book is also a candid view of the politics involved in science and also the fact that volcanology, like all science, is a work-in-progress. No, we don't know everything there is to know about how volcanoes work - and that is what makes geology so very exciting!My one disappointment with the book were the pictures/figures. I want to see a diagram of Mt. St. Helens after the eruption to compare with the nice diagram of "before"!!! The photos are also a little hard to see in the paperback version.
Applied science at it's best 2003-06-03
This was simply the best (non-technical) volcano book I have ever read! I could not put it down. The main portion of the book details the first rumblings of two famous volcanoes and follows events up to their climatic eruptions. Even if you are familiar with the individual volcanoes physical history you'll be fascinated with how earth science is truly applied in the "real world" and how many other pressures (political, social and economic) scientists in this field have to deal with. When you are done reading this book you will get a glimpse of what kind of passion, dedication and craziness is needed for those working in the field.
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