Krakatoa The bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman and The Map That Changed the World examines the enduring and world-changing effects of the catastrophic eruption off the coast of Java of the earth’s most dangerous volcano — Krakatoa.

The legendary annihilation in 1883 of the volcano-island of Krakatoa — the name has since become a byword for a cataclysmic disaster — was followed by an immense tsunami that killed nearly forty thousand people. Beyond the purely physical horrors of an event that has only very recently been properly understood, the eruption changed the world in more ways than could possibly be imagined. Dust swirled round die planet for years, causing temperatures to plummet and sunsets to turn vivid with lurid and unsettling displays of light. The effects of the immense waves were felt as far away as France. Barometers in Bogota and Washington, D.C., went haywire. Bodies were washed up in Zanzibar. The sound of the island’s destruction was heard in Australia and India and on islands thousands of miles away. Most significant of all — in view of today’s new political climate — the eruption helped to trigger in Java a wave of murderous anti-Western militancy among fundamentalist Muslims: one of the first outbreaks of Islamic-inspired killings anywhere.

Simon Winchester’s long experience in the world wandering as well as his knowledge of history and geology give us an entirely new perspective on this fascinating and iconic event as he brings it telling back to life.

In light if UK's 'gas cloud'

I have no idea what this "if UK" is referring to. Anyway, let me remind you of the Thera eruption. It must have been pretty darn impressive (and loud) for anyone unfortunate enough to have witnessed it - albeit briefly! (Sorry for the wicked pedophilia link.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_eruption

I remember "Krakatoa East of Java."

Wow. That's a word from my childhood that I haven't heard in decades! Thanks. I will be ordering the book.

I saw its daughter in the 1960's when in the Brit Navy, Anak Krakatoa.

The skipper took us through the Sunda Strait to have a look at it, not much to see really, a small island with some smoke above it. Most of the crew moaning about it "Don't fink much of that" What did they want, a full blown eruption?