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Overview*As heard on DESERT ISLAND DISCS* CHOSEN AS ONE OF WATERSTONES' BEST BOOKS OF 2023 'If Michael Palin had been a volcanologist, this is the book he would have written... A darn good read.' LITERARY REVIEW 'What the French adventurer Jacques Cousteau was to the hidden world under our seas, Oppenheimer is to the hidden, molten world bubbling under our feet.' SUNDAY TIMES 'A book that will make all readers want to become volcanologists.' PETER FRANKOPAN 'Gripping ... like a thriller ... Oppenheimer is better than good. This is terrific.' SPECTATOR 'Beautiful. Mountains of Fire is bursting with poetry, with storytelling. ' WERNER HERZOG __________ Volcanoes mean so much more than threat and calamity. Like our parents, they've led whole lives before we get to know them. We are made of the same stuff as the breath and cinders of volcanoes. They have long shaped the path of humanity, provoked pioneering explorations and fired up our imaginations. They are fertile ground for agriculture, art and spirituality, as well as scientific advances, and they act as time capsules, capturing the footprints of those who came before us. World-renowned volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer has worked at the crater's edge in the wildest places on Earth, from remote peaks in the Sahara to mystical mountains in North Korea. His work reveals just how entangled volcanic activity is with our climate, economy, politics, culture and beliefs. From Antarctica to Italy, he paints volcanoes as otherworldly, magical places where our history is laid bare and where nature speaks to something deep within us. Blending cultural history, science, myth and adventure, Mountains of Fire reminds us that, wherever we are on the planet, our stories are profoundly intertwined with volcanoes. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Clive OppenheimerPublisher: Hodder & Stoughton Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton Dimensions: Width: 16.40cm , Height: 3.60cm , Length: 24.00cm Weight: 0.620kg ISBN: 9781529351095ISBN 10: 152935109 Pages: 368 Publication Date: 24 August 2023 Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , General , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print  This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsReviewsBeautiful. Mountains of Fire is bursting with poetry, with storytelling. Clive is one of the rarest of men driven by nomadism, courage, and curiosity. What he studies, volcanic eruptions, are in the rank of things that are mighty, grave, and great. Like a magma eruption, his wonderful prose even spills over into footnotes at the end. Normally, such notes are tucked away, because they are boring and pedantic, but here they are as readable and exciting as the book itself. -- WERNER HERZOG I absolutely loved this book - it's so full of passion, wonderment, philosophy, anthropology and most of all volcanoes! It ignited my mind and delighted my imagination. I loved the deep and poignant connections between history, meaning and people, but it's Clive Oppenheimer's dazzling charisma and thrilling experiences that infuse this book with an energy befitting our planet's most powerful force. -- SARA DOSA, director of the BAFTA-nominated film Fire of Love A global tour of some of the world's most fascinating volcanoes ... From North Korea to Antarctica to the Caribbean, he brings the reader along with extraordinary access onto the very flanks of volcanoes. Oppenheimer's deep knowledge of these mountains of fire, combined with his eye for detail and his deep respect for those living alongside volcanoes, yields a thoroughly delightful and accessible exploration of these geological wonders. -- Alexandra Witze, author of ISLAND ON FIRE Witty, precise, evocative. Clive Oppenheimer is a beautiful writer and spectacular scholar. He guides us safely through the smelly, noisy blast furnaces of volcanic craters and lava flows. Mountains of Fire tells the story of a volcano doctor who measures the temperature and chemical compounds in volcanic 'breath' while recounting the history, adventures, and spirituality surrounding these wonders of the world. -- Terry Plank, Professor of Earth Science, Columbia University I have to thank God on my knees that Oppenheimer's book [Eruptions That Shook the World] did not exist at the time I made my decision to become a filmmaker. I might have become a volcanologist instead. -- Werner Herzog What the French adventurer Jacques Cousteau was to the hidden world under our seas, Oppenheimer is to the hidden, molten world bubbling under our feet. * Sunday Times * Breathtaking. Weaving together geology, history, culture with dramatic personal adventure, Clive Oppenheimer takes us deep into the beating heart of our planet. -- ANIL SETH, author of Being You A fantastic account of the power and importance of volcanoes to history. Clive Oppenheimer takes us on a wonderful tour of some of the world's best and least known volcanoes in a book that will make all readers want to become volcanologists. -- PETER FRANKOPAN Beautiful. Mountains of Fire is bursting with poetry, with storytelling. Clive is one of the rarest of men driven by nomadism, courage, and curiosity. What he studies, volcanic eruptions, are in the rank of things that are mighty, grave, and great. Like a magma eruption, his wonderful prose even spills over into footnotes at the end. Normally, such notes are tucked away, because they are boring and pedantic, but here they are as readable and exciting as the book itself. -- WERNER HERZOG Thrilling! An explosive account of the inner lives of volcanoes, and how they have touched our lives through history. Adventurous, gripping science writing at its very best. -- LEWIS DARTNELL, author of Origins On almost every page of his book - which is at once a history of volcanology and a memoir of Oppenheimer's own research expeditions - there is some display of mind-boggling bravado in the face of Earth's pyrotechnics ... as Oppenheimer shows, such fascination [with volcanoes] is practically ubiquitous across every culture and epoch. Volcanoes have always been seen as numinous places, where the boundaries are blurred between the living and the dead, between material reality and the netherworld ... Faced with violent geological forces beyond our control, some of us are not content merely to keep our distance from them, but instead feel compelled to fathom their mysteries ... It's an excellent thing that scientists like Oppenheimer exist to pursue such a noble cause. * The Times * I absolutely loved this book - it's so full of passion, wonderment, philosophy, anthropology and most of all volcanoes! It ignited my mind and delighted my imagination. I loved the deep and poignant connections between history, meaning and people, but it's Clive Oppenheimer's dazzling charisma and thrilling experiences that infuse this book with an energy befitting our planet's most powerful force. -- SARA DOSA, director of the Academy Award-nominated film Fire of Love [Oppenheimer] blends science, history, and cultural traditions from communities around the world to deliver a riveting account of active volcanoes. Escorting readers on an educational, often frightening, but always adventurous global tour, Oppenheimer is an uber-experienced and well-informed guide. . . Readers will marvel at Oppenheimer's close calls, risky research, and elegant writing style that delightfully weaves his perilous excursions with exacting science and rich ethnography. * Booklist * An engrossing, richly detailed journey into the mysterious world of volcanos and volcano enthusiasts. Clive Oppenheimer's passion for his subject begins in the realm of science and ends with the human soul. -- HELEN GORDON, author of Notes from Deep Time Witty, precise, evocative. Clive Oppenheimer is a beautiful writer and spectacular scholar. He guides us safely through the smelly, noisy blast furnaces of volcanic craters and lava flows. Mountains of Fire tells the story of a volcano doctor who measures the temperature and chemical compounds in volcanic 'breath' while recounting the history, adventures, and spirituality surrounding these wonders of the world. -- Terry Plank, Professor of Earth Science, Columbia University A global tour of some of the world's most fascinating volcanoes ... From North Korea to Antarctica to the Caribbean, he brings the reader along with extraordinary access onto the very flanks of volcanoes. Oppenheimer's deep knowledge of these mountains of fire, combined with his eye for detail and his deep respect for those living alongside volcanoes, yields a thoroughly delightful and accessible exploration of these geological wonders. -- Alexandra Witze, author of ISLAND ON FIRE Author InformationClive Oppenheimer is a volcanologist and filmmaker. He is Professor of Volcanology at the University of Cambridge, where he has been based for 30 years. His research seeks to understand how volcanoes work and to probe the connections between eruptions, climate and society. He has conducted fieldwork around the world - either at the crater's edge peering in with assorted monitoring devices or hunting for the far-flung deposits of Earth's greatest eruptions. He has also made two documentary features with legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, INTO THE INFERNO (Netflix, 2016) and FIREBALL: VISITORS FROM DARKER WORLDS (Apple TV+, 2020). Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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