Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Preface ix
4. Acknowledgments xv
5. Table of Conversions xvii
6. 1 Earthquakes: Origins and Consequences 1
7. 2 In the Holy Land: Earthquakes and the Hand of God 22
8. 3 The Decline of Ancient Sparta: A Tale of Hoplites, Helots, and a Quaking Earth 45
9. 4 Earthquakes in England: Echoes in Religion and Literature 65
10. 5 The Great Lisbon Earthquake and the Axiom “Whatever Is, Is Right” 88
11. 6 New Madrid, Missouri, in 1811: The Once and Future Disaster 108
12. 7 Earthquake, Fire, and Politics in San Francisco 139
13. 8 Japan’s Great Kanto Earthquake: “Hell Let Loose on Earth” 170
14. 9 Peru in 1970: Chaos in the Andes 194
15. 10 The 1972 Managua Earthquake: Catalyst for Revolution 221
16. Afterword 243
17. Glossary 245
18. Notes and References 253
19. Index 269