Review of 'Tambora: The Eruption That Changed the World' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
The author connects discussions of Tambora and the aftermath to both [a:Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley|11139|Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1386351586p2/11139.jpg] and various epidemics in this mostly social history. Science is mostly neglected by G.D. Wood, an English professor. The bibliography is extensive; the rest of the book rambles considerably.
I did find the connection to both Shelleys, Byron and Keats interesting, and can see how it influenced their poetry and prose - especially [b:Frankenstein|18490|Frankenstein|Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1381512375l/18490.SY75.jpg|4836639]. It seems clear that Wood has published on this subject before, and he knows it well. Another interesting point was the search for the Northwest Passage, spurred by higher melt rate in the Arctic during the immediate aftermath - though the expeditions themselves happened a few years later, when weather had reasserted to a relative norm. The hopelessness of those expeditions also makes an appearance in Shelley's work, framing the story. Illustrations of paintings and excerpts …
The author connects discussions of Tambora and the aftermath to both [a:Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley|11139|Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1386351586p2/11139.jpg] and various epidemics in this mostly social history. Science is mostly neglected by G.D. Wood, an English professor. The bibliography is extensive; the rest of the book rambles considerably.
I did find the connection to both Shelleys, Byron and Keats interesting, and can see how it influenced their poetry and prose - especially [b:Frankenstein|18490|Frankenstein|Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1381512375l/18490.SY75.jpg|4836639]. It seems clear that Wood has published on this subject before, and he knows it well. Another interesting point was the search for the Northwest Passage, spurred by higher melt rate in the Arctic during the immediate aftermath - though the expeditions themselves happened a few years later, when weather had reasserted to a relative norm. The hopelessness of those expeditions also makes an appearance in Shelley's work, framing the story. Illustrations of paintings and excerpts of poems round out these contributions nicely.
Unfortunately, the author seeks to connect several things to this eruption, and not all fit. The cholera epidemic in Bengal was more about poor sanitary conditions than weather changes, and while the weather killed a season of crops in Ireland and the East coast of the US, both societies were poised to suffer at the next disturbance. This book connects a lot of events due to proximity in time, and rarely convincingly. He also ignores science, and proudly acknowledges that in the epilogue. He discusses none of the impact on species, little of the impact on crops and weather, and then only when convenient. Perhaps the worst offense was to shoot down the idea of using particulate matter to reduce global warming as bad because, well, Tambora. Duh!
It is a readable book, and does have a good bibliography. If the subtitle were "The social implications of the Tambora eruption", I might have rated it 3 stars. As it is, the 2 star rating of "It was Okay" is just about perfect.