Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author ofThe Professor and the Madman, examines the legendary annihilation in 1883 of the volcano-island ofKrakatoa, which was followed by an immense tsunami that killed nearly forty thousand people. The effects of the immense waves were felt as far away as France. Barometers in Bogotá & Washington, D.C., went haywire. Bodies were washed up in Zanzibar. The sound of the island's destruction was heard in Australia & India & 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.Krakatoagives us an entirely new perspective on this fascinating & iconic event.This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, & more.°°°Simon Winchesterwas born & educated in England. He was a foreign correspondent for more than thirty years includng twelve years for theGuardianin Asia, reporting on the Hong Kong handover to China for the newspaper in 1997, & twenty years as the Asia editor forCondé Nast Traveler. He is the author of many highly acclaimed & bestsellng works of non-fiction. He now lives in Massachusetts.