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Mountains of Fire

The Secret Lives of Volcanoes

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Mountains of Fire

By: Clive Oppenheimer
Narrated by: Clive Oppenheimer
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About this listen

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.

©2023 Clive Oppenheimer (P)2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Earth Sciences Nature & Ecology Science Natural History

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Critic reviews

'A fantastic account of the power and importance of volcanoes to history ... A book that will make all readers want to become volcanologists.' PETER FRANKOPAN

'Beautiful. Mountains of Fire is bursting with poetry, with storytelling.' WERNER HERZOG
All stars
Most relevant  
An always fascinating subject to me since childhood, this is a very enjoyable close up look at them. Took me to volcanoes i had never heard of as well as the well known ones.
Thoroughly recommend it

Volcanoes

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I suppose I expected a scientific textbook but discovered a biography, a travelog and an introduction into the anthropological lore of volcanoes. There is sufficient geology in here to keep an amateur scientist happy but this is more a retelling of a life dedicated to understanding volcanoes and the impact these geological superstars can have on humanity. Very well written and always interesting, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Not what I expected.

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Fascinating, beautiful written, and well read. It expertly weaves science, history and travel writing. Highly recommended.

Excellent Vulcanologist’s Memoir

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Really interesting and well written book. Narration excellent and engaging. Loved the extra field recordings of Erebus at the end.

fascinating

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I'd hoped for a book that had more technical detail, more facts rather like Dawkin's or Attenborough's books. History and poetic waffle dominate. While not a waste of time of a single listen it's not something I'd repeatedly relisten to like I do with the previously mentioned authors books.

light on technical content

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