Vesuvius: a biography

Exploring this celebrated wonder from scientific, historical, and cultural perspectives, Vesuvius provides a colorful portrait of a formidable force of nature.

Introduction. Campanian volcanoes : in the beginning. The Avellino eruption : a prelude to Pompeii. The eruption in AD 79 : the day of wrath. From antiquity to the Renaissance : tall stories. The eruption of Monte Nuovo : a new approach. The eruption in 1631 : the Counter Reformation. The old cities rediscovered : antiquity protected. Hamilton and Vesuvius : volcano-watching. Vesuvius as a tourist attraction : the Grand Tour. Persistent activity, 1822-1944 : scientific scrutiny. The Campi Flegrei : an eruption that failed. The future : the eruption to be avoided. Appendix 1. The two letters of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus about the eruption of AD 79. Appendix 2. Cassiodorus : Variae epistolae, letter 50

Introduction -- Campanian volcanoes : in the beginning -- The Avellino eruption : a prelude to Pompeii -- The eruption in AD 79 : the day of wrath -- From antiquity to the Renaissance : tall stories -- The eruption of Monte Nuovo : a new approach -- The eruption in 1631 : the Counter Reformation -- The old cities rediscovered : antiquity protected -- Hamilton and Vesuvius : volcano-watching -- Vesuvius as a tourist attraction : the Grand Tour -- Persistent activity, 1822-1944 : scientific scrutiny -- The Campi Flegrei : an eruption that failed -- The future : the eruption to be avoided -- Appendix 1. The two letters of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus about the eruption of AD 79. Appendix 2. Cassiodorus : Variae epistolae, letter 50.