Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes--these all stem from the same forces that give our planet life. It is only when they exceed our ability to withstand them that they become disasters. Viewed together, these events have shaped our cities and their architecture; elevated leaders and toppled governments; influenced the way we think, feel, fight, unite, and pray. The history of natural disasters is a history of ourselves. In The Big Ones, renowned...

"We've always lived on a dangerous planet, but its disasters aren't what they used to be. How the World Breaks gives us a breathtaking new view of crisis and recovery on the unstable landscapes of the Earth's hazard zones. Father and son authors Stan and Paul Cox take us to the explosive fire fronts of overheated Australia, the future lost city of Miami, the fights over whether and how to fortify New York City in the wake of Sandy, the Indonesian...

"Seismic City argues that the disaster of 1906 must be understood as part of the ordinary relationship between the city and its natural surroundings. Despite its short-term drama and immediate impact on people's lives, the 1906 earthquake and fire did not transform the history of San Francisco. Instead, San Franciscans rapidly incorporated the crisis into pre-existing debates about urban ecology, urban development, and social relations in the city....