Volcanic Audiobook Libro.fm

A vibrant diverse history of Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples in the age of Romanticism

Vesuvius is best known for its disastrous eruption of 79CE But only after 1738 in the age of Enlightenment did the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii reveal its full extent In an era of groundbreaking scientific endeavor and violent revolution Vesuvius became a focal point of strong emotions and political aspirations an object of geological enquiry and a powerful symbol of the Romantic obsession with nature

John Brewer charts the changing seismic and social dynamics of the mountain and the meanings attached by travelers to their sublime confrontation with nature The pyrotechnics of revolution and global warfare made volcanic activity the perfect political metaphor fueling revolutionary enthusiasm and conservative trepidation From Swiss mercenaries to English entrepreneurs French geologists to local Neapolitan guides German painters to Scottish doctors Vesuvius bubbled and seethed not just with lava but with people whose passions interests and aims were as disparate as their origins