The Volcano Adventure Guide

A beautiful book that exceeded my expectations, which were pretty high to begin with. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the Hawaiian volcanos, which I had never fully appreciated or understood until now. Having heard Rosaly Lopes speak on several occasions, her unique style - clear, precise and also very personal - comes through in the text. She is the guide you would want to accompany you to any of the volcanic sites discussed in the book, whether on Earth or Io. This is the next best thing.

The Volcano Adventure Guide by Rosaly Lopes (a planetary volcanism expert for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California) is a marvel for both amateur volcano enthusiasts and professional volcanologists. Written especially for those who desire to personally explore volcanoes without being foolish or taking reckless risks, chapters are packed with advice for preparing for a volcano trip, including how to avoid common dangers, contact details for societies and holiday companies offering volcano tours, geological and travel maps, tour descriptions of 42 different volcanoes and much more. As enjoyable for the armchair traveler as it is for the gung-ho enthusiast determined to see a volcano up close and personal, The Volcano Adventure Guide is a delight enhanced with full-color photographs cover to cover.

Are you a tourist? Do you want to see a volcano? An active volcano? Or maybe a geyser? Then this book is for you! Beautifully illustrated, with excellent maps, it tells all about what you can see and what it all means. Rosaly Lopes, an award-winning volcanologist, describes the different types of volcanic eruptions, and then gives some advice and rules for visiting volcanoes safely. If you are serious about being in a potentially dangerous area, that means helmets, gas masks, gloves, sturdy boots, and eye protection. She also gives some advice on volcano photography. Next are field guides to visiting specific volcanoes in Hawaii, the continental USA, Italy, Greece, Iceland, Costa Rica, and the West Indies. There's all kinds of material about each of the major volcanoes and geysers there. In addition, there is some practical advice. Don't carry a purse in Naples! Lopes had two of them stolen less than twelve hours apart there. In Iceland, we see a photo of the Viti ("Hell") crater with a thick layer of ice over part of it, proving that Hell can freeze over. Lopes has personal accounts of her visits to many of these volcanoes. That includes her first visit to Arenal, which could have been dangerous and is used as an example to show the importance of knowing exactly where one is and just how dangerous the volcano is. And there's all sorts of anecdotal material. For example, Mount Kilimanjaro, a very beautiful African volcano was given as a birthday present from Queen Victoria to her grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. This entire book is simply fascinating. I highly recommend it.

"The Volcano Adventure Guide" by Rosaly Lopes inspires, educates and guides the reader to one of the last true remaining adventures: visiting active volcanoes. This book, destined to become a travel writing classic, fills and bridges an important gap between travel books, science books, and adventure guides. In today's globalized world with tourists traveling to every continent and climate zone on the planet, few sights and experiences remain as thrilling as the sight, feel, smell and sound of an active volcano. Rosaly Lopes' book achieves the rare goal of addressing several interested groups simultaneously: it provides the volcanophile of any background with all the information necessary for a safe and hassle-free visit; it introduces the non-scientist and dreamer of volcano adventures to a basic understanding of how volcanoes work; and at the same time serves as a useful reference to the career research scientist planning his or her research campaign. This book contains a wealth of first-hand information and is very well researched, yet provides information in sufficiently concise form to keep the reader's interest. Dr. Lopes' style of writing is smooth and easily understandable, even to non-native English speakers. This book is also highly recommended for older children and teens, who will love the many amazing and beautiful photographs, as well as the accessible teachings on volcanos. This quickly became my new favorite book, and I have kept it on my coffee table within easy reach ever since. Its content, depth, style and accuracy is unprecedented in the field of volcano travel writing, and it is also a very visually appealing book with great photography and maps. This book is a must-read - prepare to have your dreams inspired, and to be compelled to go out into the world to explore volcanoes!

Volcanologist and geophysicist Dr. Rosaly Lopez's new book is a must for everyone interested in volcanos. The beautifully layouted and very cheap (compared to its quality) book starts with a virtual journey through the world's variety of volcanoes, then goes on to a general description of volcanism, its fundamental scientific concepts, that are accurately described in an easy-to-understand language. A detailed chapter is dedicated to giving practical information and lots of useful advise of how to best and actually visit a real volcano: essential preparation, equipment, information sources about the state of a volcano, volcano-related and other general hazards are carefully described, as well as how to minimize them. The second part of the book,- my favourite,- picks a number of volcanoes that are all reasonably accessible, often active, and very well known to the author: From Hawai'i and Mt. St. Helens in the Cascades, the journey goes to Europe with the volcanoes in Italy and Greece, and elsewhere such as in Costa Rica. These volcanoes are presented with a solid scientific background such as their geologic history and geographical information, as well as carefully researched, rarely otherwise found stories that surround them. Then, pratical information is given of how to actually visit them, including tips for accommodation and travel, detailed maps and itineraries. In particular, I enjoyed reading Rosaly's language, which is easy to read, accurate and up-to-date. At the same time, it is also warm and personal, sometimes spiced with subtle humor. The book is definitively bridging the gap between the scientific community (who often do not like to share their priveledge in know-how of acessing a volcano to others) and the interested non-specialist wishing to see a live volcano. As volcanologist and tour organizer to volcanoes myself (www.volcanodiscovery.com), I would strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in volcanoes, both from a scientific interest as well as from the pure pleasure of enjoying their exceptional beauty. Excellent drawings, maps, and brilliant photographs round out the book. Tom Pfeiffer - Hilo, Hawaii, 25 Feb. 2005