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CHOICE Review

An interesting collection of essays, some reprinted and published under the auspices of UNESCO, includes accessible papers by distinguished scientists and journalists on a wide range of natural hazards: earthquakes, land subsidence, volcanoes, avalanches, floods, cyclones, lightning, fires, and drought. The common theme of the essays is prediction and emergency preparedness. Although virtually nothing can be done to prevent natural disasters-with the exception of land subsidence-prediction and preparedness can often deflect the resulting human tragedy. These essays are likely to stimulate many term papers for college and high school students interested in geology, environmental sciences, and public policy. Most of the 24 chapters contain their own bibliographies, and there is a brief bibliographic appendix to the whole work. Sketches are good, but the photographs are atrocious. Highly recommended.-M.T. Katzman, University of Texas at Dallas