In the dead of winter, a super EMP destroys the nation's power grid. No electricity. No cars or phones. Worst of all: No heat. The country is plunged into instant chaos. But for twenty-six-year-old Hannah Sheridan, it's the best day of her life. For the last five years, she's been held captive by a sadistic psychopath--until the EMP releases the lock of her prison.Hannah emerges from her underground cell into a hostile winter landscape with no way to call for help, no vehicle that will drive, armed with nothing but the clothes on her back and her own determination to survive.Liam Coleman, cynical loner and former soldier, is headed nowhere fast. He believed he was prepared for any disaster--until the EMP took everything he'd ever cared about in a matter of seconds. When he runs across a desperate woman who will die without his help, he's forced to make a choice.Two hundred frozen, perilous miles stand between them and their destination in rural Michigan. But the lack of power, desperate people, and the treacherous elements aren't the only threats.Hannah's captor isn't about to let her go. He will hunt her to the ends of the earth and beyond, destroying anything and anyone who gets in his way. For she has something he wants--she's nine months pregnant with his child.Edge of Collapse is a gripping post-apocalyptic EMP thriller perfect for fans of Ryan Schow, Grace Hamilton, Harley Tate, Jack Hunt, and Boyd Craven.

Collapse Operations for First Responders discusses in detail the common warning signs of structural collapse and what to do when they are encountered, providing a practical, hands-on approach to operating safely and effectively in collapse rescue situations. Discussion is chiefly directed toward one of the most common types of structures around the country, wood and brick-and-joist (ordinary-constructed) buildings, known as URM (unreinforced masonry) construction. Various types of shoring and cribbing techniques vital to collapse rescue operations, as well as void size-up, safety at collapse operations, tools used in voids, and void procedures are explored. Collapse Operations for First Responders is a must-have resource for firefighters, officers, chiefs, and technical rescue response personnel.

Explains, using examples of structural collapses from around the world, the science behind structural engineering and the reasons behind engineering failures.

'A grand sweep from a master storyteller of the human race' DAILY MAIL 'Riveting, superb, terrifying' OBSERVER From the ghostly stone heads of Easter Island to crumbling Mayan cities hidden deep in the jungle, the mysterious ruins of lost worlds and vanished civilizations continue to haunt us. How could such mighty societies fall? And could our skyscrapers one day stand derelict and overgrown like ancient temples? Jared Diamond takes us on an epic journey around the globe, through the history of humanity and on to the future, to discover how - when tomorrow comes - we can be survivors. 'A book that has to be read . . . highly readable, highly persuasive and richly informative' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'Gripping . . . the book fulfils its huge ambition, and Diamond is the only man who could have written it' ECONOMIST 'This book shines like all Diamond's work' SUNDAY TIMES 'Magnificent' THE NEW YORK TIMES

On the night of November 9, 1989, massive crowds surged toward the Berlin Wall, drawn by an announcement that caught the world by surprise: East Germans could now move freely to the West. The Wall—infamous symbol of divided Cold War Europe—seemed to be falling. But the opening of the gates that night was not planned by the East German ruling regime—nor was it the result of a bargain between either Ronald Reagan or George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. It was an accident. In The Collapse, prize-winning historian Mary Elise Sarotte reveals how a perfect storm of decisions made by daring underground revolutionaries, disgruntled Stasi officers, and dictatorial party bosses sparked an unexpected series of events culminating in the chaotic fall of the Wall. With a novelist’s eye for character and detail, she brings to vivid life a story that sweeps across Budapest, Prague, Dresden, and Leipzig and up to the armed checkpoints in Berlin. We meet the revolutionaries Roland Jahn, Aram Radomski, and Siggi Schefke, risking it all to smuggle the truth across the Iron Curtain; the hapless Politburo member Günter Schabowski, mistakenly suggesting that the Wall is open to a press conference full of foreign journalists, including NBC’s Tom Brokaw; and Stasi officer Harald Jäger, holding the fort at the crucial border crossing that night. Soon, Brokaw starts broadcasting live from Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, where the crowds are exulting in the euphoria of newfound freedom—and the dictators are plotting to restore control. Drawing on new archival sources and dozens of interviews, The Collapse offers the definitive account of the night that brought down the Berlin Wall.

Rule of law has vanished in America’s criminal justice system. Prosecutors decide whom to punish; most accused never face a jury; policing is inconsistent; plea bargaining is rampant; and draconian sentencing fills prisons with mostly minority defendants. A leading criminal law scholar looks to history for the roots of these problems—and solutions.

Collapse cloth--cloth that, when removed from the loom and washed, takes on an entirely different appearance as the threads draw up and create puckers. Combinations of various weaving techniques are presented alongside photos and diagrams, providing clear instructions for sewing scarves, wraps, tops, and harem-style pants made from this fluid and unusual cloth. Additional chapters describe in detail how to warp the loom and add special effects such as double weave, supplementary warps, spaced cloth, overshot, and deflected double weave. Tips for those who want to spin their own yarn for collapse projects are also included.

Here is a clear and enthusiastic introduction to building methods from ancient time to the present day, illustrated throughout with line drawings. In addition, Mr. Salvadori discusses recent advances in science and technology that have had important effects on the planning and construction of buildings.

Collapse and Recovery of the Roman Empire presents a study of third century Rome, which is lavishly illustrated and a lucid read, typical of Michael Grant's inimitable style. In Collapse and Recovery of the Roman Empire, Michael Grant asserts that the fact that the Roman empire of the third century AD did not collapse is one of the miracles of history. He argues that at that time the empire seemed ripe for disintegration and expresses amazement that it continued, in the west, for another two hundred years, and in the east, for far longer. Michael Grant examines the reasons for collapse, including analyses of the succession of emperors, the Germans and the Persians and also, the reasons for its remarkable recovery, including discussions of strong emperors, a reconstituted army, finance and coinage and state religion.

What if our civilization were to collapse? Not many centuries into the future, but in our own lifetimes? Most people recognize that we face huge challenges today, from climate change and its potentially catastrophic consequences to a plethora of socio-political problems, but we find it hard to face up to the very real possibility that these crises could produce a collapse of our entire civilization. Yet we now have a great deal of evidence to suggest that we are up against growing systemic instabilities that pose a serious threat to the capacity of human populations to maintain themselves in a sustainable environment. In this important book, Pablo Servigne and Raphaël Stevens confront these issues head-on. They examine the scientific evidence and show how its findings, often presented in a detached and abstract way, are connected to people’s ordinary experiences – joining the dots, as it were, between the Anthropocene and our everyday lives. In so doing they provide a valuable guide that will help everyone make sense of the new and potentially catastrophic situation in which we now find ourselves. Today, utopia has changed sides: it is the utopians who believe that everything can continue as before, while realists put their energy into making a transition and building local resilience. Collapse is the horizon of our generation. But collapse is not the end – it’s the beginning of our future. We will reinvent new ways of living in the world and being attentive to ourselves, to other human beings and to all our fellow creatures.