At 8:32am, Sunday, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State with the explosive force of more than 20 million tons of TNT. It remains the most deadly and economically destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the United States. When author Shirley Rosen first heard the news, her immediate thoughts were of her 83-year-old uncle, Harry Truman, who owned the 50-acre Mt. St. Helens Lodge resort on the shores of Spirit Lake. Harry was his given name, but if anyone asked he'd say, "Just call me Truman." Drawing from interviews and memories of working at Truman's lodge, Shirley Rosen tells the story of this salty curmudgeon who became an American folk hero during the eruption of Mount St. Helens. When the mountain gave warnings of impending danger, Truman defiantly refused to leave his home of 55 years. His rugged independence, hard-nosed business sense, and infectious humor embodied the spirit of the nation, capturing its attention and its heart. In the end, the mountain he loved had the final word. Truman's story remains a Northwest original and is forever embedded within the dynamic slopes of Mount St. Helens.

This is an epic account of volcano Mt. St. Helens' awesome display of raw-throated power; the heartbreak and anger of survivors whose lost loved ones were largely unaware that they were in danger, even 30 miles away; the thrill of scientific discovery; and, ultimately, the recovery of nature and healing of the human body and spirit.

A riveting history of the Mount St. Helens eruption that will "long stand as a classic of descriptive narrative" (Simon Winchester). For months in early 1980, scientists, journalists, sightseers, and nearby residents listened anxiously to rumblings in Mount St. Helens, part of the chain of western volcanoes fueled by the 700-mile-long Cascadia fault. Still, no one was prepared when an immense eruption took the top off of the mountain and laid waste to hundreds of square miles of verdant forests in southwestern Washington State. The eruption was one of the largest in human history, deposited ash in eleven U.S. states and five Canadian providences, and caused more than one billion dollars in damage. It killed fifty-seven people, some as far as thirteen miles away from the volcano’s summit. Shedding new light on the cataclysm, author Steve Olson interweaves the history and science behind this event with page-turning accounts of what happened to those who lived and those who died. Powerful economic and historical forces influenced the fates of those around the volcano that sunny Sunday morning, including the construction of the nation’s railroads, the harvest of a continent’s vast forests, and the protection of America’s treasured public lands. The eruption of Mount St. Helens revealed how the past is constantly present in the lives of us all. At the same time, it transformed volcanic science, the study of environmental resilience, and, ultimately, our perceptions of what it will take to survive on an increasingly dangerous planet. Rich with vivid personal stories of lumber tycoons, loggers, volcanologists, and conservationists, Eruption delivers a spellbinding narrative built from the testimonies of those closest to the disaster, and an epic tale of our fraught relationship with the natural world.

This comprehensive book addresses the pressing need for up-to-date literature on volcanic destinations (active and dormant) and their role in tourism worldwide in chapters and case studies. The book presents a balanced view about the volcano-based tourism sector worldwide and discusses important issues such as the different volcanic hazards, potential for disasters and accidents and safety recommendations for visitors. Individual chapters and case studies are contributed by a number of internationally based co-authors, with expertise in geology, risk management, environmental science and other relevant disciplines associated with volcanoes. Also covered are risk aspects of volcano tourism such as risk perception, risk management and public safety in volcanic environments. Discussions of the demand for volcano tourism, including geotourism and adventure tourism as well as some historical facts related to volcanoes, with case studies of interesting socio-cultural settings are included.

On the verge of Mt. St. Helens’ historic eruption, three women must face the mountain: two to search for their missing husbands; the third, to rediscover her life… After a local mountain becomes a deadly and imminent threat, three strikingly different women become linked in a desperate mission. Children’s author Katherine Sommers is searching for her depressed husband, David, and their son Brian, camping together on Mt. St. Helens’ tumultuous north slope. Mellie Sedor seeks her husband, Daniel, who has taken a logging job to pay for their daughter’s chemotherapy. Fashion photographer Jen Stockton joins Cowlitz County Sheriff Frank McKenzie, himself the victim of a brutal loss, in his quest to evacuate the awakening volcano. Jen came to the mountain in an effort to recover the peace she experienced as a child. Instead, she finds destruction and heroism, tragedy and friendship. When Women Strive Together, They Can Face Even the Unthinkable. Written by best-selling and award-winning author Lauraine Snelling, The Way of Women celebrates the resilience and strength of women, both individually and collectively, in the face of extraordinary crisis.

"The air had no oxygen, like being trapped underwater...I was being cremated, the pain unbearable."--Jim Scymanky "I was on my knees, my back to the hot wind. It blew me along, lifting my rear so I was up on my hands...It was hot but I didn't feel burned--until I felt my ears curl."--Mike Hubbard A napping volcano blinked awake in March 1980. Two months later, the mountain roared. Author Richard Waitt was one of the first to arrive following the mountain's early rumblings. A geologist with intimate knowledge of Mount St. Helens, Waitt delivers a detailed and accurate chronicle of events. His eruption story unfolds through unforgettable, riveting narratives--the heart of a masterful chronology that also delivers engrossing science, history, and journalism.

The Guardian's Best Science Book of 2017: the fascinating science and history of the air we breathe. It's invisible. It's ever-present. Without it, you would die in minutes. And it has an epic story to tell. In Caesar's Last Breath, New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean takes us on a journey through the periodic table, around the globe, and across time to tell the story of the air we breathe, which, it turns out, is also the story of earth and our existence on it. With every breath, you literally inhale the history of the world. On the ides of March, 44 BC, Julius Caesar died of stab wounds on the Senate floor, but the story of his last breath is still unfolding; in fact, you're probably inhaling some of it now. Of the sextillions of molecules entering or leaving your lungs at this moment, some might well bear traces of Cleopatra's perfumes, German mustard gas, particles exhaled by dinosaurs or emitted by atomic bombs, even remnants of stardust from the universe's creation. Tracing the origins and ingredients of our atmosphere, Kean reveals how the alchemy of air reshaped our continents, steered human progress, powered revolutions, and continues to influence everything we do. Along the way, we'll swim with radioactive pigs, witness the most important chemical reactions humans have discovered, and join the crowd at the Moulin Rouge for some of the crudest performance art of all time. Lively, witty, and filled with the astounding science of ordinary life, Caesar's Last Breath illuminates the science stories swirling around us every second.

This cultural journey down memory lane showcases how major Western figures, events, and places have been portrayed in folk legends, art, literature, and popular culture. Ever since the days of the 49ers and George Armstrong Custer, the Old West has been America's most potent source of legend. But it is sometimes hard to separate fact from fiction. Did you know, for example, that Annie Oakley was a talented marksman who shot an estimated 40,000 rounds per year while practicing and performing for Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show in the late l800s? Or that many interpreters believe that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is not just a fairy tale, but also a Populist allegory? These are just two of the folk legends dissected and examined in this veritable cultural geography. The volume covers everything from billionaire Howard Hughes and composer Aaron Copeland to Aztlan (the legendary first city of the Aztecs) and Area 51, the top-secret U.S. Air Force base at Groom Lake, Nevada, that has fascinated UFO and conspiracy buffs.

From the author of "A Wall of White," the thrilling account of a spectacular mountain rescue after six climbers are struck by lightning in the Upper Exum Ridge of the Grand Teton near a 13,000-foot elevation.