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Book Review
DoubleDeckerPress.com
Have you ever thought about how many of our national parks
feature volcanoes? I would never
have guessed that there are at least 38! The
volcanoes highlighted in this new book by Robert and Barbara Decker,
“Volcanoes in America’s National Parks”, are categorized as “active”,
“sleeping” or “ancient”.
As a volcano-enthusiast, I’ve visited many of the parks that are
described and I found myself wishing I’d had this book as a guide prior to my
trips. It is succinct, useful, understandable as well as small
enough to be easily carried along. As
in prior books the Deckers have written about volcanoes – they make the
science of volcanology very accessible to those of us who are interested
non-scientists.
Each of the volcanoes in this book is described in terms of
their geological formation as well as their current descriptive features.
Every one includes a map of the location, directions on how to get there,
the climate, essential information such as fees or facilities available, contact
information including web sites for each location, and brief “volcano facts”
– all on a summary page at the end of each chapter.
This quick reference guide would be particularly helpful in choosing your
next adventure and planning the trip.
The Deckers’ color photographs are outstanding and make
each of the locations come alive. Personally,
I’m drawn to the “Volcanoes Alive” section which includes volcanoes that
have erupted in the 20th century. I have visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Mount St. Helens National
Volcanic Monument in Washington, Katmai National Park and Preserve and
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Reserve both in Alaska. The remaining “volcanoes alive” are now definitely on my list : Lassen Volcanic National Park in California, Lake Clark
National Park and Preserve and Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, in
Alaska.
This unique guidebook is published by Odyssey Press in
paperback for $24.95. It is
distributed by WW Norton 1-800-233-4830. I’d
recommend it for any volcano-enthusiast, whether you’re interested in planning
a trip or vicarious enjoyment of the volcanoes in our national parks.
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