An excellent book which is supposed to be about the 1883 volcanic eruption of Krakatoa. This was arguably the first ‘global village’ event as a global telegraphic network had only recently been completed, and the whole world got the news within a day or so. The book covers much more than just the eruption. There’s a history of the Dutch East India Company & Lloyds, whose officers reported on the disaster, sections on the science of plate tectonics which led to the volcano and lots more besides. The story ties together a number of different yet interrelated strands into a coherent whole and is well worth a read even for those who would not normally read a popular science title.