Etna
A History of the Mountain and its Eruptions

A portrait from 1878 of Sicily's famous volcano, Mount Etna, by an author who had climbed it.

G. F. Rodwell (Author)

9781108028745, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 30 June 2011

186 pages, 10 b/w illus. 3 maps
21.6 x 14 x 1.1 cm, 0.24 kg

G. F. Rodwell (1843–1905) was researching an entry about Mount Etna for the Encyclopaedia Britannica when he realised that no history of this Italian volcano existed in English. He therefore he began the present work, which was published in 1878. Rodwell starts by looking at classical and literary references before giving a detailed physical description of the volcano. One chapter is devoted to explaining how to climb the mountain – something Rodwell was qualified to do, as he had scaled it himself in 1877. He also gives a historical account of the most dramatic aspect of Etna – its many eruptions, which had first been recorded as early as 525 BCE, while the most recent activity had taken place in 1874, only a few years before Rodwell's ascent. With its focus on history and geology, and inclusion of illustrations and maps, Etna gives a detailed portrait of this famous volcano.

Preface
1. History of the mountain
2. Physical features of the mountain
3. Ascent of the mountain
4. Towns situated on the mountain
5. Eruptions of the mountain
6. Geology and mineralogy of the mountain
Index.

Subject Areas: Earth sciences [RB]