I found this book to be an almost definitive work on ALL of the aspects of this event, not just restricted to the geological.. it includes in considerable fascinating depth, glimpses of the reigious - socio - policital involvments of the Native Indonesions and the Portuguese and Dutch; the history of Plate Techtonics, as related to adjacent but radicallly differently rooted species both Plant and Animal, etc. Opened with a short history of why in the heck any Occidentals would be there in the first place; Pepper, of all things... Mr. Wnchester weaves it all so thoughly such that you have a complrehensive and well developed view of history before during and after the events of August 1883 and indeed are left with the feeling that indeed this is DeJa vu... what has been and will be again sooner than any would like.. An excellent, if possible, over-deep, work.