Volcanoes and Earthquakes

First published in Paris in 1866 as part of as series called Bibliothèque des Merveilles (Library of Wonders), Zurcher and Margollé's work on volcanoes and earthquakes reflects the public's increasing interest in science in the mid-19th century. Geological science had become a source of great fascination. Covering volcanoes from Etna and Vesuvius in Italy to those in the Americas and the Pacific and Indian Oceans — and even those on the moon, this book is enhanced with dramatic illustrations of eruptions and the geological formations that result, including massive craters and island caves composed of basalt blocks and pillars. This little volume of geological marvels is illustrated by Edouard Riou, well known for his illustrations for six of Jules Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires novels, including Voyage au centre de la terre (Journey to the center of the earth) in 1864, an adventure story that takes the reader under the surface of the earth, and into our geological past, via volcanic passages. Riou also illustrated another work of popular science, Louis Figuier's La terre avant le deluge (The earth before the flood), in 1863, a widely read work on geology with Riou's depictions of the earth's extinct inhabitants, which had a significant influence on Verne's underground tale.