A review by luisvilla
The Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906: How San Francisco Nearly Destroyed Itself by Philip L. Fradkin

5.0

If you read only one book about the earthquake, this is it. Heck, if you read only one book about pre-1960s San Francisco, this is probably it too - great introduction to the human story of the earthquake and how it was tied up in the economy, racial politics, etc. of San Francisco - not just pre-'06, but post-'06 as well. Three particular themes are worth noting here. First, there is much focus on how California thought about earthquakes - both in terms of not preparing pre-'06, and (new to me) how it labeled the event a "fire" to downplay earthquake risks post-'06. Second, and also related to the fire, it talks a lot about the human role in the fire, and how there is substantial evidence that people trying to solve the problem of the fire may have made things worse by blowing things up and causing more fire. Finally, it talks about the myth of looting - where it came from; how little evidence there is for it; and how people were actually substantially constructive towards each other after the fire. All of those are worth keeping in mind next time you see reports of alleged "mass looting" after another natural disaster. All in all a terrific work of history.

Tangentially, this is much better, in my opinion, than the more commonly recommended [b:A Crack in the Edge of the World|25013|A Crack in the Edge of the World|Simon Winchester|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388275942s/25013.jpg|4621201], which is perhaps a more entertaining read, but much, much less informative.