9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful reprint of a rare piece of history., April 10, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Great Cyclone at St Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896 (Shawnee Classics) (Paperback)
Bravo to the Southern Illinois University Press for reprinting this wonderful historical account of a horrific natural disaster. The pictures alone tell an incredible story of destruction. Interviews with people show the biases of the time, and it is written in melodramatic tones typical of the 1890s. It is hard to read this book without picturing yourself as being a part of the event then, or picturing such an event happening today. This event changed thousands of lives a century ago, but its significance has faded with passing years. It is a valuable reality check to have this account reprinted, so that we can be reminded that battling nature, overcoming devastation, and exercising a will to rebuild are common themes which reach back far beyond our world today.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A twister unraveled, February 3, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Great Cyclone at St Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896 (Shawnee Classics) (Paperback)
So much has been written about this storm over the years and so much erroneous. Major tornado histories have stated there was no funnel cloud but as we know from this book that was true at the start of the storm but later in its path there clearly was a funnel--the book even describes its location at cloud level AND ground level--and then multiple funnels were evident. This contemporary account from more than a century ago still provides riveting reading. Perhaps one day someone will likewise document the Sept. 29, 1927, tornado which similarly has been misreported over the years (no funnel in that one, too, reportedly except I've spoken to people who SAW it).
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great reference, December 30, 2008
This review is from: The Great Cyclone at St Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896 (Shawnee Classics) (Paperback)
On Monday, May 27, 1896, a supercell thunderstorm spawned a tornado, which touched down in St. Louis, Missouri, traveled across the Mississippi River, and then cut through East St. Louis, Illinois. By the time the storm spent itself, some 400 people were dead (255 confirmed - 137 in Missouri and 118 in Illinois), and numerous homes, businesses and public buildings were destroyed in the two cities.
On June 5, 1896, the Cyclone Publishing Company obtained a copyright for a book on the tornado - nine days after the even occurred! How could anyone produce a book so quickly after the tornado? Simple, the contents of this book are drawn from articles that appeared in local newspapers.
Now, that has its good and points. First of all, the chapters of the book are not laid out in a chronological order...or in any other recognizable order for that manner. Also, the newspapers of the day tended to write in a flowery, emphatic language, and also tended to embellish.
But, that said, this book is a great reference, filled with many excellent first-hand accounts of what happened on that fateful day - what people saw, and what they felt. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the St. Louis - East St. Louis tornado of 1896.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
