- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press; 1st Edition edition (May 27 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0809321246
- ISBN-13: 978-0809321247
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13.5 x 2.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 454 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Book Description
Shortly after 5:00 P.M. On Wednesday, May 27, 1896, a Herculean tornado shattered the St. Louis Area. Within twenty minutes, 137 people had perished in St. Louis, with 118 dead across the river in East St. Louis. Along a ten-mile swath of devastation, the tornado destroyed 311 buildings, heavily damaged 7,200 others and caused significant harm to 1,300 more. Even today, that powerful cyclone of a century ago "remains the single deadliest incident to befall the St. Louis area," according to Tim O’Neil of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who wrote the foreword for this historic reprint of a book originally published by the Cyclone Publishing Company.
Heavily illustrated by photographs of the damage, The Great Cyclone was compiled from stories in the city’s daily newspapers—the Globe-Democrat, the Post-Dispatch, and, most notably, the old St. Louis Republic. O’Neil points out that "the book’s compilers are not identified, but their glowing praise of the ‘superb descriptive composition’ in the Republic provides a good guess about where most of them worked."
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A twister unraveled,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Great Cyclone at St Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896 (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).
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful reprint of a rare piece of history.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Great Cyclone at St Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896 (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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful reprint of a rare piece of history.,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Great Cyclone at St Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896 (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.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A twister unraveled,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Great Cyclone at St Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896 (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).
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great reference,
By Kurt A. Johnson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Great Cyclone at St Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896 (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. |
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