Overview

From the ancient story of Noah's deluge to the China floods of 1931 that killed more than 3million people, from the broken levees in New Orleans to submerged streets and homes all over Britain, floods have many causes: rain, melting ice, storms, tsunamis and the failures of dams and dikes. They have been used as deliberate acts of war causing thousands of casualties and have often been seen as punishments visited by vengeful gods. Flooding kills more people than any other type of natural disaster. This cultural and natural history of floods tells of the deadliest floods the world has seen while also exploring the role of the deluge in religion, mythology, literature and art.

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9781780231969

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As Withington demonstrates, floods have always been with us: they killed more than 3 million in China in 1931. If inundation has been feared since the time of Noah, it is scarcely going to be reduced by the greenhouse effect or building on flood plains. --Independent By incorporating both the fear and the fascination of floods, Withington presents a three-dimensional introduction. . . . The off-hand, easy prose could be what keeps the book refreshing rather than depressive. . . . Will be enjoyed by students of natural resource and general readers alike. Recommended. --Choice In his attractively illustrated book, Withington deals with an enormous subject at a brisk pace. He has a knack of picking out precise examples and saying just enough about them . . . what distinguishes Flood is its scope and its readiness to move on from nature and science to human concerns and the different ways they have been expressed in culture. --Eastern Daily Press Disaster historian John Withington's new book Flood: Nature and Culture reveals that dozens of religions in different parts of the world have their own tales of apocalyptic deluges--perhaps a reflection of the fact that floods are the natural disaster most commonly suffered by humanity. --Yareah Magazine

"""As Withington demonstrates, floods have always been with us: they killed more than 3 million in China in 1931. If inundation has been feared since the time of Noah, it is scarcely going to be reduced by the greenhouse effect or building on flood plains."" -- ""Independent"" ""By incorporating both the fear and the fascination of floods, Withington presents a three-dimensional introduction. . . . The off-hand, easy prose could be what keeps the book refreshing rather than depressive. . . . Will be enjoyed by students of natural resource and general readers alike. Recommended.""-- ""Choice"" ""Disaster historian John Withington's new book Flood: Nature and Culture reveals that dozens of religions in different parts of the world have their own tales of apocalyptic deluges--perhaps a reflection of the fact that floods are the natural disaster most commonly suffered by humanity."" -- ""Yareah Magazine"" ""In his attractively illustrated book, Withington deals with an enormous subject at a brisk pace. He has a knack of picking out precise examples and saying just enough about them . . . what distinguishes Flood is its scope and its readiness to move on from nature and science to human concerns and the different ways they have been expressed in culture."" -- ""Eastern Daily Press"""

By incorporating both the fear and the fascination of floods, Withington presents a three-dimensional introduction. . . . The off-hand, easy prose could be what keeps the book refreshing rather than depressive. . . . Will be enjoyed by students of natural resource and general readers alike. Recommended. --Choice As Withington demonstrates, floods have always been with us: they killed more than 3 million in China in 1931. If inundation has been feared since the time of Noah, it is scarcely going to be reduced by the greenhouse effect or building on flood plains. --Independent Disaster historian John Withington's new book Flood: Nature and Culture reveals that dozens of religions in different parts of the world have their own tales of apocalyptic deluges--perhaps a reflection of the fact that floods are the natural disaster most commonly suffered by humanity. --Yareah Magazine In his attractively illustrated book, Withington deals with an enormous subject at a brisk pace. He has a knack of picking out precise examples and saying just enough about them . . . what distinguishes Flood is its scope and its readiness to move on from nature and science to human concerns and the different ways they have been expressed in culture. --Eastern Daily Press

Author Information

John Withington is an award-winning television journalist, based in London. His books include Assassins’ Deeds (2020) and Secrets of the Centenarians (2017), both published by Reaktion Books.

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