--- product_id: 160280998 title: "A Crack In The Edge Of The World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906" price: "$33.19" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 5 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/160280998-a-crack-in-the-edge-of-the-world-america-great store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # A Crack In The Edge Of The World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 **Price:** $33.19 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A Crack In The Edge Of The World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 - **How much does it cost?** $33.19 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/160280998-a-crack-in-the-edge-of-the-world-america-great) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The international bestselling author of ;The Professor and the Madman ;and ;Krakatoa ;vividly brings to life the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake that leveled a city symbolic of America's relentless western expansion. Simon Winchester has also fashioned an enthralling and informative look at the tumultuous subterranean world that produces earthquakes, the planet's most sudden and destructive force. In the early morning hours of April 18, 1906, San Francisco and a string of towns to its north-northwest and the south-southeast were overcome by an enormous shaking that was compounded by the violent shocks of an earthquake, registering 8. 25 on the Richter scale. The quake resulted from a rupture in a part of the San Andreas fault, which lies underneath the earth's surface along the northern coast of California. Lasting little more than a minute, the earthquake wrecked 490 blocks, toppled a total of 25,000 buildings, broke open gas mains, cut off electric power lines throughout the Bay area, and effectively destroyed the gold rush capital that had stood there for a half century. Perhaps more significant than the tremors and rumbling, which affected a swatch of California more than 200 miles long, were the fires that took over the city for three days, leaving chaos and horror in its wake. The human tragedy included the deaths of upwards of 700 people, with more than 250,000 left homeless. It was perhaps the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. Simon Winchester ;brings his inimitable storytelling abilities—as well as his unique understanding of geology—to this extraordinary event, exploring not only what happened in northern California in 1906 but what we have learned since about the geological underpinnings that caused the earthquake in the first place. But his achievement is even greater: he positions the quake's significance along the earth's geological timeline and shows the effect it had on the rest of twentieth-century California and American history. ;A Crack in the Edge of the World ;is the definitive account of the San Francisco earthquake. It is also a fascinating exploration of a legendary event that changed the way we look at the planet on which we live. Review: Winchester again at the top of his game,but the edition sold with damage so the price is unrealistic - The book itself is in good condition (this is topic unrelated) but the inner leaf is torn out. This bugs me somewhat that the price is not lower since the damage is not small. Review: ... absorbing account of a timeless subject delivered in near perfect prose. - An absorbing account of a timeless subject delivered in near perfect prose. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #833,063 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3,351 in Environment & Nature #3,844 in Earth Sciences Books #4,026 in United States History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 361 Reviews | ## Images ![A Crack In The Edge Of The World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Tg74+D65L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐ Winchester again at the top of his game,but the edition sold with damage so the price is unrealistic *by T***A on 28 June 2025* The book itself is in good condition (this is topic unrelated) but the inner leaf is torn out. This bugs me somewhat that the price is not lower since the damage is not small. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ... absorbing account of a timeless subject delivered in near perfect prose. *by K***N on 29 December 2015* An absorbing account of a timeless subject delivered in near perfect prose. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Past and present processes in plate tectonics are beautifully described here *by N***E on 4 May 2016* This book makes geology exciting! Past and present processes in plate tectonics are beautifully described here. I grew up in the foothills of Mount Diablo, California, which is a special example described in a chapter of the book. I had always wondered about how the rippling layers of rock could possibly have formed, and how fossils from the former sea floor made it up so high! I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in California, general history, geology or the natural world. Winchester writes well and tells a good story. The book is gripping. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/160280998-a-crack-in-the-edge-of-the-world-america-great](https://www.desertcart.us/products/160280998-a-crack-in-the-edge-of-the-world-america-great) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-07-06*