A Review of Three Books on Natural Natural disasters are frightening and fascinating certainties here on Planet Earth. They are an inevitable part of the human experience and should be examined as an important aspect of a good education. Their occurrence needs to be recognized, studied, and understood. Exploring the distinction between truly natural disasters and those caused by human activities can provide the students with new perspectives. Due to the sensational nature of the topics, courses about natural disasters enjoy great popularity on many college campuses, and help to excite interest in the sciences among students. Natural and Human by Nicholas K. Coch (Prentice Hall, ISBN 0023229926), Earth's Fury, An Introduction to Natural and Disasters by Robert L. Kovach (Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0130424331), and Disasters, An Analysis of Natural and Human-Induced Hazards by Charles H. V. Ebert (Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, ISBN 0787270733) are all textbooks dealing with the subject of natural disasters. Each author has interpreted this area of study with his own style. In addition, supplementary on-line materials pertaining to natural disasters and hazards are available from Prentice Hall in City: Assignments in Applied Geology by Hobart King. Geohazards presents its subject matter in a progressive and thorough manner. The author builds the ideas and concepts contained in this text with a firm foundation in geology. The book has sixteen chapters. The first three chapters explain the fundamentals of geology and are followed by Volcanic Hazards, Earthquakes, Soil Erosion and Sediment Pollution, Streams, Groundwater, Landslides, Subsidence and Collapse, Atmospheric Geohazards, Waste Disposal and Geohazards, Estuarine and Wetlands Problems, Problems of Mangrove Wetlands and Coral Reefs, Coastal Problems, and Severe Weather Hazards. Each major topic is described with relevant geologic processes, hazards, and mitigation discussed in individual subsections. This provides clear understanding of the concepts introduced. The text is well supported with many informative illustrations, all in color, and case histories. Of the many illustrations, the diagrams are exceptionally effective in clarifying and reinforcing the concepts presented in the reading. The photographs are visually appealing and efficient in illustrating the hazards in real-life settings and in emphasizing the pertinent geology. The author recognizes the importance of maps in relating geologic concepts. The charts and graphs effectively present information. Case histories are presented as inserts in the relevant sections. These accounts describe the occurrence of some notable disasters and warn of dangerous geologic hazards. The reality of the images is thought provoking. The reading is captivating, and the stories are all well documented. Each chapter ends with a summary, a list of key terms, thoughtful review questions, and some suggested readings. The book closes with two appendices, a metric conversion section, a detailed soil classification table, an informative glossary, and a well-organized index. In the on-line supplement City: Assignments in Applied Geology, the student becomes a geologist, gathering and analyzing information, processing it, making assessments, and giving recommendations. The scenarios include Volcanic Hazard Assessment, Earthquake Damage Assessment, Flood Insurance Rate Maps, Landslide Hazard Assessment, Snowpack Monitoring, Groundwater Contamination, Coal Property Evaluation, and Landfill Siting. Earth's Fury features a dynamic, fact-filled narrative. The text has ten chapters. After a brief introduction, the topics are Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Earthquake Engineering, Landslides and Land Movement, Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought, Atmospheric Hazards, Oceanographic Hazards, River Floods, and Some Accident Scenarios. Each chapter begins with basic information on its topic. …