Choose any audiobook from over 180,000 titles... yours to keep with a free trial.
Search Suggestions
A riveting history of how the cataclysmic Lisbon earthquake shook the religious and intellectual foundations of Enlightenment Europe.Along with the volcanic destruction of Pompeii and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Lisbon quake of 1755 is one of the most destructive natural disasters ever recorded. After being jolted by a massive quake, Lisbon was then pounded by a succession of tidal waves and finally reduced to ash by a fire that raged for five straight days.In The Last Day, Nicholas Shrady provides not only a vivid account of this horrific disaster but also a stimulating survey of the many shock waves it sent throughout Western civilization. When news of the quake spread, it inspired both a lurid fascination in the popular imagination of Europe and an intellectual debate about the natural world and God's place in human affairs. Voltaire, Alexander Pope, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, among other eminent figures, took up the disaster as a sort of cause célèbre and a vehicle to express Enlightenment ideas. More practically, the Lisbon quake led to the first concerted effort at disaster control, modern urban planning, and the birth of seismology. The Last Day is popular history writing at its best and will appeal to readers of Simon Winchester's Krakatoa and A Crack in the Edge of the World.
More
"An elegant, pertinent study." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Smart, stylishly written history." (Publishers Weekly)
We've sent an email with your order details. Order ID #:
Listen on the Audible app or these devices.
Launch Audible App-or-
Download Free Audible AppTo access this title, visit your library in the app or on the desktop website.
Listen on the Audible app or these devices.
Launch Audible App-or-
Download Free Audible AppAudible does not currently have the rights to sell this title in your country.
Please consider another book.
Continue BrowsingPlease add a payment method to continue.
Add a Payment MethodPlease edit your payment details or add a new card.
If the problem persists, contact customer service at (888) 283-5051
Review My Payment MethodIf the problem persists, contact customer service at (888) 283-5051
Please select a default credit card to continue.
Select Credit CardIt looks like you've already used the specified payment method for a free trial.
Please contact customer service if you think we have made a mistake. (888) 283-5051
Start Your $14.95 MembershipIf the problem persists, contact customer service at (888) 283-5051
If the problem persists, contact customer service at (888) 283-5051
