The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

The Story of the Deadliest Earthquake in American History

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Kat Marlowe

Length: 1 hr and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

"[I]t does not seem to have affected anyone with a sense of final destruction, with any foreboding of irreparable disaster. Everyone is talking of it this afternoon, and no one is in the least degree dismayed. I have talked and listened in two clubs, watched people in cars and in the street, and one man is glad that Chinatown will be cleared out for good; another's chief solicitude is for Millet's 'Man with the Hoe'. 'They'll cut it out of the frame', he says, a little anxiously. 'Sure.' But there is no doubt anywhere that San Francisco can be rebuilt, larger, better, and soon. Just as there would be none at all if all this New York that has so obsessed me with its limitless bigness was itself a blazing ruin. I believe these people would more than half like the situation." - H.G. Wells

On the morning of April 18, 1906, most of the residents of the city of San Francisco were sound asleep when the ground started to shake. But what started as fairly soft tremors turned into a violent shaking in all directions. The roar of the earthquake unquestionably woke up residents, at least those fortunate enough not to be immediately swallowed by the cracks opening up in the ground. The earthquake lasted about a minute, but it had enough destructive force to divert the course of entire rivers and level much of the ninth-largest city in America at the time.

Unfortunately for San Franciscans, the worst was yet to come. During the earthquake, the city's gas mains and water mains were ruptured, which had the effects of starting a number of fires and preventing the residents from being equipped to fight them.

©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors

terror reigns

Although this is a short book, it was an incredible tale! I enjoyed the sections of first person accounts the most! Seeing it from their own eyes really brought this audio book to life! It's hard to imagine the terror, the heart ache and the determination to rise above and rebuild! It's part of our American spirit and I'm grateful to be a part of this wonderful country!

The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

Would you consider the audio edition of The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 to be better than the print version?

I never read the print version BUT I totally believe this audio version would be better Kat Marlow kept my interest

Who was your favorite character and why?

was not a favorite

What about Kat Marlowe’s performance did you like?

this is a documentary and she was able to hold my interest where I do not think reading would have

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

it was interesting some of the things that we as people did no spoilers

Any additional comments?

I am going to read the next 1889 because listening to this one one peeked my interest

Love history

Where does The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Parts were hard to follow with the different cadence of speach from that time but overall, very facinating.

What did you like best about this story?

I like that even with how long ago this occured, there are still several "eye witness" accounts.

What about Kat Marlowe’s performance did you like?

People talked slightly different back then, Kat did wonderful with those differences in speech patterns.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Some of the choices the army were hard to listen to.

Any additional comments?

I admire the firefighters and the challenges they faced in fighting the fires resulting from the quake.

Loved the story

Kat Marlowe did a great job as always. Loved the storyline. Learned a lot that I did not know

A little disappointing

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably worth the one hour it took.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

More detailed information.

What does Kat Marlowe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Not sure.

Could you see The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

The relating of this issue could have been much better.

Interesting documentary...

What about Kat Marlowe’s performance did you like?

I always enjoy Kat Marlowe's narrations. She speaks clearly and with passion. She makes a great storyteller.

Any additional comments?

This was the first time I listened to a documentary. I watch documentaries on television all the time, but I found listening about the earthquake very interesting. I actually learned quite a bit since I really didn't know too much at all. The narrator held my attention throughout which is something I probably wouldn't have been able to do reading the book on my own.

Hard to listen to

So many unnecessary details about street locations, couldn't make it past 30 minutes. They should paraphrase some of the accounts