Åbo Akademis bibliotek

Disasters are part of our national history and some were so terrible in their consequences, like the Black Death, the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, that they have come to define an era. In regional history, too, they have had an extraordinary effect, and this is the theme of Glenda Goulden’s gripping book. From the long history of East Anglia she has selected those disasters that have had the deepest impact and reconstructed them in telling detail. The episodes she recounts were remarkable when they occurred, and they have a grim fascination for us today. She chronicles fires and explosions, the collapse of buildings and bridges, lethal accidents at sea and on the roads and railways, and tragedies resulting from enemy action and acts of God.