Review of 'Natural Disasters and Cultural Change'. Edited by Robin Torrence and John Grattan. London: Routledge, 2002, 352 pp. £87.50. ISBN 0 415 21696 6

Natural disasters, large or small, wide-ranging or localized, sudden or prolonged, often have effects on humans and their lifestyles. This innovative and timely compilation explores some disasters which had enduring consequences for human cultures yet also explodes the myth that all major disasters inevitably have such consequences. In this respect, it is a book that would interest many geographers, particularly those concerned with nature–society interactions, particularly in pre-modern times. One of the greatest achievements of this book is to be both interesting and relevant without focusing on either Europe or North America. There are first-rate chapters on Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and various island groups in the far North Pacific and the South Pacific.