Volcanoes have destroyed and killed throughout history, but we have never known much about them. Now a group of brave scientists are working to understand the actual conditions that cause eruptions, how to predict them, and what we can do, if anything, to temper their destructiveness. Thompson, a Time magazine correspondent, takes us from the May 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington state through new concentrated efforts to construct a wider-reaching and more rigid discipline. Thompson spent many hours with the relative handful of scientists whom he calls "volcano cowboys." They have loaned him their field notes and shared personal stories. That vivid material combined with Thompson's ability to bring a good story to life has resulted in a book that celebrates these "cowboys," their hazardous lives, and the often harrowing decisions they must make. "An extraordinarily intriguing look at how volcanologists . . . coped with three of the world's major volcanic emergencies."-- The Los Angeles Times "One of the best science books of the year."-- Library Journal "This engrossing field report offers an unusually candid look at the learning curve men and women travel as they practice the messy, ego-driver, error-riddled pursuit called science."-- Publishers Weekly "Thompson's narrative is cinematic, with a small cast of major characters, long, suspenseful passages leading up to select moments of high drama . . . True volcano fans will find this riveting."-- Kirkus Reviews Dick Thompson, a former award-winning correspondent for Time magazine, covered science, medicine, space, and the environment for over twenty years. Thompson and his wife, Kristin, live in Switzerland.