San Francisco Is Burning, Dennis Smith
San Francisco Is Burning, Dennis Smith
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San Francisco Is Burning
The Untold Story of the 1906 Earthquake and Fires

Author: Dennis Smith

Narrator: Alan Sklar

Unabridged: 12 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/22/2005


Synopsis

At 5:12 a.m. on the morning of April 18, 1906, San Francisco was struck by one of the worst earthquakes in history, instantly killing hundreds. The ensuing fires that ravaged the city for days were responsible for the deaths of as many as 3,000 more. In all, 522 blocks and 28,188 buildings were leveled, and some 200,000 people dislocated.

This watershed event in American history has never before been told with the richness of historical detail and insight that our foremost historian of fire, Dennis Smith, brings to it in San Francisco Is Burning. Smith cinematically recounts this terrible tragedy through the stories of the people who lived through those terrible days—from a valiant naval officer who helped save the city's piers and wharves to Eugene Schmitz, the crooked mayor, to the "debonair scoundrel" Abe Ruef, the most erudite city boss in American history. Throughout, Smith reveals many unknown details about the event, from the city's great vulnerability to fire—due to its corrupt and hasty building practices—to the widespread racism the quake unleashed and the atrocities committed by national guardsmen. Told with verve and a seasoned firefighter's knowledge, San Francisco Is Burning is the gripping and definitive account of one of the greatest disasters of the twentieth century.

About Dennis Smith

Dennis Smith, a former New York City firefighter, is the founding editor of Firehouse Magazine and the bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Report from Ground Zero, Report from Engine Co. 82, and A Song for Mary. He is currently chairman of First Responders Financial Company and lives in New York City.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kimba on May 31, 2019

This popular history recounts the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco and the resulting fires. Like many popular histories, it tries to recreate the drama of the original events and thus give the reader a feeling of being there. In principle, I have no issue with this strategy; however too often, it re......more

Goodreads review by Alaina on December 23, 2024

immersive narrative of the 8.0 earth quake that lead to the largest fire in America in 1906......more

Goodreads review by Jimmy on July 26, 2019

How much can you say about an earthquake? Really, not much. And it was the fire that took most of the 3,000 or so lives. Sadly, most of my takeaways were dealt with the negative side of what happened. The corruption. The incompetence. The bravery and heroism are almost overwhelmed by the negativity.......more

Goodreads review by Michael on November 08, 2015

Pretty good book. Stays true to the title. It briefly covers San Francisco history and the actual earthquake, then it focuses on the fire. My only problem was the writing style. Uses a lot of names and then gives you a brief history of those people and a lot of them weren't really necessary. This is......more

Goodreads review by Cory on March 21, 2015

Not a bad book overall, lots of very good information on the earthquake, the fires that followed, and the corruption that plagued the city. My 3 star rating comes from the unevenness of writing in my opinion, the information was there, it just didn't feel smooth which kept me from really sinking int......more