Released to colleague as holiday reading in Mallorca. Off to a flying start !

Gently builds up to the cataclysmic events of the 1883 eruption with an introduction to the geological science behind volcanoes. Don’t panic ! It's in 'layman's terms' and really quite enjoyable. The eruption itself is covered extensively with eyewitness reports as well as contemporary reporting from press and scientific bodies of the day. Led me off to another good book called 'The Victorian Internet' by Tom Standage which I'm reading now.