This Gulf of Fire: The Destruction of Lisbon, or Apocalypse in the Age of Science and Reason

Portugal’s stunning capital city suffered three nearly simultaneous major disasters in November of 1755—earthquake, tsunami, and fire—that have come to highlight a significant shift in 18th-century religious and economic interpretations of natural and human-made systems. In this focused, well-researched, and fascinating work, Molesky, an associate professor of history at Seton Hall University, uses historical documents, geological surveys, and modern archaeological discoveries to uncover the breadth of destruction endured by Lisbon—a central portion of which was built upon a medieval landfill—and to demonstrate how the intense concern across Europe’s economic markets revealed the Atlantic port city’s financial importance as well as the interdependence of nations. In fact, these concerns spurred the creation of international disaster-relief efforts, especially by Portugal’s key allies and trading partners, which helped prevent widespread famine. Molesky’s thoughtful analysis also includes explanations of why women so greatly outnumbered men as victims (though he leaves unaddressed the issue of their unwieldy clothing). This smart, comprehensive, colorful account shows readers Lisbon’s phoenixlike recovery from destruction that is now nearly forgotten, and how it ushered in a more recognizably modern response to large-scale natural disasters. Illus. [em](Nov.) [/em]