Tsunami: The Underrated Hazard

Abstract

Tsunami: the Underrated Hazard , by Edward Bryant, would appear to be a welcome addition to the scholarly tsunami literature. No book on tsunamis has the broad perspective of this work. The book looks attractive, with many high‐quality photographs. It looks comprehensive, with discussions of tsunami hydrodynamics, tsunami effects on coastal landscapes, and causes of tsunamis (earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, meteorite impacts). It looks practical, with a section on risk and mitigation. It also looks entertaining, with an opening chapter on tsunami legends and a closing chapter presenting fanciful descriptions of imagined events. Appearances are deceiving, though. Any initial enthusiasm for the work evaporates on even casual reading. The book is so flawed by errors, omissions, confusion, and unsupported conjecture that we cannot recommend it to anyone.