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The island of Krakatoa exploded on 27 August 1883 with the force of more than
10 000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. From the moment it was safe to revisit the
archipelago, teams of scientists were back studying the devastation and the
gradual return of life. Ian Thornton’s Krakatau (Harvard,
£25.50/$39.95, ISBN 0 674 50568 9) charts the zoological research
done by these pioneers and their successors. It’s sure to become a classic for
biogeographers, as well as being a testimonial to the resilience of life.