A Talk About Volcanoes

Why do volcanoes erupt, and what do they throw into the world? Imamura Akitsune leads young readers from the myths of Japan’s sacred mountains to the craters of Hawaii, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific. Along the way come lava lakes, flying volcanic bombs, glasslike hair, smoke rings, fireballs, and the devastating power of ash and mud.

A Japanese seismologist writing for a general audience, Imamura combines scientific explanation with travel impressions, memorable comparisons, and an urgent desire to lessen disaster. His accounts include Aso, Asama, Sakurajima, Bandai, Fuji, and famous eruptions abroad.

This complete English translation preserves the essay’s four sections and all seventeen supplied figure captions. Brief notes explain period terms, uncertain names, source inconsistencies, and historical scientific claims. Read as a record of scientific education around the original 1930 parent edition, the work reveals both the author’s curiosity and the limits of his time’s understanding.