Holocene book reviews 539
first half of the eighteenth century that were as warm as the last few
decades of the twentieth century. To extend our knowledge back beyond
these records we are reliant on proxy-records, either documentary or
palaeoclimatic. These proxies have provided information of shifts in cli-
mate in the past, and their profound environmental and socio-economic
impacts. The sixteenth century is of special significance because it has
been cited as marking the time of the onset of the ‘Little Ice Age’, a
period of cooler conditions over much of the globe.
This book, reprinted from Climatic Change (volume 43, 1999), synthe-
sizes the research of climate historians from a wide range of disciplines
on sixteenth-century European climate and its social impacts. A key sec-
tion of the book describes the conversion of documentary evidence into
aggregated regional indices of temperature and precipitation, providing
quantitative information about annual and seasonal variations in these two
key phenomena. This was achieved by defining common criteria for
coding weather-related information. Later instrumental records were also
converted to indices, using a similar objective coding, and used to validate
the documentary indices in the period of overlap. The results provide a
statistical justification for the use of indices to assess past climate changes.
The statistical relationships also enabled the collaborators to convert the
documentary indices to temperature and precipitation anomalies relative
to the period of instrumental records (the twentieth century).
Having described the construction of the seasonal indices, the contribu-
tors go on to summarize spatial and temporal patterns of annual and sea-
sonal temperature and precipitation. This work is complemented by sec-
tions describing dendroclimatic indices of summer temperatures for the
same period and the records of glacier fluctuations in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. Reconstructed monthly pressure patterns were used
in an attempt to explain anomalous summers and winters in terms of circu-
lation dynamics.
Two chapters of the book are concerned with the relative frequency
and severity of extreme climatic events. The first, looking at documentary
evidence of flooding, is equivocal about any Europewide relationships
between the severity and frequency of floods and interannual- to decadal-
scale climate anomalies. However, there is evidence of increased flooding
over central Europe in the latter half of the sixteenth century, which was
characterized by colder than average winters. The second study catalogues
storminess in what is now the Netherlands, deriving information from
annual dyke upkeep accounts. These data show a sharp increase in stormi-
ness during the second half of the sixteenth century, coincident with
decreased winter temperatures.
The book concludes with a description of some of the human and socio-
economic impacts of the deterioration in climate during the sixteenth cen-
tury. Price fluctuations are assessed, with the authors trying to tease out
the relative contributions (and interactions) between climatic forcing and
non-climatic factors such as plagues and warfare. The effect of similar
interactions on climate signals in palaeoclimatic proxies should be familiar
to many readers of The Holocene. There is a chapter describing the col-
lapse of the wine industry in central Europe due to repeated crop failures
under declining temperatures. Interestingly, this promoted a widespread
switch to beer consumption as wine prices increased. The final chapter
describes an increase in witch-hunts and witch-burning as the climate
deteriorated and scapegoats were sought for the increasing frequency of
crop failures and other weather related disasters. As Raymond Bradley
concludes in the preface to the volume, ‘One is forced to consider – who
will we blame for climatic changes in the future?’
Overall, the book represents an interesting and varied journey through
different aspects of sixteenth-century European climate and its impacts.
At the core of the volume, and of most interest to readers with interests
in Holocene climate change and variability, are the reconstructed records
of temperature and precipitation for different regions of Europe. These
add a further piece to the emerging picture of Holocene climate variability.
For those who do not have access to the original papers in Climatic
Change this book represents a useful library acquisition, but its price will
discourage most people from purchasing a personal copy.
Mark New
(University of Oxford)
The great ice age
R.C.L. Wilson, S.A. Drury and J.L. Chapman, London: Routledge, The
Open University, 2000, 267 pp., £19.99, paperback. ISBN 0-415-19842-9
In deciding to write this textbook, the three authors made three initial
decisions: first to write on Quaternary climatic change despite their non-
specialization in the topic; second to avoid references in the text; and third
to achieve a low final cost. This textbook is aimed to serve as the base
for an Open University course (an English university using distance learn-
ing rather than teaching in a classroom) on ‘Earth and Life’. It therefore
is targeted mostly at UK students.
The book is structured in two main parts. The first covers the history
of climatic change since 2.6 Ma (seven chapters) and the second how life
responded to these climatic changes (four chapters). As presented on the
book cover, much of Part 1 is a detective story, discussing the clues that
palaeoclimatologists use to reconstruct past changes. The final chapter of
this part outlines a number of explanations for climatic changes, none of
which, as recognized by the authors, adequately explains all the evidence
documented in earlier chapters. In Part 2, some of the biological effects
of the climatic upheaval described in Part 1 are examined, focusing both
on human anatomy and the way in which conscious social behaviour
responded to these rapidly changing selection pressures. These two parts
represent an excellent mixture of information drawn from Earth and Life
Sciences emphasizing the need for a joint approach for the search of causes
and effects of climatic change.
The flow of the reasoning is very easy to follow. The language is
straightforward and narrative. My level of interest remained high through-
out the reading as the writers have obviously managed to gather an abun-
dance of up-to-date information based most likely on extensive reading.
Chapters 9 and 10 on Humans are humorous. The authors have not hesi-
tated to include some hilarious photos.
Numerous and very pedagogic black-and-white figures, including draw-
ings, maps and photographs, illustrate the book. The authors have made
use of explanation boxes, original citations, chapter summaries, questions
and answers. Although I recognize that the use of boxes is a trend in
recent textbooks, it has the inconvenient effect of interrupting the fluidity
of the main text. The reader sometimes has to go up to four pages further
to resume their reading (pages 19 to 23).
References (sometimes only one) are given at the end of each chapter.
They encompass mostly review articles and books and are each followed
by a few words about their content. Often, as a piece of information was
raising my interest, I regretted I could not identify the source article.
Although the book is for UK students, the wide geographical coverage
for the examples should be suitable even for colleagues from the southern
hemisphere. ‘Eurocentricity’ seems to have been avoided, although I am
biased. One can only regret that, despite the nearly complete absence of
typographic errors in the text, the same care has not been given to the
figures: some contain incomplete captions, are cropped too short or have
symbols without explanations.
In conclusion, despite some criticisms, which I hope remain slight, I
would strongly recommend it to all Quaternary students for their study
and also to any lay person wishing to increase their knowledge avoiding
arid facts and brain-twisting reading.
Suzanne Leroy
(Brunel University)
Volcanoes in the Quaternary
Edited by C.R. Firth and W.J. McGuire, London: Geological Society, Spe-
cial Publication 161, 220 pp., £65 (reduced price to members of the Geo-
logical Society and some other organizations), hardback. ISBN 1-86239-
049-5
The short preface to this latest Special Publication from The Geological
Society draws attention to the need for collaborative studies between vol-
canologists and Quaternary scientists to clarify the links between volcanic
activity and environmental change. The volume is the outcome of a confer-
ence convened jointly by the Volcanic Studies Group of The Geological
Society and the Quaternary Research Association.
The book contains 13 papers from 33 contributing authors from around
the world. They are grouped into four subject areas, three of them geo-
graphical. Three papers deal with the volcanic province of North Island,
New Zealand. Cassidy et al. demonstrate the use of geophysical methods
to clarify the eruption history of the Auckland volcanic field. Giles et al.
use a 1000-year palynological record to identify environmental effects that
coincided with one specific eruption, although they conclude that their
data cannot distinguish whether the effects were caused directly by vol-
canic activity or by human impact. Newnham et al. use tephrostratigraphy
to emphasize the volcanic hazard to Auckland of silicic volcanic centres
540 The Holocene 10 (2000)
in central North Island. Their results are preceded by a summary of Quat-
ernary volcanism in central North Island. Three papers cover the second
geographical ‘region’ of the East African rift valley and the Mediterranean.
Scott and Skilling use geochemical correlation of tephras to contribute to
the understanding of caldera-forming processes in the Kenyan rift. Hardi-
man analyses the distribution of deep-sea tephra in the eastern Aegean,
correlated by geochemistry, to clarify the timing and process of caldera
formation. Vinciguerra et al. investigate relationships between eruptive
and seismic activity at Etna between 1977 and 1991. Five papers relate
to Icelandic volcanic centres. Grattan et al. undertake a critical review of
models relating environmental change in northern and western Britain to
distant volcanic eruptions, and summarize the varied characteristics of
‘volcano weather’. Gonzalez et al. demonstrate the potential of magnetic
properties in the characterization and correlation of tephras. Charman and
Grattan use discriminant function analysis of tephra geochemistry as a
tool for tephra correlation, Grattan and Sadler investigate the atmospheric
effects of the 1783 Laki eruption, and Brayshay and Grattan use contem-
porary documents to demonstrate the environmental and social effects in
Europe of the same eruption. The final two papers consider planning
responses to volcanic hazards on Atlantic islands. Chester et al. use Furnal
Volcano in the Azores as a case study of hazard mitigation procedures,
and Solana and Aparicio reconstruct a 1706 eruption on Tenerife to assess
the efficacy of emergency procedures.
These papers provide examples of a range of Quaternary volcanological
studies, with particular emphasis on Holocene eruptions and their role in
environmental change. There is plenty of interest and food for thought for
anyone working on Holocene environmental change. Of the 13 contri-
butions, nine deal with Holocene subjects and seven with aspects of
environmental change. The book certainly succeeds in the editors’ aim of
integrating volcanic and Quaternary studies. The coverage is broad, rang-
ing from geological and geomorphological methodologies through
regional studies of volcanology and climatic change to reviews of the
effects of historical eruptions and assessments of the social impacts of
volcanic hazards, but this range is covered without compromising the
coherence of the volume and, indeed, adds to its value and interest. The
papers are all clearly written, with extensive and up-to-date reference lists.
They are followed by a short, but adequate and useful index. The degree
of background information in each of the papers means that anyone with
a physical geographical or geological background working in the field of
environmental change should find all the contributions accessible, parti-
cularly with the help of an appropriate dictionary. Like all the Geological
Society Special Publications, the book has an attractive, ‘clean’ appear-
ance with plenty of helpful and, for the most part, clear maps, diagrams
and tables. The editors, authors and publishers deserve credit for producing
an attractive volume that is a pleasure to use.
Typographical errors are few. The couple that I did spot were perhaps
so glaringly obvious that the editors can be forgiven for missing them!
One author’s name is misspelled in the contents list, and there is an incon-
sistency between tephrochronology and tephrachronology. My main disap-
pointment with the book, which applies to many Geological Society Spe-
cial Publications, is that it has missed the opportunity to provide a state-
of-the-art introduction or overview of the topic that would open it up to
many more people working in fringe areas, and would place the contri-
butions clearly in context and demonstrate their significance. Despite the
title, this is certainly not a comprehensive review of volcanoes in the Quat-
ernary. Indeed, the cover photograph – an impressive aerial view of Crater
Lake, Oregon – is quite inappropriate since North American volcanoes
receive no coverage.
These really are very minor criticisms, however. Without doubt, Vol-
canoes in the Quaternary represents an interesting, topical, pertinent and
well-presented compilation of quality research papers that illustrate the
range of research methods and topics being carried out in this important
subject area. Particularly in view of the emphasis on more recent eruptions
and on environmental-change issues, I recommend this book to all with
a research or teaching interest in Holocene volcanology or climatic or
environmental change.
Geraint Owen
(University of Wales, Swansea)
Quaternary climates, environments and magnetism
Edited by B.A. Maher and R. Thompson, Cambridge: Cambridge Univer-
sity Press, 1999, 390 pp. £70, hardback. ISBN 0-521-62417-7
Applications of mineral magnetism in Quaternary and pre-Quaternary
environmental reconstruction and geochronology have continued to
increase in nature and scope over the approximately 70 years since mineral
magnetics was first described. A quick perusal of the literature identifies
Frank Oldfield as a nodal point in the development of the field, both
directly via his wide-ranging research and indirectly via his extensive
‘stable’ of former PhD students. It is in this context that the editors have
arranged a series of papers which outline how mineral magnetics have
made critical contributions to global Quaternary palaeoenvironmental
research.
The editors are to be commended as they have done an excellent job of
marshalling contributors to provide well-written, interesting and detailed
accounts of their respective areas of expertise. While each offers unique
insights into aspects of environmental magnetism, there is a consistency
of style, including well-arranged chapters, clear chapter structures and
excellent summaries and suggestions of potential areas of future research.
There are additionally only very limited degrees of overlap of information
from chapter to chapter. This means that, while the volume in its entirety
is truly exceptional, each contribution is additionally extractable from the
whole as a clear, coherent and independent summary of a specific area.
The introductory chapter provides a readily digestible summary of key
events and factors in Quaternary environmental change and the best over-
view of mineral magnetism I have read. The summary of mineral mag-
netics is well illustrated with a combination of line diagrams and electron
micrographs to allow readers to actually visualize some of the sediment
components which contribute the magnetic signature. They provide, in
plain English, a set of definitions and terminology which establishes a
template for the interpretation of all other chapters. It is pleasing to see
that a standardized suite of terms and units is maintained throughout
the volume.
Stoner and Andrews contribute a chapter on the application of mineral
magnetic properties as an archive of North Atlantic palaeoceanography. In
it they provide a compelling illustration of the great potential of magnetic
susceptibility in elucidating the extent and character of Heinrich layers
and their relationship to proximal terrigenous-rich (detrital carbonate)
sedimentary horizons near the adjacent Hudson Sea and Labrador Straits.
Two chapters are dedicated to mineral magnetic applications in palaeo-
monsoon studies. In the first the utility of mineral magnetism for charac-
terization and correlation of the remarkable Chinese loess record is pro-
vided. The authors carefully explain evidence of loess sources, the
cyclicity of loess and palaeosol sequences on Milankovitch and sub-Milan-
kovitch timescales, and theories relating to the systematic evolution of
mineral magnetism along magnetic enhancement pathways. Detailed
reconstructions of palaeoprecipitation and palaeowind regimes are also
provided. The second chapter sets out to discuss magnetic records of aeol-
ian dust in Quaternary sediments of the Indian Ocean. While the intention
of this chapter is entirely reasonable I found it to be the least satisfactory
of all contributions as much of the content actually discusses sedimentary
records from the North Atlantic and Central Pacific, and there is in my
opinion too little reference made to the impressive research which Jan
Blomendal and Peter DeMenocal have completed within the Indian Ocean
over approximately the past decade.
It is interesting that, despite the detailed explanation of the wide range
of magnetic properties of potential utility, magnetic susceptibility remains
by far the most routinely applied technique, and it is done so typically on
bulk sediment fractions. Chapters by Hesse and Stolz, and Snowball and
Torii, provide a very interesting contrast to this ‘standard approach’ by
respectively explaining the nature and utility of bacterially mediated mag-
netite and magnetic iron sulphides. Both contributions explain in some
detail the historical development of these magnetic archives and provide
highly readable case study data which collective suggest that we should
anticipate a greater diversity of mineral magnetic studies into the next
few decades.
Dearing’s chapter on magnetic records of Holocene lake sediments pro-
vides an authoritative overview of applications in lacustrine settings on a
global scale. This global summary is well complemented by discussions
of changes in magnetic properties through glacial-interglacial cycles and
the mineral magnetic record of atmospheric deposits via fire, volcanic
eruption and pollution. The theme of mineral magnetic applications to